One of the reasons for the Indian cricket team’s tremendous success at the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, besides the brilliant form and sensational performances of the top players, is the management team of coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Rohit Sharma that has made things possible for India so far.
With Dravid moving the pieces from the background and Rohit Sharma executing the plans on the field, India have set a record by winning 10 successive matches to storm into the final where they will be facing five-time winners Australia in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
One only has to attend regular press conferences and go through interviews given by both Indian captain Rohit Sharma and Head Coach Rahul Dravid to understand the kind of relationship they share in the Indian cricket team.
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It is this symbiotic relationship of camaraderie, mutual respect and admiration that helped them to jell together as a unit to bring up a team that has stormed into the final of the World Cup with an all-win record, decimating strong opponents with ease and setting themselves as the favourites to win the title when they take on five-time champions Australia in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Both of them have mutual respect and have never shied away from talking about it, both are always ready to give each other credit and regularly maintain a communication channel between them and the players. But the most important aspect of their combination is that both appear on the same page when it comes to deciding how the Indian team should execute its game on the field.
just before India’s semi-final clash with New Zealand, the India skipper had credited head coach Rahul Dravid for backing players to the hilt during the time they were away from the game due to injuries, in the build-up phase and also during the event.
“As a captain, if you have decided this is how you want to play then you must have clarity. You have to back the players to the hilt. We have backed certain players whom we have given certain roles. We’ll back players and stand with them. We have to give credit to Rahul Dravid for buying into that thought and not shuffling much when it doesn’t come off. We’ll continue to do that in future as well. Role clarity and giving guys the freedom,” Rohit said in the pre-match press conference ahead of the semi-final with New Zealand.
Dravid on his part has praised Rohit for his leadership and aggressive batting that has eased the pressure on fe