Published: Sep 12, 2014, 06:46 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 12, 2014, 07:42 PM (IST)
Sep 12, 2014
Rahul Dravid delivered the Dilip Sardesai memorial lecture at Mumbai on Friday. Dravid recounted his experiences playing international cricket and also gave his opinions on several things. Here are some of the highlights from the lecture:
1. Dravid would love to be India coach: “I think there’s a time and place for everything. I’ve enjoyed being in media and mentoring Rajasthan Royals. But yeah in future I would love to be a coach of an Indian team or even the Rajasthan Royals team.”, he said.
2. Dravid thinks the One-Day International (ODI) format is in danger: “I think ODI cricket without a context will struggle. All other ODI cricket should be geared towards preparing for World Cup and Champions Trophy. People can play lesser ODI cricket and focus more.”, he said.
3. Dravid supported wives and girlfriends accompanying players on tours: “I think wives, girlfriends should be allowed to travel with players. Wives, girlfriends, any gender (laughs) should be allowed. You can’t start blaming the wives and girlfriends for poor performance. In fact if you don’t allow them then that would be a bigger problem.”, he said.
4. Dravid spoke about the oral tradition in international cricket: “Yes, I would say IPL has played a big role in it. Many times Kevin Pietersen at RCB used to talk to me about playing left-arm spin. Another example is Pravin Tambe, he spent a lot of time about listening and observing players like Brad Hodge how they bat in the death overs. Someone like Sanju Samson will seek out help from AB de Villiers. These conversations do happen and it should be encouraged more.”, he said.
5. Dravid thinks that chucking isn’t a crime: “I think ICC has a rule in place. When they reviewed a lot of old footage they found a lot of former cricketers were doing it too. Glenn McGrath also had a bend but let me make it clear McGrath wasn’t chucking. What I am glad about is they are strict about this.They also have kept it consistent. We shouldn’t look at chucking as a crime. It’s like no-ball. Nobody says you are cheating. You should allow them to go back correct their action and come back.”, he said.
Read more about Dilip Sardesai in this extensive profile piece by CricketCountry’s Chief historian Arunabha Sengupta.
Catch the Live Blog of the lecture here
