MUMBAI: When Rahul Dravid is in a good mood, he can leave you in splits. At an event here on Wednesday night, he responded hilariously when quizzed about which actor he would pick to play himself in a biopic. “If the money is good enough, I will play it myself,” the cricket legend quipped. Having stepped down as Team India head coach after guiding Rohit Sharma & Co to their T20 World Cup triumph in the West Indies in June, Dravid humorously referred to himself as “jobless” multiple times and even urged the audience to “send him an email with suggestions on what job he can take up next”. “My wife (Vijeta) wants me to be at home and take care of my boys,” he added.
Dravid acknowledged that winning tournaments requires not only skill but also a bit of luck, which can play a significant role in the outcome of big matches.
To emphasise this point, Dravid recalled two finals during his nearly three-year tenure as Team India head coach—one in Ahmedabad and the other in Barbados. The first was the 2023 World Cup final on Nov 19, when Travis Head survived a probing spell from India’s newball pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami before his 137-run knock broke a billion Indian hearts.
1/8:Retired T20I legends who could feature in IPL 2025
PTI
2/8:Rohit Sharma
<p><br /><br />The 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season is set to undergo significant transformations, featuring a massive auction and substantial team revamps.<br /><br /><br /></p>Agencies
3/8:Ravindra Jadeja
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: inherit; list-style: none; -webkit-user-drag: none; overflow: visible; font-family: inherit; color: inherit; display: block;">After India's ICC T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, Ravindra Jadeja retired from T20I. Jadeja has won IPL trophies with Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings. He has also smashed 37 runs in an over of Harshal Patel (RCB) which is a record.</p><br />Agencies
4/8:David Warner
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: inherit; list-style: none; -webkit-user-drag: none; overflow: visible; font-family: inherit; color: inherit; display: block;">David Warner retired from T20Is after the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, where Australia exited in the Super 8 round in June 2024. Warner won IPL 2016 as captain of SRH. In IPL 2024, he played for Delhi Capitals.</p><br />ANI
5/8:Trent Boult
<p><br /><br />Trent Boult, a key player for New Zealand, retired from international cricket following the T20 World Cup 2024. His 13-year career ended quietly at the tournament. In IPL 2024, Boult was a part of Rajasthan Royals and has been wicket taking bowler for the team he plays for.<br /><br /><br /></p>PTI
6/8:Virat Kohli
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: inherit; list-style: none; -webkit-user-drag: none; overflow: visible; font-family: inherit; color: inherit; display: block;">Two-time T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament and Player of the Match in the 2024 final, Virat Kohli, announced his retirement from T20I cricket. He bows out as the second-highest T20I run-scorer. He is the only player who has never changed his IPL team. He is the leading run scorer in IPL.</p><br />PTI
7/8:Rohit Sharma
<p><br /><br />Rohit Sharma, after leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup 2024, announced his retirement from T20Is. He holds the record for the most runs in T20Is at the time of his retirement. Rohit has won 6 IPL trophies, 5 as captain of Mumbai Indians.<br /><br /><br /></p>ANI
8/8:MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni, who has won five trophies as the captain of CSK, announced his retirement from international cricket in 2020. He has been playing for CSK for another four years, and if things work out well, he may be a part of IPL 2025.AFP“I’ve had time to reflect on it... You realize sometimes you have to do everything right, but luck plays its part,” Dravid said.
“On November 19th… we beat Travis Head’s bat 15 times — he didn’t touch a single ball. Sometimes things go your way, but you have to stick to the process,” Dravid, who received the Lifetime Achievement honour at the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards, remarked.
Dravid also pointed to India’s thrilling comeback against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados on June 29. Despite South Africa needing just 30 runs off the last five overs, India (176/7) defended their total, with Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning boundary catch turning the game in India’s favour.
“Sometimes at the end of the day, you need a little bit of luck. (Against South Africa in T20WC final)… 30 balls to go, 30 runs to go. (It was about) incredible execution, incredible calmness by Rohit. We didn’t focus on what we needed to do, but we needed a guy who could keep his foot within one inch of a line. Sometimes (it is) the skill,” he said, recalling Suryakumar Yadav’s fabulous catch on the long-off boundary to pull off David Miller’s dismissal. It was a catch that tilted a tight game in India’s favour.
1/10:Virat Kohli's record-breaking journey: All major milestones
ANI
2/10:80 International Centuries
<p><br /><br />With 80 international centuries across formats, Kohli is second only to Sachin Tendulkar's record of 100 international tons.<br /><br /><br /></p>AFP
3/10:Most player of the series award in T20I
Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket sensation, has achieved a remarkable feat in the shortest format of the game. With an impressive tally of seven Player of the Series awards in T20 Internationals, he has surpassed all other players in this category.Agencies
4/10:First Batter in ODI History to Score 50 Hundreds:
<p><br /><br />Kohli became the first cricketer to score 50 ODI hundreds, a remarkable achievement that underscores his dominance in the format.<br /><br /><br /></p>PTI
5/10:Most T20I 50s
With an impressive tally of 38 half-centuries in T20 Internationals, Kohli has solidified his position as the batsman with the most 50+ scores in this format.PTI
6/10:ICC Cricketer of the Year
<p>Kohli won the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2017 and 2018, recognizing his excellence across all formats.<br /><br /><br /><br /></p>Agencies
7/10:Most Centuries in Chases in ODIs
<p>Known as the 'Chase Master,' Kohli has scored an unparalleled 27 centuries while chasing targets, making him one of the greatest match-winners in ODI history.</p><br /><br /><br />ANI
8/10:Fastest to 3500 runs in T20I
Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket sensation, has achieved yet another remarkable milestone in his illustrious career. The talented batsman has become the quickest player to reach 3,500 runs in T20 Internationals, accomplishing this feat in a mere 96 innings.PTI
9/10:First Indian to Score a Century in Day-Night Tests
<p><br /><br />Kohli made history by scoring a century against Bangladesh in 2019, becoming the first Indian to achieve this feat in a day-night Test.<br /><br /><br /><br /></p>Agencies
10/10:Winner of all three ICC white ball tournaments
Virat Kohli has become the second Indian cricketer to achieve the remarkable feat of winning all three ICC white ball tournaments. He follows in the footsteps of the legendary MS Dhoni, who was the first Indian player to accomplish this milestone.ANIReflecting on his time as head coach, Dravid expressed pride in India’s journey to the 2023 World Cup final, where they won nine consecutive matches before losing to Australia in the title clash. “To travel across the country and witness the passion of the fans... just the experience as a coach was phenomenal,” he said.
Though they fell short in the 2023 World Cup, Dravid credited the team’s T20 World Cup success to sticking with the same processes and energy. “We needed to create the same vibe, the same team atmosphere... and hope for a little bit of luck on the day,” the 51-year-old explained. Dravid waxed eloquent on India’s ability to churn out top-quality cricketers.
“I left in 2011-2012. These (new) players have been able to carry the legacy forward. If you just look at the success that we’ve had over the last 12 years in all the three formats of the game, the time that after we left, it’s been absolutely phenomenal. Very easily, clearly in a lot of the rankings, we’re always (No.) 1 or 2… we’re always up there with anyone,” he said.
“I have no doubt that this generation of players, led by people like Rohit and Surya and the (other) guys coming forward in all formats of the game is only going to continue to do that in the future,” he added.
