New Delhi: Former India cricketer VVS Laxman stated that it was a great gesture by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to hand over the T20 World Cup trophy to Rahul Dravid.
It was a special moment for India in Barbados as they ended their 13-year-long drought of an ICC World Cup following a slender 7-run win over South Africa.
Dravid celebrated by jumping out of his chair, expressing the relief and joy that millions of Indian fans across the world were feeling.
The victory turned out to be redemption for Dravid, who served as the head coach of the Indian team. In 2007, India surprisingly crashed out of the World Cup in the West Indies, which lingered in the cricketing history of the nation.
However, on the same soil, Dravid turned the nightmare into a day to remember by admiring the object he desired and holding it aloft high in the air for the first time in his illustrious career.
Dravid, who is known as “The Wall”, a man who rarely shows his emotion, letting it out and making the triumph even more memorable.
“When he (Dravid) lifted the World Cup, I thought it was a great gesture by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to hand over that trophy, and the way he celebrated lifting that trophy showed how much it meant to each one of them. The amount of hard work they put in. The celebration told the bigger story behind this victory,” Laxman said in a video posted by BCCI on X.
Rohit collapsed to the ground as the last wicket fell, sealing the victory. The emotions were visible on the face of every player. Rohit went on to lift the ICC T20 World Cup hero, Hardik, who was in tears after defending 16 runs in the final over against South Africa.
He kissed Hardik on the cheek as the emotional all-rounder was speaking after the match.
“Everyone showed their emotions. So it showed how much it meant to each and every player of that sport. You know, it’s not only the playing 11, but even the support staff, the coaching staff, emotions were really high. You saw Hardik Pandya break down and, you know, showing his emotions once he bowled his last delivery, you saw Rohit Sharma on the ground. Then someone like Rahul, with whom I’ve played so much of cricket, known him for so many years, for him to show that emotions, first when the last ball was bowled, and then, you know, just… the conversations he was having with various team members,” he said.
“It is a special feeling, keeping in mind that we have come close. Just six months back, you know, we should have won the 50-over World Cup, dominating the entire tournament, and then not able to cross the final hurdle. So it’s a special feeling for everyone involved, not only as a former cricketer, but I think the entire country is rejoicing with this result,” he added.