India coach Dravid lauds exceptional Rohit Sharma despite final heartbreak

India coach Rahul Dravid praised captain Rohit Sharma as an exceptional leader despite the team’s six-wicket defeat by Australia in the World Cup final, bringing an end to their 10-match winning streak in the tournament.

Dravid highlighted Rohit’s aggressive batting style, noting that he played a crucial role throughout the World Cup by providing explosive starts in the powerplay overs. This impressive performance contributed to India’s arrival in Ahmedabad for the final as firm favorites, showcasing a stellar run under Rohit’s captaincy.

“His batting was fantastic, the way he set the tone for us. “We knew we wanted to play a certain way and we wanted to play a positive attacking brand of cricket,” Dravid told reporters. “And he was very committed to doing that.

“He wanted to lead by example. I thought right through the tournament, he was quite superb in doing that. And yeah, I just can’t speak more highly of him as a person and as a leader.”

India found themselves at 81-3 after Rohit Sharma’s 31-ball 47, and coach Rahul Dravid acknowledged that the team fell short by 30-40 runs of posting a competitive total. Australia successfully chased down their target with seven overs to spare, propelled by Travis Head’s remarkable innings of 137.

“I thought they bowled well through that period,” Dravid said. “It felt like the ball was stopping in the afternoon a little bit more than it did in the evening.

“And not that there was a lot of dew, to be honest, but it just felt like the ball came on to the bat a lot better in the evening. There was that period where the ball was stopping.

“We weren’t able to get boundaries. We were rotating the strike, but we weren’t able to hit those boundaries.”

Remaining tight-lipped about his future, Rahul Dravid mentioned that the team would take time to reflect on their campaign once the dust settles.

“There were a lot of emotions in that dressing room. It was tough to see as a coach, because I know how hard these guys have worked, what they’ve put in and the sacrifices they’ve made,” Dravid added.

“That’s sport. That happens. And the better team won on the day. I’m sure the sun will come up tomorrow morning. We’ll learn from it. We’ll reflect and move on, as will everyone else.”