Former India skipper Rahul Dravid spoke about various things during an interaction session which had our correspondents Vignesh Ananthasubramanian and Sidharth Gulati among others at the TMC Sports Lecture in Delhi. Sharing the dais with Dravid was former India shooter and the sole representative for India on the International Olympic Committee Mr. Randhir Singh and the host Mr. Ayaz Memon. Former India cricketers Murali Kartik and Bishan Singh Bedi were in attendence at the venue. Here are some excerpts:
On the development of Indian Sports:
I would like to see five changes being implemented in order to make us a true sporting nation. Firstly, the government should wholeheartedly support the endeavours of ‘Elite Athletes’ while various sports federations should relinquish the garb of control and make sport a public property.
I would like to see an integration between Sports and Education while coaches and support staff being encouragement which also create an employment opportunity. The women’s participation holds the key as then only can we have true leaders.
Also I would like to see equal focus being given to Para-sports where para-athletes should also get all facilities. A National Sports Policy needs to be formulated with active participation from all stakeholders.
On his nick-name “The Wall”:
I wish no one gets that nickname. I believe it was someone in some news desk must have given me that nickname with an eye on future headlines. ‘The Wall’ then became ‘The Wall is crumbling’ and ‘Another Brick in the wall falls.
On the 250 mark, 100 off nearly 30 balls being breached in ODIa??? Is ODI cricket dying?
It is very disheartening to see the bowlers getting smashed in ODIs. Batsmen using bigger bats, dimmensions of the ground, inception of T20 cricket have made the ODI format tilted towards the batsmen. Now with the introduction of 4 fielders outside the 30-yard circle makes life worser for them.
Have you ever felt that you did not play ODI cricket during when these rules were in existence? You could have scored some easy runs under your belt.
Smiles. No I am happy with what I achieved.
On India’s chances in the World Cup:
I think India have a good chance to win the World Cup because we have so many match-winners. The format of the World Cup that getting into the quarterfinals should be easy for the top teams. Then after reaching the last eight stage, there are only three knock-out matches and we have got the match-winners who could win you the three knock-out games, on any given day.
We have players of the quality of Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni just to name a couple who can actually win you games single-handedly. And that is what the World Cup can become about. You reach the quarterfinals, have three good days, have a bit of luck and you could win it. Why not?
On his favourites for the World Cup:
I believe that Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and India are the top four sides who are favoured to win it. Sri Lanka is also there. One always seems to omit Sri Lanka but they always reach the latter stages of big tournaments. They always seem to surprise us. These four or five teams anyone, I believe, has a chance to lift the Cup.
On Day-Night Test matches:
I’m all for the experiment. I’m definitely all for the experiment. Specially dwindling crowds in Test cricket is a worry. I know there are some challenges of playing cricket at night. The ball is one of them. The white ball gets discoloured. The pink ball could be an option. I think in this day and age, it’s impossible to have people leaving work and coming to the ground on all five days. Therefore, I don’t mind day/night Tests if it can bring back crowds and also have TV viewership.
On his experience on the Day-Night test matches:
The pink ball and the dew factor are things that need to be sorted out. Personally, I never had a problem in the only match with the pink ball. I scored a hundred in the second innings for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against the English county champions.
On Sarita Devi’s gesture during the 2014 Asian Games:
I am not really aware about what the points system in boxing are. But yes, I am sympathetic about how she must have felt after losing the semi-final. But I don’t think I supported what she did after 24 hours when she didn’t accept the medal. I think that was not a right thing to do. You have to remember that along with you, there were three others at the podium also. They have also worked hard for this day and by not accepting the medal, you also didn’t respect their achievements.