India captain Rohit Sharma on Tuesday revealed that he tried to convince outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid to stay on besides acknowledging his massive contribution to the team over the past two and a half years.
Dravid on Monday had made it clear that the T20 World Cup would be his last assignment with the Indian team. A day later, Rohit got emotional while talking about his first captain on the national side.
Gautam Gambhir is seen as Dravid's successor but it remains unclear if he has applied for the job.
"I tried convincing him to stay, but obviously there are a lot of things that he needs to look after as well. But yeah, I personally enjoyed my time with him.
"I'm sure the rest of the guys will say the same. It's been great working with him. And I'm not going to say anything actually. I'm not going to say anything," said an emotional Rohit when asked if the team has planned a farewell for him.
Rohit and Dravid go back a long way with the former having made his India debut under the player-turned-coach in June 2007.
"He was my first international captain when I made my debut in Ireland. Then I saw him play while I was just coming into the team (for) Test matches when he was captain. And such a big role model for all of us," said Rohit ahead of India's World Cup opener against Ireland on Wednesday.
"Growing up, we watched him play and we know what he has achieved, personally as a player and also what he's done for the team over the years. Battling out the team from difficult situations and that is what he's known for," he said referring to the 'Wall'.
India have not bee able to win a trophy in the Rohit-Dravid era yet but the head coach's contribution has been immense, said the skipper.
"He's shown a lot of great determination throughout his career and that is something that when he came here as a coach, I wanted to learn from him.
"It's been very fruitful. Other than the big silver (trophy), we won all the major tournaments and series. I've enjoyed every bit of it, working with him, and deciding what direction the team needs to head.
"And for him to buy into that thought, obviously makes a huge difference. And he was the first one who came and said, 'This is what we need to do as a team'. No matter what happens, but at least we'll give it a good shot at it when he arrives," added Rohit.
Dravid had taken charge of the team in November 2021.
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