New Delhi batting great VVS Laxman hailed India's "resilience" in winning the recent T20 World Cup "from the jaws of defeat", and said the passionate celebration by the players and former head coach Rahul Dravid exemplified the value of that victory for them.
India won their first ICC trophy after 11 years and their second T20 title after 17 years when they beat South Africa by seven runs in the final in Barbados on June 29.
"The kind of finish we had after we were under pressure with the South African batsmen needing 30 runs off 30 balls. And from there, showing character, resilience and self-belief to pull the match out of the jaws of defeat, it shows the character of the entire team," Laxman said in a video posted by the BCCI on its handle 'X'.
"The amount of hard work they put in, the celebrations (by the players and support staff) told the biggest story behind this victory."
Laxman, 49, who currently heads the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, said the team's fervent celebrations showed how much the victory meant to each of the players and support staff.
"Obviously, winning the World Cup is a special feeling. When you play against the best and win the trophy, it means a lot to all the players participating in the tournament.
"Everyone showed their emotions and showed how much it meant to each and every player in the team as well as the support staff, the emotions were really high. You saw Hardik Pandya break down once he bowled the last delivery. You saw Rohit Sharma on the ground.
"The whole country is rejoicing about this victory. It was a special feeling considering we came close (to winning the title) six months ago (ODI World Cup). We should have won the 50-over World Cup, dominating the entire competition, but not being able to overcome the last obstacle," he said.
Laxman made special mention of the expressive celebration of Dravid, who generally abhors public display of emotions.
"Someone like Rahul who I have played so much cricket with, I had known him for many years, but for him to show those emotions, first when the last ball was bowled and then the various conversations he had with the team members and when he lifted the trophy.
"I thought it was a great gesture on the part of Rohit and Virat Kohli to present the trophy (to Dravid) and the way they celebrated by lifting the trophy showed how much it meant to each of them," said Laxman, who paired with Dravid in a memorable Test victory against Australia in Kolkata in 2001, when they stitched that famous 376-run partnership after moving on.
Laxman, who has 8781 runs in 134 Tests at an average of 45.97, praised captain Rohit, star batsman Virat Kohli and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his contributions in the T20 format. The trio announced their retirement from T20Is after the T20 World Cup victory.
"My message to these stalwarts of the game, Virat, Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja, an extremely talented player who has contributed immensely to the progress of the Indian team. Congratulations on the contributions you have made to this great game and have set an example for the youngsters to follow .The passion and pride with which they played this game is exemplary.
"Although they have retired from this format, I am sure that they will continue to prepare as they have done so far in their career and will continue to bring laurels to the country.
“Many congratulations on an excellent T20 career and I am sure you will continue to contribute in the longer version of the game and the 50-over format.”
India won their first ICC trophy after 11 years and their second T20 title after 17 years when they beat South Africa by seven runs in the final in Barbados on June 29.
"The kind of finish we had after we were under pressure with the South African batsmen needing 30 runs off 30 balls. And from there, showing character, resilience and self-belief to pull the match out of the jaws of defeat, it shows the character of the entire team," Laxman said in a video posted by the BCCI on its handle 'X'.
"The amount of hard work they put in, the celebrations (by the players and support staff) told the biggest story behind this victory."
Laxman, 49, who currently heads the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, said the team's fervent celebrations showed how much the victory meant to each of the players and support staff.
"Obviously, winning the World Cup is a special feeling. When you play against the best and win the trophy, it means a lot to all the players participating in the tournament.
"Everyone showed their emotions and showed how much it meant to each and every player in the team as well as the support staff, the emotions were really high. You saw Hardik Pandya break down once he bowled the last delivery. You saw Rohit Sharma on the ground.
"The whole country is rejoicing about this victory. It was a special feeling considering we came close (to winning the title) six months ago (ODI World Cup). We should have won the 50-over World Cup, dominating the entire competition, but not being able to overcome the last obstacle," he said.
Laxman made special mention of the expressive celebration of Dravid, who generally abhors public display of emotions.
"Someone like Rahul who I have played so much cricket with, I had known him for many years, but for him to show those emotions, first when the last ball was bowled and then the various conversations he had with the team members and when he lifted the trophy.
"I thought it was a great gesture on the part of Rohit and Virat Kohli to present the trophy (to Dravid) and the way they celebrated by lifting the trophy showed how much it meant to each of them," said Laxman, who paired with Dravid in a memorable Test victory against Australia in Kolkata in 2001, when they stitched that famous 376-run partnership after moving on.
Laxman, who has 8781 runs in 134 Tests at an average of 45.97, praised captain Rohit, star batsman Virat Kohli and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for his contributions in the T20 format. The trio announced their retirement from T20Is after the T20 World Cup victory.
"My message to these stalwarts of the game, Virat, Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja, an extremely talented player who has contributed immensely to the progress of the Indian team. Congratulations on the contributions you have made to this great game and have set an example for the youngsters to follow .The passion and pride with which they played this game is exemplary.
"Although they have retired from this format, I am sure that they will continue to prepare as they have done so far in their career and will continue to bring laurels to the country.
“Many congratulations on an excellent T20 career and I am sure you will continue to contribute in the longer version of the game and the 50-over format.”
