Rohit Sharma with Rahul Dravid
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: India's T20 World Cup-winning skipper Rohit Sharma has penned an emotional farewell note to the team's former head coach Rahul Dravid, expressing "gratitude" for his man-management skills and for leaving his baggage of stardom outside the dressing room.
Dravid, following a nearly three-year long stint as head coach, stepped down at the end of India's title-winning T20 World Cup campaign in the West Indies last month.
"My wife (Ritika Sajdeh) refers to you as my work wife and I am lucky to get to call you that too," the current skipper wrote about his first international captain on his Instagram page.
Rohit's tribute was also an indicator of how the player-coach equation works in the Indian dressing room.
"I have been trying to find the right words to properly express my feelings on this but I'm not sure I ever will," the Indian skipper, not known to be overtly emotional, wrote.
"You are an absolute stalwart of this game but you left all of your accolades and achievements at the door and walked in as our coach and came on a level where we all felt comfortable enough to say just about anything to you.
"That is your gift, your humility and your love for this game even after all this time," Rohit wrote.
Rohit, who made his senior team debut in 2007 in Dublin, with Dravid as captain, wrote how he looked up to him during his formative years as a player.
Dravid had recently revealed that it was Rohit whose phone call stopped him from resigning after the Indians lost in the final of the ODI World Cup last year.
"Since my childhood days I have looked up to you just like billions of others but I was lucky enough to get to work with you this closely. I have learnt so much from you and every memory will be cherished," the 37-year-old said.
The skipper was happy that they achieved the goal of winning a global trophy together.
"This was the only thing missing from your arsenal and I'm so happy that we got to achieve it together. Rahul bhai it has been an absolute privilege to get to call you my confidante, my coach and my friend," he concluded.
Dravid too has been vocal about his fondness for Rohit and has stated that more than the player, he is going to miss the Mumbaikar as a person for the bond they have shared.