A usually-reserved Rahul Dravid made his way to the familiar grounds of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, this time though for a conversation on cricket, particulary Rohit Sharma. Incidentally, the event comes a couple of days after the announcement of Sharma being conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri 2026.
Celebrating the moment and a book on Sharma titled The Rise of the Hitman (published by Rupa; ₹595), Dravid and R Kaushik, sports journalist and the author of the book, indulged in a two-hour long conversation, sharing fond memories and anecdotes of the rise of the former India cricket captain. “As a coach you learn that you should never coach like you would play yourself,” said Dravid, the India head coach during the 2023 World Cup, which the team lost after a winning streak. Speaking about the initial phase, he said, “Working with an astute cricketer like Rohit was easy because he recognised that the game was changing. In some ways, there was a feeling that we were behind and needed to push the envelope,” he added. Recalling the last five overs of the final, Dravid felt they showed the captain’s true ability, “In some ways they encapsulated Sharma’s whole journey. He showed tactical clarity, calmness and camaraderie. Everyone got behind him, and that’s why the team fought till the very last ball.”
The 222-page book chronicles Sharma’s rise from a passionate youngster to one of Indian cricket’s star player. For Dravid, Sharma’s potential in captaincy was a given. “Rohit was the vice-captain in some formats and was around the group for a really long time as a senior player. One of the challenges that a player faces when he/she goes from being a senior player in a team to becoming a captain, is that they have to start making decisions about people. It’s a lot easier to be one of the boys, to be able to be a shoulder to cry on, because there you’re not a final decision maker.”
On a personal note, Dravid opened up about the bonds forged along the journey, going beyond victories and failures, which led to him continuing to coach the India team after the heartbreaking loss. “Going through the whole experience of the (2023) World Cup felt like I owed it to the team to do it one more time and keep the boys together.”
However, with the heavily-criticised US leg of T20 World Cup in 2024, an event meant to showcase the game to new audiences in the US, turned out to be ‘terrible’. “It was supposed to be an advertisement for cricket in the US, but it didn’t go as planned amid logistical issues and unfamiliar conditions,” Dravid said. While preparation and planning were crucial, there are moments when the outcome of a game hinges on a fine margin. Speaking about Surya Kumar Yadav’s match-turning catch in the 2024 final, he added, “Sometimes you need a little bit of luck. You put in the work, you practise a thousand times, but the game is often decided by inches and destiny.” Beyond all of that, Dravid believes in the collective nature of success. “There’s so much work that goes on behind the scenes from support staff, physios, trainers – people who may never get the limelight. Victories like these mean a lot to them and their families,” he shared.
Stepping back a moment to look at the larger picture of Indian cricket right now, Dravid notices a change in the game, particularly in T20 cricket. “India is playing T20 cricket at a different level than anyone else. In a format like this, it’s the easiest to have upsets. But India has something like an 80 per cent success rate in terms of games won, and that’s phenomenal.” Still, he cautioned that tournaments are decided by moments, stating “You might start as favourites, but it comes down to two good games.”