Referencing India’s devastating loss to Australia in the ODI World Cup final and his team’s incredible comeback from a vulnerable position against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final, the great Rahul Dravid acknowledged that occasionally a small amount of luck can have a significant impact on the outcome of big matches.
With a 10-match winning streak, India had dominated the ODI World Cup final the previous year. However, nothing worked when the best team in the competition faced Australia in the championship match.
Six months later, Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma worked together to settle the outstanding issues. They were up against a tough South Africa to win the trophy, but fortune was on their side.
Dravid reminded the players on Wednesday how important it was to adhere to the tried-and-true method and pray for good fortune to favor them against the Proteas at Barbados on June 29, having learned from the amazing highs and lows.
“I’ve had time to reflect on it. I’ve had time to reflect on a lot of things we’ve done. You do realise, sometimes, you have to do a lot of these things, you have to do the process, you have to do everything right,” Dravid, who was chosen for Life Time Achievement honour during the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards, said.
“Sometimes at the end of the day, you need a little bit of luck. (Against South Africa in T20WC final)… 30 balls to go, 30 runs to go. (It was about) incredible execution, incredible calmness by Rohit.”
“We didn’t focus on what we needed to do, but we needed a guy who could keep his foot within one inch of a line. Sometimes (it is) the skill,” he said without mentioning Suryakumar Yadav’s juggling act at the ropes to complete David Miller’s dismissal.
India had taken the lead in the match thanks to that catch.
Dravid then recounted how, in the ODI World Cup final, India came within a whisker of dismissing Travis Head, but the opener, riding on sheer serendipity, struck a match-winning century that, in a one blow, dashed a billion dreams.
“(On) 19th November… I remember whatever it was, we beat Travis Head’s bat 15 times — he didn’t touch a single ball. You know, things can go your way sometimes, but you have to stick to the process,” the articulate Dravid circled back to sticking to the basics.
After winning the championship, Dravid stepped down as India’s coach.
Dravid praised India’s bench strength and capacity to produce elite cricket players on a regular basis, saying that the current crop of players has effectively continued the legacy of the “Fab Five.”
Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, and Dravid himself comprised the Fab-five that captivated cricket fans across the world.
“I left in 2011-2012. These players have been able to carry the legacy forward. If you just look at the success that we’ve had over the last 12 years in all the three formats of the game, the time that after we left, it’s been absolutely phenomenal,” he said.
“Very easily, clearly in a lot of the rankings, we’re always (No.) 1 or 2… we’re always up there with anyone. To be able to go out and win that, just the kind of cricket that we play, the level of skill of some of our players, the way that they approach the game, is great,” he said.
Dravid hoped Team India will continue to have success in the coming years.
“I have no doubt that this generation of players, led by people like Rohit and Surya and the (other) guys coming forward in all formats of the game is only going to continue to do that in the future,” he said.
Dravid said while Indian cricketers now are fearless and confident, they also have world-class infrastructure to back their skill sets.
“A lot of them are really fearless. The confidence of a young Indian, and I don’t mean just cricketers, that’s just great. It just gladdens your heart so much.
“The opportunities that young Indians have today. It’s just nowhere in the world. You feel like maybe even growing up at times that you could have your talent and you had abilities, but sometimes you didn’t have the support or the infrastructure to be able to achieve your dreams.”
None of the Indians can still say that now. They all have excellent support systems and infrastructure, and it reflects in how they conduct themselves and hold themselves to the highest standards.
According to Dravid, there has been a significant shift in the way Indian players perceive, with them now viewing themselves as leaders.
“Young India expects they can be world-class, they can be world-leaders, and that is a phenomenal change from the time that I was a young man,” he stated.
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