Rahul Dravid’s first reaction to Rohit Sharma’s retirement: ‘I hope we’ll still be friends’

India captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20 international cricket on Saturday after leading his team to the first T20 World Cup trophy since 2007. Outgoing India coach Rahul Dravid heaped praises on the veteran batter, stating that not just his cricket, Rohit will be missed for the kind of person he is and the kind of care of commitment he had for the team.

Speaking at a press brief quoted by ANI, Dravid said, I will miss him as a person. Forget the cricket, forget the captain and everything. I hope we'll still be friends (laughs)" 

Also Read | Rohit Sharma joins Virat Kohli, announces retirement from T20 internationals: ‘No better time to…’

"What impresses me is the kind of person he is, the respect he has shown me, the kind of care and commitment he had for the team, the kind of energy he had to spent and he never backed down. For me, it will be the person I will miss the most" Dravid added

Notably, Rohit Sharma made a surprise retirement announcement during the post-match presentation following the T20 World Cup 2024 match. Rohit's announcement came shortly after Virat Kohli confirmed that he was bidding farewell to the shortest format of the game.

Rohit Sharma's high praise for Rahul Dravid:

Meanwhile, the T20 World Cup 2024 final also marked the end of Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach of the Indian cricket team. Dravid, who took over from Ravi Shastri in 2021, guided the team to the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup, the final of the 2023 Test World Cup, the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup and finally to Saturday's 20-over World Cup trophy.

Shortly after the win, India skipper Rohit Sharma was full of praise for the coach Dravid, saying he deserved to win the World Cup more than anyone else.

Rohit said, "Rahul Dravid, more than anyone of us, deserved the World Cup trophy. What he has done for Indian cricket for the past 20-25 years... I think this was the only thing that was left in his cabinet. Very happy from all of us, on behalf of the entire team, that we could do this for him. You saw how proud he was and how excited he was,"