Kamal Ghorui
Former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday said the country’s vast cricketing potential is finally translating into consistent success, with a series of victories in global tournaments reflecting the immense talent long present in Indian cricket. India have enjoyed a remarkable run in ICC events, winning both of the last two men’s T20 World Cups, the women’s ODI World Cup, the men’s U-19 World Cup and the women’s U-19 T20 World Cup over the past two years.
Dravid, who was honoured with the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual awards function of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, spoke about the team’s success in an interaction with Star Sports. “It just kind of feels right, right? “Almost everything coming together at this point of time where Indian cricket has always had great potential and it’s (about) realising that potential on the field as well. Off the field, I think we’ve always had everything we needed and on the field, it’s been great to see that potential being realised.” Dravid said the sustained success is the result of several elements aligning, from players and administrators to coaches and fans. “It’s been phenomenal. It’s just been amazing to see the way Indian cricket has grown over these three decades,” he said while reflecting on the journey since making his international debut in 1996. “Indian cricket has always had amazing talent. We’ve always had really good administrators. We’ve always had really good coaches (and) we’ve been able to back that up with incredible infrastructure. We’ve always had a fantastic domestic system, (a) very good junior cricket system.” “Some of the most incredible fans in the world. The kind of supporters and fans that we have, deserved all of this to come together, to have success on the field. It’s amazing to see how that all of that is coming together now.” Dravid, who guided India to the T20 World Cup title in 2024, also credited the current team for handling the weight of expectations and delivering on the big stage. “It was just lovely to see… Just the performance of the world T20 side, the expectations were immense. They started off as favourites, and it’s not always easy,” Dravid said. “Yes, of course, they’re a very good side, but it’s not always easy to start off as favourites and be there right at the end and lift a trophy. It comes with its own pressures, its own challenges. It was just really good to see Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) and Gautam (Gambhir) and the team really do that,” he said.
