India men's cricket team's outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid has once again won hearts with his humility. Dravid refused the same prize money – Rs 5 crore -- as 15 players of the squad for winning T20 World Cup 2024. Instead he requested the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) to divide the prize money equally among him and the coaching staff including batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey and fielding coach T Dilip. All four will get Rs 2.5 crore from the apex Indian cricket board.
The prize money was handed to team during their victory parade in Mumbai on July 4 by BCCI secretary Jay Shah and President Roger Binny.
However, this is not the first time Dravid has taken such a decision. After Prithvi Shaw-led Under-19 World Cup team won the title in the 2018 edition, Dravid was slated to get Rs 50 lakh while the players got Rs 30 lakh and other members got Rs 20 lakh. But the former Indian captain asked the BCCI to divide the prize money equally among the coaching staff. His request was accepted by the board then as well.
The 51-year-old spoke highly of his support staff during his spirited speech in the dressing room after thrilling seven-run win against South Africa in Barbados.
Dravid’s achievements as head coach
During Dravid’s tenure, India reached the T20 World Cup 2022 semifinal, final of ODI World Cup 2023 and World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23. Apart from the T20 World Cup 2024 win, another major tournament win came in 2023 when India outclassed Sri Lanka to win ODI Asia Cup.
Shah thanks Dravid for his stellar tenure
On July 9, BCCI announced Gautam Gambhir as Dravid’s successor. Shah congratulated Dravid for a successful tenure.
"We thank Mr Rahul Dravid and his team of support staff for their service and stellar effort in their tenure with Team India. The team enjoyed remarkable success across formats and being crowned champions at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2024 is a moment that the nation will cherish for a long time," Shah said.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
Benched throughout T20 World Cup 2024 despite top-order struggling, South Africa opener smashes 66-ball 103 to help Seattle Orcas beat LA Knight Riders
16-year-old Lamine Yamal creates history as Spain beat France 2-1 to reach Euro 2024 final
