Rahul Dravid: After double dissappintment, how 'The Wall' helped India scale the world cup summit

After the double disappointment last year of defeat in the World Test Championship final and the 50-over World Cup -- losing both to Australia -- Rahul Dravid finally became third-time lucky on Saturday when India lifted the T20 World Cup.

Dravid, who is standing down as coach after this tournament, could not have hoped for a better ending.


Before the match, #DoItForDravid started trending.

Dravid, known as "The Wall," was against it. "I just want to play good cricket, and yeah, doing it for someone is totally against who I am as a person and what I believe in. So, I don't want to talk about it and discuss it," Dravid told Star Sports.

Dravid, who took over in November 2021, was instrumental in ending India's decade-long ICC trophy drought.

He was initially given a short-term extension until the T20 World Cup, which unfortunately ended with the team's defeat last November.

The Dravid-Rohit duo tinkered with the team composition for the World Cup, deciding to make Kohli open with Rohit. They brought Rishabh Pant in after first down and picked Shivam Dube. They also chose Axar Patel, who made a crucial 47 runs and took a wicket, over Yuzvendra Chahal. All these decisions paid off well in the end.

Dravid's coaching stint was one of the most successful in Indian cricket history. During Dravid's tenure, India ranked No. 1 in both ODI and T20I cricket. India also made it to two finals and one semi-final in ICC events.

As head coach, Dravid has an impressive record. During his tenure, India played 24 tests, of which they won 14 and lost seven, a success rate of 58.33 percent. Out of 53 ODIs, India won 36 and lost 14 -- a success rate of 72 percent. In T20Is, India had an even better success rate of 75 percent, winning 51 of 70 matches.

In ICC events, India had a 90 percent success rate in ODIs and over 87 percent success rate in T20Is under Dravid.