‘The effort he has put in…’: Rahul Dravid lauds Rohit Sharma’s growth as player and leader

Outgoing Indian head coach Rahul Dravid saw Rohit Sharma rising through the ranks as a youngster. Now, Dravid is pleased to note Rohit Sharma’s growth as a player as well as a leader. Sharma played a key role in taking India to glory in the T20 World Cup, which broke the team’s ICC title drought.

The Indian skipper was able to lead from the front and took an aggressive batting approach from the get-go. The right-hander scored 257 runs in eight matches of the T20 World Cup 2024 at an average of 36.71 and a strike rate of 156.71.

After the World Cup final, Rohit decided to hang his boots from the T20I format. He finished his T20I career as the leading run-getter in the format, with 4231 runs in 159 matches.

Meanwhile, Rohit was spot on as a leader throughout the tournament as he got his field placements and bowling changes right.

“I have really enjoyed working with Rohit,” the departing India coach Rahul Dravid told BCCI. “He is someone I knew as a young boy. Just to see him grow as a person, grow as a leader in Indian cricket. He is someone who is able to contribute to the team in the last ten or twelve years, both as a player and now as a leader. It has been a real tribute to him and the effort he has put in, the time he has put in. I really enjoy getting to know him as a person as well.”

On the other hand, Dravid also showered praise on Virat Kohli. The former Indian captain hailed Kohli for his hunger to improve at the top level.

“I only had a chance to work with him (Kohli) in a couple of series, in a couple of Test matches when he was the captain. I am getting to know him as well. His desire to improve, his desire to get better is fascinating to watch,” he said.

Virat Kohli scored 4188 runs in 125 T20I matches at an average of 48.7 and a strike rate of 137.04 before calling it time on his T20I career.