NEW DELHI: After enduring a heartbreaking defeat in the World Cup final against Australia, India's head coach Rahul Dravid finds himself emotionally spent and in need of time for reflection on his future with the national team. Dravid's two-year contract with the BCCI officially concluded on Sunday with the conclusion of the World Cup.
The defeat in the World Cup title clash marked the end of Dravid's tenure, during which he guided the team to two ICC tournament finals and one semi-final. However, the matter of Dravid's future has not yet been discussed within the BCCI.
In a post-match media conference, Dravid was asked about his future plans and whether he would consider coaching in a single format, to which he responded, "I haven't thought about it. I've just come off a game. I had no time to think about this and no time to reflect on this. Yeah, I will when I get the time to do that."
"At this point in time, I was completely focused on this campaign and there was nothing else on my mind. And I haven't given any other thought to what happens in the future," he added.
Dravid, known as 'Mr Dependable' during his playing days, expressed his pride in working with the players over the last two years, calling it a privilege. When asked about analysing his own two-year tenure, Dravid stated, "To be honest, I am not really someone who's going to judge and analyse myself."
1/10:Head breaks India hearts as Australia win sixth World Cup title
Reuters
2/10:Travis Head's heroic Century
Travis Head's sparkling knock of 137 led Australia to victory in the World Cup final.AFP
3/10:Head & Labuschagne's partnership
Travis Head's marathon stand of 192 with Marnus Labuschagne secured the win for Australia in the final.AFP
4/10:End of India's unbeaten streak
Travis Head's century ended India's dominant run of 10 unbeaten matches at the World Cup.AFP
5/10:'Pinnacle of Cricket'
Captain Pat Cummins describes winning the World Cup as the pinnacle of cricket.AFP
6/10:Head's impact despite injury
Travis Head's match-winning century proved his resilience after recovering from a hand injury.AFP
7/10:India's trophy drought continues
India's hopes of ending their trophy drought since 2013 were dashed by Australia's dominant performance.AFP
8/10:Bowlers set up victory
Australia's bowlers, led by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, played a crucial role in the team's victory.AFP
9/10:Head's century in World Cup final
Travis Head's century became the seventh in a World Cup final and the third by an Australian player.AFP
10/10:India's bowlers struggle
India's bowlers failed to break the partnership between Head and Labuschagne, allowing Australia to take control of the game.PTIRegarding the possibility of coaching the team in the next year's T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies, Dravid remained non-committal, saying, "Honestly, I haven't thought about it. I think all our campaign, all our energies were focused on this match, focused on this tournament, and focused till here."
Laughing off questions about whether the golden generation of Indian cricketers might have missed out on winning a World Cup, Dravid remarked, "I'm not really thinking about 2027 and who's going to be there and who's not going to be there. There's a lot of time for that. A lot of water will flow under the bridge before that. There'll be a lot of time for that."
As Dravid takes time to reflect on his future, cricket enthusiasts await updates on the coaching direction for the Indian cricket team.
(With inputs from PTI)
