Sanju Samson of India (ANI Photo) Former Indian captain and head coach Rahul Dravid, recently awarded the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual BCCI Awards, expressed his gratitude for the recognition and reflected on the opportunities he had during his cricketing journey. In an interview with Star Sports, Dravid said, “I am very grateful to receive the award. Very grateful for the many opportunities I have been given in life and the opportunities I have been given.”Dravid recalled his career with humility, noting, “I was lucky to play with some of the best cricketers and I was lucky to travel the world and play for my country. I was lucky to be involved in the game even after I retired and I was very humbled by the opportunities the game gave me.”
EXCLUSIVE: Rahul Dravid in the iconic Eden Gardens win against Australia in 2001
The former captain also praised Sanju Samson, who was named player of the tournament for his match-winning performances at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. “It was really nice to see how Sanju was able to pull it all together in those last three matches – very important matches for India,” said Dravid.He highlighted Samson’s perseverance, saying: “Sanju has been in and out of the team for a long time. He’s performed well, he’s had some tough times as well. It was just really good to see someone like him working really hard.”Dravid added: “It’s really nice to see it all come together and the success he has achieved at such a critical and important stage for Indian cricket.”Samson’s tournament was nothing special. Playing just five matches after being drafted into the squad following India’s loss to South Africa, the 31-year-old scored 321 runs, marking three consecutive half-centuries at crucial stages. He smashed an unbeaten 97 against the West Indies in the virtual quarter-final, followed by scores of 89 in the semi-final against England and the final against New Zealand.The wicketkeeper set several records, hitting 24 sixes – the most in a single edition of the T20 World Cup – and scoring 89 in the final, the highest individual score in a T20 World Cup final, surpassing Marlon Samuels’ 85* in 2016 and Kane Williamson’s 85 in 2021. His T2 and 3021 also became the highest in a World Cup tournament. surpassing Virat Kohli’s 319 runs in 2014.
