BCCI on Wednesday shared a video ahead of the opening Test of the two-match series against West Indies, In the video Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli were both seen showing gratitude to each and sharing their experience on sharing the same platform for more than 12 years.
Rahul Dravid on Kohli:
When I came here in 2011, that was a very special occasion here (Windsor Park, Dominica West Indies) for this Island and for the ground here. To come back here in a different capacity, to come here as a coach and bring a team here, Virat was the only one who was there when we came here in 2011,”
“I remember Virat that was his first Test series with the Indian team, he was just a young kid done really well in One day cricket (ODI) and just finding his feet a little bit in Test cricket. But, you could see that there was some special talent out there and you could see that he was going to be around for a while. How long you can never say, so I think he can be very proud of his journey,” Dravid said.
“I certainly never thought that I would coach him and come here 10 years later, but it is nice. It is nice to have seen the journey, and see him grow from being a young player on that trip to now being a senior veteran. I should not call him a veteran, just a senior player on the trip. It has been great for me to see that journey and I see myself as someone who is a young coach starting out his journey as well so I think the tables have turned a little bit.”
Kohli on Rahul Dravid
“When we went into the dressing room, when we went to practice, I kind of remembered my first series here as a Test player. This is the country where it all started, I mean the Caribbean, and yeah it is just amazing to be able to come back here 12 years later, having played more than 100 Test matches, I would have never imagined anything like this.
“I think his comment about being a youngster in his coaching career is quite a humble one because he is been coaching for a long period, I was his teammate at one point he was a senior well-established test player whom we all looked up to, It is quite amazing, I told Rahul bhai yesterday as well, I said you would never have imagined that 12 years later we will be coming back to the same venue and you will be the head coach and I would have played more than 100 games, no one would have guessed that one.”
“I’m just blessed that we are the only two members from the last trip. Still here in different capacities but it’s like life has come full circle and the journey has been quite amazing.”