Captained by Rohit Sharma, India broke an 11-year drought without a world trophy by winning their second T20 World Cup title after beating South Africa by seven runs in the final at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 29.
"The entire country is happy about this victory. 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.
"Someone like Rahul who I have played so much cricket with, I had known him for many years, for him to show those emotions, first when the last ball was bowled and then in 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 Sharma and Virat Kohli to present the trophy to him (Dravid) and the way he celebrated by lifting the trophy showed how much it meant to each of them. The amount of effort "The work that they did, the celebrations (by the players and support staff) told the biggest story behind this victory," Laxman said in a video posted by the BCCI on X.
Laxman, who played 134 Tests for India, is currently leading the cricket team at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and praised the fighting spirit shown by the team, especially in the last five overs of the final.
"Obviously, winning the World Cup is a special feeling, because when you play against the best and win the trophy, it means a lot to all the players involved in the tournament. The kind of final we had after being under pressure. The South African batsmen needed 30 races with 30 balls.
"From there, showing character, resilience and self-confidence to pull the game out of the jaws of defeat, shows the character of the entire team. It was a special feeling considering that we had been close (to winning the title ) six months ago (ODI World Cup). We should have won the 50-over World Cup, dominating the entire tournament and then not being able to cross the last hurdle," he said.
After the win, Rohit, along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, retired from the T20Is and Laxman thanked them for being key players in the team while playing in the shortest format.
"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, is a huge congratulations and a huge thank you for all the contributions they have made to this great game and be an example to follow for young people.
"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 continue to bring laurels to the country. Many congratulations on your excellent career in T20Is. I am sure they will continue to contribute in the longer version of the game and in the 50-over format," he concluded.
"The entire country is happy about this victory. 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.
"Someone like Rahul who I have played so much cricket with, I had known him for many years, for him to show those emotions, first when the last ball was bowled and then in 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 Sharma and Virat Kohli to present the trophy to him (Dravid) and the way he celebrated by lifting the trophy showed how much it meant to each of them. The amount of effort "The work that they did, the celebrations (by the players and support staff) told the biggest story behind this victory," Laxman said in a video posted by the BCCI on X.
Laxman, who played 134 Tests for India, is currently leading the cricket team at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and praised the fighting spirit shown by the team, especially in the last five overs of the final.
"Obviously, winning the World Cup is a special feeling, because when you play against the best and win the trophy, it means a lot to all the players involved in the tournament. The kind of final we had after being under pressure. The South African batsmen needed 30 races with 30 balls.
"From there, showing character, resilience and self-confidence to pull the game out of the jaws of defeat, shows the character of the entire team. It was a special feeling considering that we had been close (to winning the title ) six months ago (ODI World Cup). We should have won the 50-over World Cup, dominating the entire tournament and then not being able to cross the last hurdle," he said.
After the win, Rohit, along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, retired from the T20Is and Laxman thanked them for being key players in the team while playing in the shortest format.
"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, is a huge congratulations and a huge thank you for all the contributions they have made to this great game and be an example to follow for young people.
"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 continue to bring laurels to the country. Many congratulations on your excellent career in T20Is. I am sure they will continue to contribute in the longer version of the game and in the 50-over format," he concluded.