Former captain and head coach of India Rahul Dravid The country’s vast cricketing prowess is finally translating into sustained success, the string of victories in global tournaments reflects the immense talent that has long been present in Indian cricket, said Sunday. India have enjoyed an impressive run at ICC events in the last two years, winning the Men’s T20 World Cup, Women’s ODI World Cup, Men’s U-19 World Cup and Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup.
Dravid, who was honored with the Col. CK Naidu Lifetime Achievement Award at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s annual awards ceremony, spoke about the team’s success in a chat with Star Sports. “It just feels right, right? “Almost everything is coming together where Indian cricket has always had great potential and it’s realizing that potential on the field. Off the field, I think we’ve always had everything we needed and on the field, it’s great to see that potential being realised.” Dravid said the continued success is the result of the alignment of many elements, from players and administrators to coaches and fans. Reflecting on his journey since making his debut in international cricket in 1996, he said, “It has been extraordinary. It is amazing to see the way Indian cricket has grown in these three decades.” “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 it 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 we have, they deserve it all to come together, to be successful on the field. It’s amazing to see how it’s all coming together now.” Dravid, who led 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 beautiful to watch … just the performance of the World T20 team, the expectations were high. They started as favourites, and it’s not always easy,” said Dravid. “Yes, of course, they are a very good side, but it’s not always easy to start as favourites, and to get there at the end and lift the trophy. It comes with its own pressures and its own challenges. It was great to see. Surya (Surya Kumar Yadav) and Gautam (Gambahir) and the team really do,” he said.
