Former India cricketer and head coach Rahul Dravid has always been a strong supporter of Test cricket. But he also believes T20 has a major role in taking the sport to more people. While speaking to JioStar, the former India captain discussed cricket’s growth and his new role with the European T20 Premier League. Dravid is now a co-owner of Dublin Guardians in the competition. He sees Europe as a place with plenty of potential for cricket, and believes T20 can help introduce the sport to new audiences before longer formats grow there.
Dravid made it clear that his personal preference remains Test cricket. “Personally, I love Test cricket; it’s always going to be the number one format of the game,” he said. He also explained why T20 matters for cricket’s future. “But, you have to be realistic enough to realise that if you want to grow the game of cricket and not make it a niche game that’s played only by a few countries, and we want the next generation to be able to enjoy, follow and play the game, then T20 is a great format to be able to promote the game,” Dravid added. He believes T20 is particularly useful in places where cricket is still developing. “But when you’re starting, when you’re trying to take your early steps, I think the T20 format’s the perfect format,” he asserted.
“Why not do something different?”: Rahul Dravid explains decision to join European T20 League
Dravid, fondly called ‘The Wall’ is stepping into unfamiliar territory with his new role in the European T20 Premier League. The former India captain is part of the ownership group of Dublin Guardians. It is a very different challenge from anything he has done in cricket before. Dravid has spent years as a player and coach. Now, he is also involved in building a team from the ground up. Speaking to JioStar, he explained why the opportunity appealed to him. He said the league already has several respected names involved. Steve Waugh, Jamie Dwyer and Glenn Maxwell are among them. Abhishek Bachchan is also part of the league’s ownership group. Dravid said the people involved made the project feel exciting.
“I thought, ‘Why not get involved, do something slightly different?’ I've always been involved as a coach or as a player, but trying to set up things and appoint coaches and players and marketing and finance, stuff that is a little bit out of my comfort zone, is exciting nevertheless,” he told JioStar. Dravid also spoke about the people behind the competition. “There are some really good people to work with and be associated with the league as well,” he said. He pointed to Waugh’s involvement with Amsterdam and Jamie Dwyer’s work with the team. He also praised the passion shown by Bachchan in helping build the league. For Dravid, the new role is a chance to experience cricket from a completely different side.
