Rahul Dravid recalls 2023 World Cup final against Australia, feels his team didn’t have luck on their side

Former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid recalled the heart-breaking 2023 World Cup final against Australia, in which the hosts suffered a six-wicket loss. India was dominant right throughout the tournament but could not cross the last hurdle against Pat Cummins’ team.

Dravid said that Australian opener Travis Head, who scored a match-winning century in the summit clash, was beaten on numerous occasions by Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami but they could not find his edge.

Contrastingly, Head was dismissed for a golden duck in the IPL 2024 final against Kolkata Knight Riders by Vaibhav Arora.

“You need those moments of luck a little bit in life. You just need those things, you know Travis head was beaten by Shami and Bumrah like a lot that day and he went on to play a phenomenal innings. And then 6 months later he’s playing a final of the IPL and first ball he edges Vaibhav Arora in a final, SRH versus KKR. And that’s the game, right? You think you’re in control of a lot of things, but there certain things you’ve got to sometimes just accept them and move on,” Rahul Dravid said on ‘Breakfast with Champions’.

Dravid revealed he was able to build good relationships with his players during his tenure as head coach.

“I think more than the wins and the losses, I think I’ve built some good relationships with a lot of those players. Some of the better conversations I’ve had with a lot of the players and the team have been more just sitting and maybe just having a chat over a coffee or a tea or a lunch or a dinner. And I think you really get to know people a lot better in that way,” he said.

Under Dravid’s tutelage, India went on to win the 2024 T20 World Cup by beating South Africa in the final. Furthermore, India qualified for the World Test Championship final in 2023 but once again could not get over the line against Australia.