Rahul Dravid says T20 World Cup will be his last as India head coach

PTI, Jun 4, 2024, 7:50 AM IST

Rahul Dravid (Credit: PTI / File)

New York: Rahul Dravid on Monday confirmed that the T20 World Cup will be his last tournament as head coach of the Indian cricket team.

Dravid’s announcement was anticipated as he was not expected to reapply for the high-profile job after the BCCI invited the applications last month.

Speaking to reporters ahead of India’s World Cup opener against Ireland, Dravid said he enjoyed every bit of his coaching tenure.

“Every tournament is important. Every game that I’ve coached for India has been very important for me. So for me this is no different just because it is going to be the last one that I’m in charge of,” he said when asked if this tournament held more significance as it was his last one in charge of the team.

The former India captain had taken charge of the team in November 2021 following the T20 World Cup that year.

“I love doing the job. I’ve really enjoyed coaching India and I think it’s a truly special job to do. I enjoyed working with this team and it’s a great bunch of boys to work with but yeah but just considering you know unfortunately the just the kind of schedules and where I find myself in the stage in my life I don’t think I’ll be able to reapply.

“So yeah, obviously it’ll be my last one but having said that it’s no different for me to be very honest. From the first day I took the job, I always felt that every game was important and every game mattered and that will not change,” he asserted.

India will be aiming to win an elusive ICC trophy here and provide a perfect farewell for the coach.