Skipper Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid go down memory lane

Since that debut in an ODI against Ireland, Rohit has gone on to become one of the greats in white-ball cricket while Dravid, after achieving greatness as a player, has been instrumental in creating the national team’s feeder line as a coach. Both fondly recalled their first interaction, ahead of the T20 series opener against New Zealand.

It will be Rohit’s first game as full-time T20 captain and Dravid’s first as head coach. “We were talking about it (on Monday) on the bus. I guess time flies, doesn’t it? I actually remember Rohit playing even before the Ireland series – when we were playing a challenger in Chennai.

“We all knew that Rohit was going to be special. Having to carry the legacy of obviously Mumbai cricket and Indian cricket is not an easy one and he has done it with a lot of grace and class,” said Dravid. Rohit gave his side of the story when reminded about his international debut. “It was way back in 2007 when I was selected, but the first time I had the opportunity to interact with Dravid was in Bangalore at a camp. It was a very brief chat and I was actually kind of very nervous. I never used to talk so much even with my age-group people.”