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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.
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