Rahul Dravid's honest opinion on cricket facilities in USA during T20 World Cup

Former India coach Rahul Dravid is taking much-needed time off after his 3-year stint with the Indian side ended last month. India was able to break their long wait for an ICC title as they won the T20 World Cup for the second time. The tournament was co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA for the first time. 

There were lots of questions about the United States of America leg of matches. The low scoring nature of the contest didn’t sit down well with a lot of fans. Even Rahul Dravid had complained about the practice facilities that were given ahead of the tournament. 

Los Angeles is set to host the next Olympics in 2028 and Cricket is set to be a huge part of the event. During the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 the former Indian great made a few useful observations about cricket in USA. 

Rahul Dravid gives his views on Cricket in USA 

Former Indian coach Rahul Dravid has thrown his weight behind cricket in the United States of America. The US leg of the T20 World Cup wasn’t received well by the fans and most of the teams who had played especially in New York. 

Rahul Dravid was part of an event called ‘Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a new era’ and said, “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."

The 51-year-old was asked about the early starts to the game which had drawn criticism. Many leading voices weren’t happy with the early starts to the games and had hinted that the ICC was favouring India with this move. 

Reacting to this Rahul Dravid said, "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"

"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," said Rahul Dravid. 

The former Indian star ended by lauding the ICC when he said, “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.”