Rahul Dravid finally got his hands on a World Cup trophy after his boys beat Australia in the final of the ICC U-19 World Cup final.
It was perhaps the first time that almost everyone congratulating the Indian team for the win included the name of its head coach in the message- Rahul Dravid. It speaks about his influence and stature in India cricketing scene.
However, Rahul Dravid was as usual calm personified. He even admitted that he was sometimes embarrassed as coach of India U-19 as too much attention is put on him because of his stature rather than the players and support staff.
"Coaching this team I tend to get a lot of attention, but it is really about the quality of support staff that we have had and the effort they have put in has been amazing," he further added.
The comment was vintage Dravid.
As the under-19 boys celebrated behind him, when he was talking to Simon Doull, Dravid in typical fashion, had some wise words for his boys. Dravid hoped the memory of a junior World Cup win won't define careers of his team. The former India captain said he wanted his players to create bigger and better memories for themselves.
"I am really proud of the boys, proud of the effort that they have put in and proud of the support staff as well. I think the effort we have put in over the last 14 months have been sensational. They really deserved this, couldn't be really happier and proud for this bunch of boys."
"It's really nice for them and hopefully it's a memory they'll cherish for a long time, and hopefully it's not a memory that defines them and they will have a lot more bigger and better memories as they go on ahead in their careers," Dravid told Doull after the match.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) meanwhile announced a cash reward for Dravid and his team after the win. While Dravid will get Rs 50 lakh as a reward, the players and support staff will each get Rs 30 lakh and Rs 20 lakh respectively.
