{"id":481402,"date":"2026-03-18T02:24:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T02:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/481402\/"},"modified":"2026-03-18T02:24:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T02:24:16","slug":"rahul-dravid-stays-gentle-polite-and-grounded-as-ever-after-bcci-honours-him-for-28-years-of-service-to-indian-cricket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/481402\/","title":{"rendered":"Rahul Dravid stays gentle, polite and grounded as ever after BCCI honours him for 28 years of service to Indian cricket"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rahul Dravid<\/a>. The name says it all. From 1996 to 2024, he has been central to Indian cricket\u2019s journey. For nearly three decades, the Wall has given everything to the system \u2013 first as a player, then as captain, and finally as coach. Few have given back to Indian cricket the way Dravid has. Even during his playing days, he was the ultimate team man, always willing to step up. Need a wicketkeeper? Dravid would do it. Need someone to open on bouncy South African pitches? Dravid was the answer. Short of a sixth bowling option? He would roll his arms over without hesitation.<\/p>\n

\"FromFrom left: BCCI president Mithun Manhas, secretary Devajit Saikia, Rahul Dravid and ex-prez Roger Binny (Amit)<\/p>\n

It was only fitting, then, that Dravid was recognised for his selfless contribution to both the country and the game that shaped him. True to his nature, Dravid remained as gracious and humble as ever while reflecting on his nearly three-decade-long journey with Indian cricket.<\/p>\n

Also Read: Rahul Dravid, Mithali Raj conferred with Lifetime Achievement accolade; Full list of BCCI Naman Awards winners<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI am very grateful to receive this award. The earlier recipients of this award are some of the greatest legends of the game in our country. It’s the people I have looked up to, admired, and been great inspirations to me as a player, as a coach, and in all the other things I’ve been involved in Indian cricket. So, it’s a great privilege. I\u2019m very grateful for that honour, very humbled and very appreciative of the fact that I’ve been able to be involved in Indian cricket for such a long time. Since the time I was a young boy, probably playing under-15 cricket for the first time, till today, I\u2019m very grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had,\u201d Dravid said after being conferred the BCCI\u2019s Lifetime Achievement Award.<\/p>\n

Also Read: BCCI stages grand tribute for India\u2019s five ICC World Cup-winning teams as Naman Awards celebrate history<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been incredibly fortunate to be part of Indian cricket \u2013 first as a junior, benefiting from the BCCI\u2019s grassroots system, and the opportunities it gave me to develop my game. I then went on to play first-class cricket for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy, spending four to five years in domestic cricket before making it to the Indian team. I had the privilege of representing India for 16 years, an experience that helped me grow immensely, both as a cricketer and as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dravid began his India career in 1996 alongside Sourav Ganguly at Lord\u2019s. While he missed out on a hundred on debut, Dravid went on to become the backbone of India\u2019s batting over the next decade and more. Despite early questions over his ODI credentials, Dravid finished with over 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs, cementing his status as one of India\u2019s greatest. As captain, he led India to a historic Test series win in England after 21 years, a triumph in the West Indies after 35 years, and their maiden Test victory in South Africa, beating the Proteas in Johannesburg in 2006.<\/p>\n

No off days for Rahul Dravid<\/p>\n

After retiring from international cricket in 2012, Dravid quickly transitioned into a mentoring role, shaping the careers of several India Under-19 and India A players while also heading the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He was appointed head coach of the Indian team in November 2021 and guided India to their first ICC title in 13 years, clinching the 2024 T20 World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven after retirement, it\u2019s been nearly 14 years now, almost as long as my playing career for India, but I\u2019ve been fortunate to stay connected to the game. Coaching, working with junior teams, and being involved at the academy have given me a wide range of experiences. It\u2019s also made me deeply appreciative of the many people who shape Indian cricket. Over the 30 years I\u2019ve been part of it, I\u2019ve seen the game grow into a true powerhouse, both on and off the field. That journey has been built on the sacrifices of countless individuals \u2013 administrators, coaches, and, of course, the many great players who have represented the country,\u201d mentioned Dravid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rahul Dravid. The name says it all. From 1996 to 2024, he has been central to Indian cricket\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1721,139232,15621,157597,25635,101,8051,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-481402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-cricket","tag-cricket-coaching","tag-indian-cricket","tag-lifetime-achievement-award","tag-rahul-dravid","tag-sports","tag-t20-world-cup","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}