Rahul Dravid's emotional farewell speech post T20 WC win can make even a 'sakht launda' cry

Emotions ran high as India won the T20 World Cup 2024, beating South Africa in the final. After indulging in a crazy celebration on the field, the players and the support staff members gathered in the Barbados dressing room for one last time.

There were mixed feelings in the locker room as some of the senior players bid goodbye to the shortest format of the game. Rahul Dravid, whose tenure also came to an end with this tournament, gave an emotional farewell speech.

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Surrounded by the players and his support staff, the Indian batting legend thanked the players for making him a part of an incredible memory. Dravid said that usually he is never short of words but was so overwhelmed that words were hard to come by.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗲-𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗟! 🫡

The sacrifices, the commitment, the comeback 🏆

📽️ #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid's emotional dressing room speech in Barbados 👌👌 #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/vVUMfTZWbc

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 2, 2024

“Really short of words. All I want to say is thank you to everyone for making me a part of what is an incredible memory. All of you will remember these moments. Like we always say, it’s not about your runs, not about your wickets, you’ll never remember your career. But you’ll remember moments like this. So let’s really enjoy it, I couldn’t be more prouder of you guys,” Dravid told the players.

“The comeback the way you did. The way you fought. The way we worked as a team. The resilience. There have been some disappointments over the years where we have come close but never have been able to cross the line,” he added.

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The 51-year-old, who played his cricket selflessly, doing more than what he was capable of for the Indian team, asked players to think about their loved ones who made immense sacrifices for them to be able to fulfil their dream.

“Really, really proud to have been a part of this memory with you guys. All I can say is thank you so much man. I really am short of words and I am usually never short of words. But on a day like today, for me to just be part of this, I couldn’t be more grateful. I could not be thankful for the respect, kindness, and for the effort each and every one of you have shown to me, my coaching staff, and to my support staff. Thank you so much,” he added.

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Towards the end, Dravid revealed that after the ODI World Cup heartbreak in November 2023, it was Rohit Sharma who called him and asked him to continue as the Team India head coach for another six months.

“Would just like to say thank you very much Ro (Rohit) for making that call to me in November and asking me to continue. I think it’s been a pleasure to work with each and everyone of you, but also to Ro(hit), I know as a captain and a coach, we have to chat, we have to discuss, we have to agree and we have to disagree at times, but thank you so very much,” he explained.

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Despite playing as important a role as anyone in building a champion side, Dravid didn’t take any credit for it. Cricket is a team sport and the outgoing coach told the players that this victory was not for any individual but for the whole team. It was a result of all the hard work, the players and the coaching staff, put together in the last one month.

“It’s your moment guys. Remember it, it’s not about any individual, it’s about the team. We won this as a team. We did everything that we did for the last one month as a team. It’s about all of us. It’s not about an individual. Thank you, [I] could not be proud. Let’s party, let’s really enjoy this,” he concluded.

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Dravid is one of the most loved Indian cricketers of all time. What sets him apart is his simplicity and his down to earth nature. Unlike other cricketers, he doesn’t like to stay in the limelight. Despite ending his India coaching career on a high, he didn’t make it all about himself.

The way he credited everyone for this momentous victory showed why people admire him so much. If you are a true fan of Indian cricket, it’s hard to not be moved by his farewell speech.