4 min learnMumbaiMar 16, 2026 12:45 AM IST
The story of Indian cricket’s phenomenal success has been about its increasing geography as a lot as its history-making, going deep into locations the place home cricket has unfold its roots. So whilst Rahul Dravid congratulated the 5 ICC title-winning groups – Ladies’s U19 and seniors in ODIs, and T20, Champions Trophy and U19 successful males’s groups, he reckoned the Cinderella story of the final 12 months was Jammu & Kashmir successful the Ranji Trophy.
“It’s an exquisite win for Jammu & Kashmir, although sadly it got here in opposition to Karnataka, so I’m not too completely satisfied about that although I do know you tried onerous Rahul,” Dravid quipped to KL on the BCCI awards. However together with Vaibhav Suryavanshi rising from Bihar, Dravid would credit score BCCI for taking cricket into small cities, to each nook and nook of the nation.
Why Indian cricket appears to be bullish about itself is not only the 5 titles received throughout women and men, however the depth of expertise outdoors these squads, with Varun Chakravarthy eloquently saying, “There’s extra expertise in a single Indian state than in whole nations outdoors.”
Recalling his origins, Sanju Samson would add nuance to the attain cricket has garnered, on account of its franchise leagues in areas the place the game hadn’t made headway. “For a younger boy from Kerala, taking part in Ranji Trophy, which acquired over in a single or two days, and never realizing what to do after U-19, Rahul Sir invited me to (work with) Zubin Bharucha, the place I upscaled my sport. Learnt quite a bit, additionally easy methods to be a very good human being,” he would say.
Dravid reckoned the outcomes had been a end result of many many years of issues coming collectively. “That is phenomenal development, Indian cricket’s all the time had superb expertise, good directors, good coaches, however now we’re backing that with infrastructure, plus a improbable junior and home system, and unimaginable followers. All of this has come collectively on the sphere, serving to us win 5 of 8 trophies on provide. Off the sphere we all the time had every thing we wanted, on area issues are coming collectively,” he stated.
‘Good to see Sanju’s success’
He had reward for the T20 winners from Ahmedabad. “Beautiful to see the efficiency of the T20 aspect….it’s not all the time simple to begin as favourites, and finish with the trophy. It comes with its personal pressures, good to see Sanju get it collectively in three video games,” Dravid added. “He’d been out and in of the workforce, he’s labored actual onerous, personally seen him work onerous, it’s good he discovered success at important section of Indian cricket.”
Coaches had been essential to this new surge of success in Indian cricket. Nooshen Ali Khader for U19 women, Amol Muzumdar for seniors, Hrishikesh Kanitkar for junior males, and Gautam Gambhir for the remainder. These roles had been performed by Keki Tarapore and Roger Binny for Dravid, he recalled, as he collected his award.
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Dravid, in his inimitable vogue, would additionally thank these “not on this room”, in BCCI energy centres, who had contributed to Indian cricket. Unnamed scorers, directors, umpires, first coaches, volunteers organising tournaments, and those that drove them from one floor to the subsequent. “It’s all their sacrifices, contributions,” he added.
He had appreciative phrases for household too. “My father. Whose love for cricket was not nearly Rahul Dravid’s profession, however a real love for the sport.”
“Vijeta – whom I wanted to make use of brownie factors to get you right here. They are saying marriage is an equal partnership, it hasn’t been for us. You made sacrifices to get me right here, increase the youngsters. My two boys, for whom I haven’t all the time been there,” he would say.
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