Former India head coach Rahul Dravid has supported the much-criticized US leg of the recent T20 World Cup, stating that dealing with “unusual playing times” and “difficult” facilities were necessary “trade-offs” to expand cricket’s audience. Considering the significant effort required to host the event in the region, Dravid expressed his acceptance of the 10:30 AM (local time) match starts and the venues used in New York, Florida, and Texas.
“Indeed, the facilities pose a challenge. However, if we aim to grow the sport and make it a worldwide game, we must participate in events like this and make compromises, even if it involves playing at unconventional times in less-than-ideal conditions,”
Dravid shared his thoughts during a panel discussion on ‘Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a New Era’, commemorating the sport’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, on Sunday.
Dravid guided India to their first ICC championship win in 11 years at a competition held in both the USA and the West Indies, where the final matches took place.
This was the first time the USA hosted a major cricket event, which was viewed as a way to grow a fan base in the area before the Los Angeles Olympics.
However, to also appeal to the large audience in the subcontinent, all India games started at 10:30am, which drew some criticism because it seemed like local Americans were not considered.
Dravid commented, “I don’t believe starting at 10:30am was an issue for me, honestly. We’re in the entertainment industry, which serves people who want to watch the sport. I had no problem with it at all.”
The ex-Indian cricketer mentioned that starting early actually made it fair for both teams.
“Being a coach, the conditions were pretty balanced because dew plays a role in many day-night matches. The toss can be very important, like we saw in Australia. But for a 10:30 start, it wasn’t an issue; it was fair for both teams.
“From a coaching point of view, I was okay with the 10:30 game,” he stated.
Dravid was joined by ICC CEO Geoff Allardice during the conversation and praised the governing body for its bold decision to bring a World Cup to the USA.
“It was a great effort by the ICC to take the game to the USA and expose that audience to the game. There is a huge passion for the game in the USA. It was really nice to play in the USA; some of the games were packed,” he said.
