Rahul Dravid Reflects on 2023 World Cup Final: ‘Luck Played Its Part’

Rahul Dravid reflected on India’s 2023 World Cup final loss to Australia, saying luck favoured Travis Head, whose early chances helped him score a match-winning century.

Former India head coach Rahul Dravid recently revisited India’s heartbreaking loss to Australia in the 2023 World Cup final, where the hosts suffered a six-wicket defeat. Batting first, India managed 240, but Australia chased it down in just 43 overs. Travis Head played a decisive knock of 137 off 120 balls.

Dravid pointed out how luck played a role, as Head narrowly escaped early dismissals against Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah before dominating the innings. Dravid then mentioned how the same batter was dismissed for a first-ball duck by Vaibhav Arora in the IPL 2024 final between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.

“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,” Dravid said on ‘Breakfast with Champions’.

Rahul Dravid on His Tenure as India Head Coach

Rahul Dravid then reflected on his coaching tenure and the strong bonds he built with players. Under his guidance, India dominated the 2023 World Cup before losing the final to Australia but bounced back to lift the 2024 title. Dravid said his biggest takeaway was the relationships formed with players beyond wins or defeats.

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“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 concluded.