Rahul Dravid‘s cricketing journey is no less than any fairytale. Popularly known by his nickname “The Wall”, Dravid was one of the best batters in the world, who played many match-winning knocks for India. However, during his 16-year career as a player, Dravid gained many accolades but failed to win any ICC trophy. But, the destiny had planned something special for him as he later took over the role of Team India’s coach. Under his guidance, Rohit Sharma and co clinched the T20 World Cup 2024 trophy, which was India’s first ICC trophy after a hiatus of 11 years.

To make the moment more special, the World Cup final, where India defeated South Africa to win the title, was Dravid’s last game as the coach. The team rewarded him with the best farewell gift and during the trophy collection, the fans got to see the unfiltered side of Dravid.

The 51-year-old, who is widely known for his soft-spoken nature, got immersed into a wild celebration while holding the trophy. Recently, David opened up about the moment and revealed that he doesn’t like his sons, Samit and Anvay to watch his celebration.

“We strived to achieve something together. When you come at the end of it, you have moments like that. It’s great to celebrate. I try to avoid showing that to my children, thinking I’ve gone mad or something,” said Dravid at the CEAT Awards.

“But yeah, I was always telling the boys we got to maintain our balance, and remain cool, not go up and down with results. Thank god it was my last game, otherwise after that, they would have said ‘you’re saying one thing but doing something else’,” he added.

Earlier in August, Dravid’s son Samit earned a spot in India’s Under-19 squad for the Australia series.

The three-match one-day series will be held in Puducherry on September 21, 23 and 26, and India will be led by Uttar Pradesh’s Mohammad Amaan.

One of India’s finest bowlers in this generation, Mohammed Shami has delivered the goods for his country, no matter the format. Over the years, Shami has grown his status to the extent that he has become indispensable to the team, especially in Test and ODI formats. Yet, a few eyebrows were raised when Shami wasn’t part of India’s playing XI for the initial few matches in the ODI World Cup last year. However, as Shami got the nod in the team, following Hardik Pandya‘s injury, he ran riot with the ball, emerging as the tournament’s top wicket-taker.

Shami, asked about the situation in the tournament during the CEAT Cricket Awards recently, responded in hilarious fashion, saying he performed so well after getting picked that the captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid didn’t think again about dropping him.

“I’m habitual to it, I think,” Shami said when asked about his brilliant comebacks to the team after being sidelined initially.

“In 2015, 2019, and 2023, I had the same start. When I was given a chance, the performances, thanks to god, they never thought of dropping me again. You can call to hard work, but I’m always ready for a chance. Only when you’re ready can you prove yourself. Otherwise, I can only run to the field to give water! It’s better to seize the opportunity when you get it,” he further said.

Always ready, always hungry, always on top! #MohammedShami opens up on the drive that keeps him pushing forward, even after being benched in the early stages of the World Cup!

Watch the Full episode – CEAT Cricket Awards on YouTube channel pic.twitter.com/ZJOkfryXpt

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) September 2, 2024

Seeing Shami poke fun at Dravid and Rohit, the India coach and captain also couldn’t hold their laughter. Their reaction to Shami’s comments said it all.

Shami hasn’t featured for India since the conclusion of the ODI World Cup last year, with injury issues keeping him on the sidelines. He is expected to be fit in time for India’s Test assignment against Bangladesh which is scheduled to begin on September 19.

Samit Dravid, son of former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid, was on Saturday drafted into the India under-19 squad for the upcoming multi-format series against Australia. However, he will not be able to play in the 2026 U-19 World Cup. Samit was born on November 10, 2005 and currently just over two months shy of his 19th birthday. So, when the 2026 U-19 World Cup happens he will be over 20 years of age. 

The three-match one-day series will be held in Puducherry on September 21, 23 and 26, and India will be led by Uttar Pradesh’s Mohammad Amaan. The series will then roll to Chennai for two four-day matches beginning on September 30 and October 7. The India squad for this leg of the tour will be captained by Soham Patwardhan of Madhya Pradesh.

Samit, a pace-bowling all-rounder, is currently playing for Mysore Warriors in the ongoing KSCA Maharaja T20 trophy in Bengaluru. 

However, his outings so far have been underwhelming with the bat – 82 runs from seven innings with a highest of 33, and he is yet to bowl in the tournament.

But earlier this year, Samit had a productive time in the Cooch Behar Trophy, playing an important role in Karnataka’s maiden title triumph in the event.

The 18-year-old made 362 runs from eight matches and his 98 against Jammu and Kashmir stood out for its quality and fluency.

Samit also had a memorable tournament with the ball, where he claimed 16 scalps in eight matches, including two in the final against Mumbai.

India U19 squad for one-day series: Rudra Patel, Sahil Parakh, Kartikeya KP, Mohd Amaan (Captain), Kiran Chormale, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh Pangalia (WK), Samit Dravid, Yudhajit Guha, Samarth N, Nikhil Kumar, Chetan Sharma, Hardik Raj, Rohit Rajawat, Mohd Enaan.

India U19 squad for four-day series: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitya Pandya, Vihan Malhotra, Soham Patwardhan (Captain), Kartikeya KP, Samit Dravid, Abhigyan Kundu (WK), Harvansh Singh Pangalia (WK), Chetan Sharma, Samarth N, Aditya Rawat, Nikhil Kumar, Anmoljeet Singh, Aditya Singh, Mohd Enaan

With PTI inputs 

Samit Dravid, son of former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid, has been called up for the Under-19 series against Australia. He has been selected for both the one-day and the four-day series. The series will feature three 50-over games and two four-day matches to be played in Puducherry and Chennai, respectively. The one-day team will be led by Mohd Amaan while the four-day side will be led by Soham Patwardhan 

Samit Dravid has been among runs at the domestic level. Recently, his videos of some of his big hits in the Maharaja KSCA Mahara T20 Trophy went viral.  

India U19 squad for one-day series against Australia U19: Rudra Patel (VC)(GCA), Sahil Parakh (MAHCA), Kartikeya KP (KSCA), Mohd Amaan (C) (UPCA), Kiran Chormale (MAHCA), Abhigyan Kundu (WK) (MCA), Harvansh Singh Pangalia (WK) (SCA), Samit Dravid (KSCA), Yudhajit Guha (CAB), Samarth N (KSCA), Nikhil Kumar (UTCA), Chetan Sharma (RCA), Hardik Raj (KSCA), Rohit Rajawat (MPCA), Mohd Enaan (KCA)

India U19 squad for four-day series against Australia U19: Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Bihar CA), Nitya Pandya (BCA), Vihan Malhotra (VC) (PCA), Soham Patwardhan (C) (MPCA),  Kartikeya K P (KSCA), Samit Dravid (KSCA), Abhigyan Kundu (WK) (MCA), Harvansh Singh Pangalia (WK) (SCA), Chetan Sharma (RCA), Samarth N (KSCA), Aditya Rawat (CAU), Nikhil Kumar (UTCA), Anmoljeet Singh (PCA), Aditya Singh (UPCA), Mohd Enaan (KCA)

The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was marred by a controversy surrounding the captaincy change for Mumbai Indians (MI). The five-time champions made a big call heading into IPL 2024, replacing long-serving skipper Rohit Sharma by Hardik Pandya, with the franchise bringing him back from Gujarat Titans (GT) as part of an all-cash deal. This led to speculation of a rift between Rohit and Hardik. 

Amid rumours, Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma made big contributions in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 win. They were even seen hugging each other after the final, putting to rest speculation that all was not well between them. Veteran journalist Vimal Kumar has now given an interesting insight on the equation between Rohit and Hardik during the T20 World Cup.

During a recent interaction, Vimal Kumar revealed that the two didn’t speak to each other on the first day of practice. However, Rohit and Hardik had a heart-to-heart conversation on the second day, he added.

“When I went to the nets, on the first day I saw they were standing far apart and did not talk to each other. But by the second day, I saw them come over, one after the other, and sit together in a corner, talking for a long time. That moment for me defined this team. There was no camera there; nothing. The way Rohit and Hardik were talking, I was like ‘what am I watching?’,” Vimal Kumar said on 2 Sloggers’ YouTube channel.

The journalist also suggested that the chat between Rohit and Hardik, where the two sorted out their differences, played a key role in calming the atmosphere in the dressing room.

“There is so much going on in India with the public talking about their differences. After that, for the next three days, Rohit and Hardik would bat parallelly. And then Rohit would point out about his batting, bowling. When I saw that atmosphere and thought if they addressed such a complex issue, the elephant in the room. That vibe I saw demonstrated how relaxed the team atmosphere was,” he added.

Mr Vimal, however, gave the credit to the then India head coach Rahul Dravid for handling such a volatile situation.

“The full credit goes to Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma for this. The way he handled the big guys – Virat, Hardik, Rohit – I think Rahul Dravid has a lot to do with it. Everyone gelled together. That was the leadership I had confidence in,” Vimal further suggested.

For the unversed, India won the T20 World Cup after beating South Africa in the final, which was Dravid’s last game as head coach of the Indian team.

After the final, the likes of Rohit, Virat and Ravindra Jadeja also announced their T20 retirements.

Star India batter KL Rahul triggered a huge wave of speculations on social media through his recent Instagram post. “I have an announcement to make, stay tuned…”, Rahul wrote on Instagram. Reacting to this, a few accounts on social media speculated that Rahul might retire from international cricket, having lost his place in India’s T20 team. However, Rahul seemed have quashed all the rumours with his latest Instagram post. In truth, Rahul and his wife Athiya Shetty had organised an auction “to enrich the lives of many special children”.

From jerseys to cricket bats of his present and former teammates, Rahul  and Athiya raised Rs 1.93 crores from the auction.

Virat Kohli‘s jersey was the most expensive buy at the auction, sold for Rs 40 lakh. In fact, the second most expensive buy, recorded at Rs 28 lakh, was also a pair of Kohli’s gloves.

Three bats, one each of current and former India captains Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Rahul Dravid helped raise Rs 24 lakh, Rs 13 lakh and Rs 11 lakh, respectively.

The most expensive buy at the KL Rahul-Athiya conducted auction:

Virat Kohli’s jersey – 40 Lakhs.

Virat Kohli’s gloves – 28 Lakhs.

Rohit Sharma’s bat – 24 Lakhs.

MS Dhoni’s bat – 13 Lakhs.

Rahul Dravid’s bat – 11 Lakhs. pic.twitter.com/ZzPxO2yh5o

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 23, 2024

Meanwhile, Rahul wasn’t a part of India’s squad at the T20 World Cup 2024. After the Rohit Sharma-led Indian side lifted the trophy by beating South Africa in the final, veterans like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement. Fans feared that Rahul too might follow the suit.

The wicket-keeper batter’s future as the captain of his Indian Premier League side Lucknow Super has also been subjected to intense chatter among fans and experts. Many feel that the franchise might decide to offload Rahul and look for a new captaincy face in the forthcoming mega auction. Is Rahul about to make an announcement on his IPL future?

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Rahul will next be seen in action in the Duleep Trophy, having been picked in the India ‘A’ Squad. He will be playing under Shubman Gill‘s leadership, alongside Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, and Avesh Khan.

The wicket-batter has tough competition from Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel for a spot in the Indian team. While Pant is likely to be given the wicket-keeper’s role, Rahul could still make the cut in the playing XI as a non-keeper.

Former Indian head coach and batting legend Rahul Dravid opened up on a potential Bollywood gig in future. Dravid, considered one of the finest batters to have not lifted a Cricket World Cup, was finally able to fulfil this dream of his as a coach with India defeating South Africa in a thrilling final by seven runs to capture the ICC T20 World Cup, ending their 11-year ICC title drought. With this, Dravid ended his stint with the Indian team as a head coach on a high.

The 51-year-old has won the hearts of cricketing fans and experts throughout his cricketing and coaching career, both for his steely defence and composure and ability to create a positive, supportive atmosphere for players in the dressing room as a coach of the Indian team.

During a Q&A session during the CEAT Cricket Awards, Dravid responded hilariously when asked about the actor he would pick to play himself in a biopic, saying, “If the money is good enough, I will play it myself.”

Speaking on what changed between India’s 10-match win streak which ended with a heartbreaking loss to Australia in the 50-over World Cup last year and this year’s undefeated run to the ICC T20 World Cup title, Dravid said that the team could not have done anything different in terms of preparation, plans and execution and they did not want to change anything.

“Honestly, I did not want to do anything different. I think we ran a fantastic campaign in the one-day World Cup, Rohit and the team, everyone involved in that one-day World Cup, we ran a superb campaign. There’s nothing we could have done more in terms of our preparation, the planning, the execution of what we needed to do for 10 games in a row to dominate, to win the game we did, play the game we did,” said Dravid.

“I did not want to change anything. If you had asked me and we had a discussion with our support staff, we would get together with the coaches and say, what do you think we should do differently?” The common consensus (among the team) was we needed to do exactly what we did. We need to create the same energy, create the same vibe, the same team atmosphere that we had and then just hope that on the day, we will have a little bit of luck,” he added.

Dravid said that he was never a part of a home World Cup as a player and to travel all over the country and experience the passion of fans was a phenomenal experience to him.

“To travel all over this country and to be able to experience that joy and passion of the fans. I have never been a part of a World Cup as a player in India, but just the experience as a coach to go from city to city and just walk and see what this game meant to the people of this country was phenomenal. It was incredible,” Dravid said.

“I thought we ran a phenomenal campaign. We came unstuck in the final and Australia played better cricket than us on the day. They were a better team and congratulations (to them). That can happen in sport and that’s what sport is about,” he added.

Notably, during the title clash in November last year, Australia restricted India to just 240 runs, despite a fine start by skipper Rohit Sharma (47) and half-centuries by KL Rahul (66) and Virat Kohli (54). Mitchell Starc (3/55) and skipper Pat Cummins (2/34) unleashed heavy damage on Indian batters. Though Australia was off to a shaky start too with the scoreline reading 47/3 at one point, Travis Head (137*) and Marnus (58*) took the Aussies to their sixth 50-over crown with six wickets in hand.

The 26th edition of the awards honoured a distinguished group of cricketers and sports leaders who showcased exceptional talent and leadership throughout the year.

Phil Salt was celebrated as the Men’s T20I Batter of the Year, while Tim Southee earned the title of Men’s T20I Bowler of the Year. In recognition of his tactical brilliance, Shreyas Iyer received the Award for Outstanding Leadership for winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Sai Kishore was recognized as the Domestic Cricketer of the Year for his consistent performances on the domestic circuit.

Virat Kohli took home the Men’s ODI Batter of the Year award, and Mohammad Shami was named the Men’s ODI Bowler of the Year.

The Award for Most Matches as a Captain in Women’s T20I History was awarded to Harmanpreet Kaur, while Yashashvi Jaiswal and Ravichandran Ashwin were honoured as the Men’s Test Batter of the Year and Men’s Test Bowler of the Year, respectively. On the women’s side, Deepti Sharma was named the Women’s Indian Bowler of the Year, and Smriti Mandhana earned the title of Women’s Indian Batter of the Year.

The Award for the Fastest Double Century in Women’s Test went to Shafali Verma, while Jay Shah was recognized with the Award for Excellence in Sports Administration for their significant contributions to the sport. For his glorious contribution to the world of cricket, Rahul Dravid was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Former Indian head coach and skipper Rahul Dravid opened up on Australian batter Travis Head‘s counter-attacking knock against Men in Blue in the ICC Cricket World Cup final last year, which shattered the country’s dreams of lifting the trophy at home. Speaking at the CEAT Cricket Awards on Wednesday, Dravid said that the Indian bowlers managed to beat Travis’s bat around 15 times, but he did not touch a single ball, highlighting that sometimes, one just needs a bit of luck even though cricket is largely a skill-based game.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Dravid said, “I remember whatever it was, we beat Travis Head’s bat 15 times — he did not touch a single ball. You know, things can go your way sometimes, but you have to stick to the process. I have had time to reflect on it. I have had time to reflect on a lot of things we have 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,” said Dravid.

“Sometimes at the end of the day, you need a little bit of luck. Sometimes (it is) the skill, but we needed a guy who could keep his foot within one inch of a line,” he added.

Dravid also lauded the current generation of Indian players for being able to carry forward the legacy of the older stars from the 2000s, by staying dominant across all formats, winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, ICC Champions Trophy 2013, ICC T20 World Cup 2024 among many other accomplishments.

“I left in 2011-2012. These players have been able to carry the legacy forward. If you just look at the success that we have had over the last 12 years in all the three formats of the game, the time that after we left, it has been absolutely phenomenal,” said Dravid.

“Very easily, clearly in a lot of the rankings, we are always (No.) 1 or 2… we are 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,” concluded Dravid.

The 26th edition of the awards honoured a distinguished group of cricketers and sports leaders who showcased exceptional talent and leadership throughout the year.

Phil Salt was celebrated as the Men’s T20I Batter of the Year, while Tim Southee earned the title of Men’s T20I Bowler of the Year. In recognition of his tactical brilliance, Shreyas Iyer received the Award for Outstanding Leadership for winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Sai Kishore was recognized as the Domestic Cricketer of the Year for his consistent performances on the domestic circuit.

Virat Kohli took home the Men’s ODI Batter of the Year award, and Mohammad Shami was named the Men’s ODI Bowler of the Year.

The Award for Most Matches as a Captain in Women’s T20I History was awarded to Harmanpreet Kaur, while Yashashvi Jaiswal and Ravichandran Ashwin were honoured as the Men’s Test Batter of the Year and Men’s Test Bowler of the Year, respectively. On the women’s side, Deepti Sharma was named the Women’s Indian Bowler of the Year, and Smriti Mandhana earned the title of Women’s Indian Batter of the Year.

The Award for the Fastest Double Century in Women’s Test went to Shafali Verma, while Jay Shah was recognized with the Award for Excellence in Sports Administration for their significant contributions to the sport. For his glorious contribution to the world of cricket, Rahul Dravid was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mumbai, Aug 21 Former India head coach Rahul Dravid on Wednesday said the support staff strived to carry the energetic “team atmosphere” from the ODI World Cup in 2023 to the T20 showpiece, and the approach helped the team to end a barren run in ICC tournaments.

Dravid masterminded India’s triumph in the T20 World Cup in the Americas before signing off from his role as the head coach.

“Honestly, I didn’t want to do anything different. I think we ran a fantastic campaign in the one-day World Cup, Rohit and the team, everyone involved in that one-day World Cup, we ran a superb campaign,” Dravid said at the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards here.

India had suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Australia in the ODI World Cup final at Ahmedabad.

“There’s nothing we could have done more in terms of our preparation, the planning, the execution of what we needed to do for 10 games in a row to dominate, to win the game we did, play the game we did,” said Dravid.

The Bengaluru man said he and the rest of the coaching staff did not want to break the set pattern of a cordial dressing room. “I did not want to change anything. If you’d asked me and we had a discussion with our support staff, we’d get together with the coaches and say, what do you think we should do differently?” “The common consensus (among the team) was we need to do exactly what we did. We need to create the same energy, create the same vibe, the same team atmosphere that we had and then just hope that on the day, we’ll have a little bit of luck,” he said.

Though he did not experience playing in a World Cup in either of the limited-over formats in India, he was able to soak in all the elation as the head coach.

“To travel all over this country and to be able to experience that joy and passion of the fans. I’ve never been a part of a World Cup as a player in India, but just the experience as a coach to go from city to city and just walk and see what this game meant to the people of this country was phenomenal. It was incredible,” he said.

Dravid said Australia were the better team during the ODI World Cup final.

“I thought we ran a phenomenal campaign. We came unstuck in the final and Australia played better cricket than us on the day. They were a better team and congratulations (to them). That can happen in sport and that’s what sport is about,” he said. 

CEAT Cricket Rating Awards ceremony was held in Mumbai on Wednesday to celebrate the remarkable achievements of cricketing legends. India skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday won the CEAT Men’s International Cricketer of the Year award after he helped the Men in Blue win the T20 World Cup 2024 in July. Rohit has added 14,846 runs, three double hundreds, 33 hundreds, and 87 fifties in ODIs and T20Is combined. Apart from his mouth-watering tally, Rohit is a two-time ICC T20 World Cup (2007 and 2024) and ICC Champions Trophy winner. He also holds the record for most sixes in the shortest format.

Here’s a look at India’s top winners at the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards:

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday won the CEAT Men’s International Cricketer of the Year award after he helped the Men in Blue win the T20 World Cup 2024 in July.

Rohit’s stint as India’s T20I skipper was a memorable one. He overtook Dhoni as the most successful T20I captain with 49 wins in 62 matches. Dhoni had 41 victories from 72 games. Also to top it off, he led India to the ICC T20 World Cup title after a thrilling win in the final against South Africa at Barbados, ending India’s ICC trophy drought of 11 years.

Youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal won the best Test batter of the year in the CEAT Awards on Wednesday following his scintillating performance in the series against England.

In England’s recent tour of India, Jaiswal was the highest run scorer of the series after scoring 712 runs from 5 matches and 9 innings at a strike rate of 79.91.

The 22-year-old made his Test debut against West Indies in 2023. In the long format, he has scored 1028 runs at a strike rate of 70.07 after playing 9 matches and 16 innings.

Meanwhile, India pacer Mohammad Shami won the best ODI bowler of the year in the CEAT Awards.

Shami was the highest wicket-taker in the ODI World Cup 2023, picking up 24 wickets in just seven matches at an economy rate of 5.26.

The last few years have not been great for Shami as he spent most of the time suffering from injuries. The 33-year-old made his ODI debut in 2013 against Pakistan and picked up 195 wickets from 101 matches.

On the other hand, talisman India batter Virat Kohli on Wednesday won the best ODI batter of the year during the CEAT Cricket Rating Awards.

Kohli made his ODI debut in 2008 against Sri Lanka. Following this he has scored 13906 runs after playing 295 matches and 283 innings at a strike rate of 93.54.

In the ODI World Cup 2023, Kohli was the highest run scorer, scoring 765 runs from 11 matches at a strike rate of 90.31. During the 50-over WC, Kohli also became the first player to hit fifty ODI tons.

The last few months have been great for the Men in Blue after they successfully ended the ICC trophy drought of 11 years by winning the prestigious T20 World Cup 2024.

Former India head coach Rahul Dravid was named the CEAT Lifetime Achievement Award. His stint with the Men in Blue came to an end after India won the T20 World Cup 2024 in July.

Ravichandran Ashwin won the CEAT Men’s Test Bowler of the Year. Just like Jaiswal, Ashwin displayed a stunning performance during England’s tour of India with the ball. Ashwin was the highest wicket-taker with 26 dismissals by his name from the five matches.

Ashwin made his Test debut in 2011 against West Indies. Following this, he has scalped 516 wickets from 100 matches and 189 innings.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Shreyas Iyer won the Memento for Outstanding Leadership for TATA IPL. He helped KKR win their third IPL title in the previous season of the tournament.

Recapping the final match of the T20 World Cup 2024, Virat Kohli (76), Hardik Pandya (3/20) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/18) starred in Men in Blue’s seven-run win over South Africa in the final at Barbados on June 29.

Virat’s masterclass knock helped India reach 176/7 in 20 overs, while Bumrah and Pandya unleashed a pace choke on Proteas, snatching the match from a losing position to restrict Proteas to 169/8 in their 20 overs.