Following India’s series victory against England, Rahul Dravid spoke to the team and praised their outstanding performance throughout the five Test matches. In the fifth and final Test of the series, Team India defeated England by an incredible innings and 64 runs on Saturday in Dharamsala, to seal the series 4-1.
Since losing the first Test match in Hyderabad, India had been playing brilliantly; in the fifth Test, they swiftly took the game, batting England out for just 218 and 195 in the first two innings.
Rahul Dravid’s parting speech straight from the dressing room
Rahul Dravid, the team’s head coach, assembled the whole squad in the changing room after the Test series victory and thanked each player for their outstanding performances. Dravid emphasized the team’s capacity to overcome challenges “on and off the field” in a speech that the BCCI published on their official X, formerly Twitter, account. He also praised the youthful brigade’s effort in winning the series.
“There were times in this series where we were challenged, pushed and we found a way to bounce back. It speaks to the skills we have, the resilience we have, and the character we have. On many occasions in this series, the game could’ve gone either way, but we found people in this dressing room who stepped up and turned the game our way. That was fantastic,” Rahul Dravid said.
He continued, “We not only need to win where we have to fight back but have to also win the games where we are ahead and don’t let the opposition come back. Well done on that as well, great stuff.
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Faced challenges on and off the field – Dravid
“Irrespective of whether we win or lose, this game teaches us a lot. Five Test series… you are going to go through ups and downs, you are going to be tested, and it is going to teach us a lot as players and as a team, and as people. We have come through that exceptionally with flying colors. We faced challenges both on and off the field, but the way we stuck as group was phenomenal.
𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺!
Ft. Head Coach Rahul Dravid & Captain Rohit Sharma 💬#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @ImRo45 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/VL7RZvNyAO
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 10, 2024
“For a lot of young guys, you are going to need each other to succeed. Whether you are a batter or a bowler, your success is tied to other people’s success. All of you are invested in each other’s success, and that’s important. Well done on that. As a young group going forward, I hope a lot of you will play for a long time. And support each other and help each other grow as players.”
The difficulties of playing Test cricket were then emphasized by Rahul Dravid, who also emphasized the significance of the format and the “satisfaction” that comes with winning a series after trailing 0–1. In his speech, he also expressed gratitude to the support staff. The players are heading to the Indian Premier League, which lasts for two months, while the club management will have a break.
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This is tough – Head Coach
“Series like this have to be earned. This is tough; Test cricket is hard at times. It’s hard in terms of your skills; it’s hard physically and mentally. It’s not easy. But there’s great satisfaction. The satisfaction we get winning a series like this, coming from one behind, to be able to win four, is phenomenal. There are going to be tougher challenges as we go forward; as long as we grow and learn and keep improving and stay tight as a unit, we will be fine,” stated Rahul Dravid.
“I want to thank and acknowledge the support staff. It has been a long season for all of us, as we are now going into a break; the support staff… thank you to everyone. (Thanks to) our coaches, and everyone in the backroom staff for all the efforts that you have put in. It’s a terrific bunch of professionals and I love working with you guys. Good luck, thank you for the efforts that you’ve put in, proud of what you guys have achieved.”
Captain Rohit Sharma’s speech
In the closing moments of the video, captain Rohit Sharma also expressed gratitude to his team for giving it their all to win the series. I wanted to comment and express my gratitude to everyone for pulling together under duress. If we didn’t connect with the way we were thinking, it wouldn’t have been conceivable. Very grateful for it, Rohit exclaimed.
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