Rahul Dravid reveals he hid 'mad' T20 World Cup celebration from kids Samit and Anvay: 'Thank god it was my last game, otherwise...'

The legendary Rahul Dravid may not have achieved World Cup glory as a player, but his coaching tenure ended on the highest note possible. In a thrilling final against South Africa, India emerged victorious to clinch the 2024 T20 World Cup, giving Dravid the perfect farewell he deserved. Despite the heartbreak of falling short in the ODI World Cup final, Dravid agreed to extend his coaching stint at the request of captain Rohit Sharma. This decision proved to be a stroke of genius, as Team India went on to lift the T20 World Cup under his guidance. The image of jubilant players hoisting Dravid in the air will forever be cherished by Indian cricket fans.

Speaking of everlasting shot, how iconic was it when Dravid was handed the World Cup Trophy by Virat Kohli and he simply burst into wild celebrations. That it came from Dravid is a proof that even the most soft-spoken and humble people have a childish side to themselves. That 'adulterated' show of emotions in Barbados summed up what the moment and the whole journey meant to Dravid, even if isn't a fan of viewing that clip in front of his kids Samit and Anvay.

"We strived to achieve something together. When you come at the end of it, you have moments like that. It's great to celebrate. I try to avoid showing that to my children, thinking I've gone mad or something. But yeah, I was always telling the boys we got to maintain our balance, and remain cool, not go up and down with results. Thank god it was my last game, otherwise after that, they would have said 'you're saying one thing but doing something else'," Dravid said at the CEAT Awards, the full version of which was released on Sunday.

Samit, 18 and Anvay, 14 are budding cricketers, with the older brother already making waves in the Indian junior cricketing circuit. Having recently represented the Mysuru Warriors in the Maharaja T20, Samit was drafted in India's Under-19 squad that was announced for the multi-format home series against Australia U19.

Dravid, emphasising a very crucial fact of the game that often goes unnoticed, pointed out how in cricket, there are more failures than success. Think about it, even the greatest of cricketers, irrespective how many records they have – Don Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Garfield Sobers or Kohli – have faced disappointments more. But then again, it's this very factor of rarity and oddity that makes the destination sweeter.

"The beauty of awards like this is that they only show you lovely things that you've done on a cricket field. But the honest fact is, and that's the truth, is that you're failing a lot more than you're succeeding in this game. The list of failures and disappointment would be a lot as well in a long career," mentioned Dravid.

"But that's what makes it so much more fun, enjoyable when you have moments like that, either as a player or coach. Just to be able to go on campaign with people that you respect, admire, look up to, and people who go through ups and downs in life. To come out on the other side and win trophies, big events, Test matches, ODIs, championships is a fantastic feeling."