During a recent chat with one of the cricket analysts, former Indian national cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid gave his defense on organizing part of the T20 World Cup in the United States, as it was criticized mainly due to poor pitch conditions and crowd attendance during the non-India matches. In the USA phase of the ongoing competition that was held last month, the ICC suffered losses amounting to almost USD 20 million, according to PTI.
India lost all the group games in the USA and came across with Ireland, Pakistan, and the USA, and the draw led to the abandonment of the match against Canada in Florida. Even there, Dravid, who was a captain of India, which won the tournament, admitted there were challenges, but the question is about growing the game across the globe.
“Yes, in terms of facilities, it’s challenging. But if you want to grow the sport and make it a global game, then you have to be at events like this and make compromises, even if it means playing at odd hours in conditions that might not necessarily be perfect,” Dravid stated during a panel discussion on ‘Cricket at the Olympics: ”A New Dawn of a New Era,” a sporting event that they hosted in Paris for programs related to the sport being featured in the Los Angeles Olympics set in the year 2028.
Dravid also shrugged off any suggestion about the early start times, saying, “I personally did not find it a problem to start at 10:30 in the morning. We are in the entertainment business here, and we are catering to the fans who want to watch this sport. I did not have any issues with it in that context.
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He also pointed out the fact that the conditions were equal for both teams, adding that, “As a coach, the conditions were quite even because dew becomes a factor in a lot of day-night games. The toss can become a big factor, as we saw in Australia. But for 10:30 it was not a problem; it was an even score for both sides.’ ‘
During the match, David spoke positively of the ICC’s strategy to host the World Cup in the USA, citing the opportunity to reach a fresh group of spectators as a positive. It also paid well to have international cricket carried to the USA and getting the audience to watch it. There is a lot of enthusiasm for the game in the USA. It was lovely playing in the USA. Some of the games had full houses, he added.
Dravid spoke with Allardice from the ICC during the discussion, and the latter also spoke positively about the prospects of developing the cricket market.
Report By: Sonali Sarkar
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