Team India head coach Rahul Dravid was in no mood to recall memories of a heartbreaking loss in a Test match at the Kensington Oval, Barbados in 1997, ahead of their Super 8 match against Afghanistan. Under the leadership of Sachin Tendulkar, India suffered a nervy defeat against West Indies while chasing a 120-run target in the fourth innings of the third Test. India took a crucial 21-run lead after the first innings but suffered a massive collapse while chasing the target.
Dravid, who scored a 78-run knock in the first innings against the Windies, had a forgettable outing in the second innings and was dismissed for just 2. The Super 8 clash between India and Afghanistan will be played at the same venue on Thursday, and a reporter asked Dravid about the memories of the 1997 Test match, which irked the Indian coach a bit.
“Geez, thanks a lot buddy! I have had some other decent memories here as well,” Dravid replied.
When asked whether Dravid will look to make new and better memories at the Kensington Oval, Dravid made a no-nonsense statement, “God man! I am not trying to make new anything man!”
Dravid asserted that he doesn’t carry the baggage of the past and moves on from things quite quickly. The Indian head coach also said he is most definitely not concerned about what happened in 1997.
“I move on from things very quickly. That’s one of my things. I don’t look back on things. I try and look at what I am doing now, at the moment. I am not concerned about what happened in 97 or some other year,” Dravid said at the press conference.
The result against Afghanistan won’t change what happened in 1997 for Dravid, as he is not looking for any kind of retribution and only focused on helping India start the Super 8 stage with a win.
“By winning this… you know. If you had told me that by winning this, we would have not scored 80-odd and scored 121, then I would be bothered. But, even if we win this match tomorrow, unfortunately, that is still going to remain 80 on the scorecard, however much I try and will it. No I don’t think about any retribution. I move on from things. What’s in front of me, good or bad? I don’t think of myself much as a player anymore. Yeah, just move on. Focus on tomorrow, and try and get a good result tomorrow,” Dravid added.
Meanwhile, India enjoyed an unbeaten record in the group stage of the T20 World Cup, where they played all their matches in the USA. They will now shift their base to the Caribbean and look to adapt to new conditions quickly in the Super 8 round.
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