Rohit Sharma who retired from Test cricket on Wednesday reflected on the three years he spent under former coach Rahul Dravid who guided India to their first ICC trophy in years when they won the T20 World Cup last year.
“I know everything on about Rahul bhai. What kind of a human being he is. We worked together for 3 years. He is very special to me. He was the one who gave me my first Indian (ODI) cap. When I made my debut in Ireland, he was the captain. So I can’t ever forget those special moments in my life,” Rohit said in a chat with Vimal Kumar on his YouTube show.
“I worked with him for 3 years. I understood what kind of a human being he is. We hadn’t worked so closely before this. We didn’t talk much. When he used to play, his focus was on his batting. So, there was less chance to talk. But now, I had the opportunity to understand his thought process. He’s a very high profile human being. In Indian cricket, his name ranks among the top players and that’s deserved. But for me it was how he presented himself in front of us and that has inspired me a lot,” he added.
Rohit’s aggressive batting technique to give India fast starts in matches have also earned him the tag of selfless, something that Dravid was also branded during his days as an Indian cricketer. Bit according to the Indian ODI captain, it was with the support of Dravid that he was able to play that way.
“It was my game but I needed support. And Rahul bhai gave me that support. He told me ‘you are matured enough to know what you are doing. I trust your game. Whatever you are doing, I understand why you are doing it.’ He said here’s your team, I am here to support you. But I will challenge you and ask you questions but it’s your team, you lead them how you want,” he said.
Rohit, 38, announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect on Wednesday, which came a day after the national selectors met and decided to remove him as skipper and go with a new leader for the tour of England that starts next month.
Rohit had already retired from T20 Internationals after leading India to the World Cup title last year. He will, however, continue to play ODIs.
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“Hello, everyone. I would just like to share that I am retiring from Test cricket. It’s been an absolute honour to represent my country in whites,” Rohit posted on social media. “Thank you for all the love and support over the years. I will continue to represent India in the ODI format.”
