‘If you want to grow the sport…’: Dravid defends US leg of T20 WC

NEW DELHI: In defence of the harshly criticized US leg of last month’s T20 World Cup, former India head coach Rahul Dravid said that “playing at odd hours” and adjusting to “challenging” facilities were essential “compromises” made in order to bring cricket to a wider audience.
Dravid stated he was okay with the 10.30 a.m. (local time) starts and the infrastructure used for the games in New York, Florida, and Texas given the enormous work needed in organizing the tournament in the area, according to PTI.
“Yes, in terms of facilities, it’s challenging.But if you want to grow the sport and make it a global game, then you have to be at events like this and make compromises, even if it means playing at odd hours in conditions that might not necessarily be perfect,” Dravid said in a panel discussion on ‘Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a New Era’, celebrating the sport’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, here on Sunday.
In the event that saw the USA and the West Indies jointly host the knockout matches, Dravid led India to their first ICC title in eleven years.
It was thought that the USA’s first-ever hosting of a major cricket tournament would serve as a springboard for developing a following in the area before the Olympics in Los Angeles.
However, all India matches were arranged around 10.30am to accommodate the large sub-continental audience. This decision was met with some controversy, since it was perceived that local Americans were being overlooked.
“I don’t think starting at 10:30am was a problem for me, honestly. We are in the entertainment business, which caters to people who want to watch the sport. I had absolutely no problem with it,” Dravid said.
According to the former Indian captain, the early start really made sure that the game was “even-steven” for both teams.
“As a coach, the conditions were quite even because dew becomes a factor in a lot of day-night games. The toss can become a big factor, as we saw in Australia. But for 10:30, it was not a problem; it was even-steven for both teams.
“From a coaching perspective, I didn’t mind the 10:30 game,” he said.
Dravid praised the government for its bold decision to bring the World Cup to the United States while speaking with ICC CEO Geoff Allardice.
“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.