Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav (PTI) Former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid on Sunday said the country’s immense cricketing potential is finally translating into consistent success, with a string of victories in global tournaments reflecting the immense talent that has long been present in Indian cricket. India has enjoyed a remarkable run at ICC events, winning both 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 in the last two years.
EXCLUSIVE: Rahul Dravid in the iconic Eden Gardens win against Australia in 2001
Dravid, who was awarded the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Board of Control for Cricket in India awards, spoke about the team’s success in an interaction with Star Sports. “It’s kind of right, isn’t it? “Almost everything at this point where Indian cricket has always had a lot of potential and it’s (about) realizing that potential on the field as well. I think off the field we’ve always had what 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 the alignment of several elements, from players and administrators to coaches and fans. “It’s been phenomenal. It’s just been amazing to see how Indian cricket has grown over these three decades,” he said, reflecting on the journey since 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 it up with incredible infrastructure. We’ve always had a fantastic domestic system, (and) a very good junior cricket system.” “Some of the most incredible fans in the world. The type of supporters and fans that we have, they deserved to have this all come together for us to be successful on the field. It’s amazing to see it all come together now.” Dravid, who led India to the T20 World Cup title in 2024, also praised the current team for handling the weight of expectations and performing on the big stage. “It was just beautiful to see… Just the performance of the world T20 side, the expectations were huge. They started as favourites, and it’s not always easy,” Dravid said. “Yes, of course they are a very good side but it is not always easy to start as favorites and be there right at the end and lift the trophy. It comes with its own pressures, its own challenges. It was really good to see Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) and Gautam (Gambhir) and the team really doing it,” he said.
