Former Indian cricket team leader Rahul Dravid talked about Australian player Travis Head’s aggressive batting performance against India in the ICC Cricket World Cup final last year, which prevented India from winning the trophy on their home ground. At the CEAT Cricket Awards event, Dravid mentioned that the Indian bowlers managed to hit Travis’s bat about 15 times, but he didn’t actually hit any of the balls. He pointed out that sometimes, even though cricket is mostly a game of skill, a little bit of luck is needed.
During the awards ceremony, Dravid said, “I recall that we hit Travis Head’s bat 15 times, but he didn’t hit a single ball. Sometimes, things can go in your favor, but you must keep following the process. I’ve had time to think about it and many other things we’ve done. You realize that sometimes, you need to do a lot of these things, follow the process, and do everything correctly,” said Dravid.
“At times, you need a bit of good fortune at the end of the day. Other times, it’s about skill, but we needed someone who could precisely control their foot within a small margin of a line,” he mentioned.
Dravid also praised the current group of Indian players for continuing the tradition of the older stars from the 2000s, maintaining their dominance in all formats, and winning significant tournaments like the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011, the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, and the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024, among other achievements.
“I retired around 2011-2012. These players have successfully carried on the legacy. If you consider the success we’ve achieved in the past 12 years across all three game formats since I left, it’s been truly remarkable,” Dravid commented.
“We consistently rank among the top teams, often at number one or two. Our style of play, the skills of our players, and their approach to the game are all excellent,” Dravid summarized.
The 26th edition of the awards recognized a notable group of cricketers and sports leaders who demonstrated remarkable talent and leadership throughout the year.
Phil Salt was honored as the Men’s T20I Batter of the Year, and Tim Southee was named the Men’s T20I Bowler of the Year. Shreyas Iyer was awarded for his exceptional leadership, having led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Sai Kishore was acknowledged as the Domestic Cricketer of the Year for his steady performances in domestic cricket.
Virat Kohli won the Men’s One Day International (ODI) Batter of the Year award, and Mohammad Shami was chosen as the Men’s ODI Bowler of the Year.
Harmanpreet Kaur received the Award for Most Matches as a Captain in Women’s Twenty20 International (T20I) History. Yashashvi Jaiswal and Ravichandran Ashwin were recognized as the Men’s Test Batter of the Year and Men’s Test Bowler of the Year, respectively. In the women’s category, 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.
Shafali Verma was awarded for scoring the Fastest Double Century in Women’s Test, and Jay Shah was acknowledged with the Award for Excellence in Sports Administration for their important contributions to the sport. Rahul Dravid was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to cricket.
