India’s star batter Rohit Sharma on Wednesday said that former head coach Rahul Dravid, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah backed him to extract the best from the players without worrying about the results. Under Rohit’s leadership, The Men in Blue went on to win the T20 World Cup in June and after the victory in the final against South Africa, Rohit announced his retirement from the T20I format.
“It was my dream to transform this team and not worry too much about the stats, the results, to make sure that we create that environment where people can go out there and play freely without thinking too much,” Rohit said at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards ceremony.
“That is what was required. I got a lot of help from my three pillars, who are actually Mr Jay Shah, Mr Rahul Dravid (and the) chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar. That was very critical for me to do what I did and obviously not to forget the players, who came in at different points in time and helped the team to achieve what we achieved,” Rohit added.
Rohit said that the feeling of winning the World Cup that ended India’s decade-long trophy drought in global tournaments could not be described in words.
“(It was) a feeling that cannot come everyday. It was something that we were really hoping for. When we won the World Cup, it was important for all of us to enjoy the moment which we did pretty well and thanks to our nation as well for celebrating with us,” Rohit said.
Rohit won big at the awards ceremony as he was awarded with the Men’s International Cricketer of the Year award for his invaluable contributions to the Men in Blue during 2023. He led the side from the front during the ODI World Cup 2023 and was crucial to India making the final of the tournament. He was also the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament only behind his own teammate, Virat Kohli.
