Rahul Dravid Credits Rohit Sharma for Instilling Fearless Approach in Indian Cricket 

Beyond the 2024 triumph, Rahul Dravid also guided India to the 2022 T20 WC semi-finals, which ended in a crushing ten-wicket defeat to England.

Rahul Dravid Credits Rohit Sharma for Instilling Fearless Approach in Indian Cricket 

Rahul Dravid praised Rohit Sharma for his leadership during India's white-ball cricket revolution. (via ESPN Cricinfo)

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Former Team India head coach Rahul Dravid most recently emphasized Rohit Sharma‘s significance as a captain in the white-ball era. Dravid specifically acknowledged the 38-year-old former captain’s role for establishing a bold, fearless attitude within the Indian ODI and T20I squad.

Under the guidance of coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma, the Indian team secured its second T20 World Cup title in 2024, defeating South Africa in the final in Barbados. This victory ended India’s 11-year drought for a major ICC trophy.

Dravid concluded his three-year tenure with the team shortly after, a period also marked by disappointments, including final losses in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2023 World Test Championship.

While the 2024 T20 World Cup might be the only silverware under Dravid’s belt, his tenure will be best remembered for having transformed the Men in Blue into an elite white-ball side. A key factor was his strong relationship with Rohit Sharma, which coincided with India achieving the rare feat of being ranked the No. 1 team across all three formats simultaneously, while maintaining a win rate exceeding 70 percent in limited-overs cricket.

Most recently, Rahul Dravid, speaking at a special event celebrating ‘The Rise of the Hitman,’ a book on Rohit Sharma authorized by R. Kaushik, discussed his impact as a leader. Dravid emphasized that India’s ascent and subsequent dominance in white-ball cricket stemmed from a necessary shift in mindset, which Sharma championed, acknowledging that the team had initially lagged behind.

There was a feeling that we [India] were slightly behind in white-ball cricket and needed to push the envelope a little more. Run rates were going up, risk-taking was increasing, and we needed to adapt to that reality.

The 53-year-old explained that the rising run-rates and increased risk-taking by other teams necessitated that India look beyond its traditional approach. The former Indian opener noted that captain Rohit Sharma’s uniqueness lay in his readiness to embrace this strategic shift himself, rather than imposing it on his teammates. Dravid commended Sharma for leading with the bat, aggressively scoring runs to secure quick starts, prioritizing it over individual milestones.

What was brilliant was that Rohit [Sharma] took the lead immediately. He took responsibility for setting the tempo himself, rather than asking others to do it.

Dravid concluded by noting Rohit Sharma’s smooth transition into a leadership role, which helped the team maintain its strength. India’s momentum in white-ball cricket appears to have continued, as the team remains at the top of the ODI and T20I rankings, even after Dravid’s departure in 2024.

Rahul Dravid tips India as favorites to win 2026 T20 World Cup, but urges caution

The last time India won the ICC T20 World Cup, Rahul Dravid was the head coach, having guided the team to only its second T20 WC title since 2007. Speaking at a book launch event, Dravid tipped the Men in Blue, under Gautam Gambhir’s coaching, to triumph once again in 2026. 

Rahul Dravid on Team India 2026 T20 WC
Rahul Dravid tipped India to seamlessly make it to the 2026 T20 World Cup semi-finals. (via NDTV Sports)

The Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian side is set to enter the 2026 T20 World Cup as both the defending champions and the world’s no.1-ranked T20I side. Despite this strong position, they face a challenge, as no team has ever won consecutive T20 World Cup titles, a streak they aim to break. Furthermore, the Indian team has been in exceptional form in T20Is, and remain unbeaten in all series since August 2023.

Rahul Dravid predicted India would be strong favorites to easily reach the semi-finals of the upcoming 2026 ICC T20 World Cup. However, he cautioned the team, emphasizing that the knockout stages leave no room for error, drawing on his own experience with bitter defeats in ICC knockouts as a coach. He also stated that even a very strong team could have a single poor performance that ends their campaign.

India clearly start as favorites and they will make it to the semi-finals but as I have learned to my bitter disappointment, it’s about the better team on the day. Anybody can play a good knock and upset you. –

The Men in Blue most recently defeated New Zealand in the first three opening games of a five-match T20I series at home. Prior to that, the Indian T20I team had also secured victories against South Africa (3-1) at home, and Australia (2-1) in an away series.

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