Dravid’s presence in the French capital is tied to his participation in a panel discussion themed ‘Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a New Era’.The event serves to commemorate the momentous decision to include cricket in the program for the 2028 Los Angeles Gamesmarking a significant milestone for the sport and its enthusiasts worldwide.
“I’ve already heard a few conversations in the dressing room. People are talking about the 2026 T20 World Cupthere is an ODI World Cup in 2027, and you hear people saying there is the Olympics in 2028,” Dravid, as quoted by PTI, said during the discussion.
“People are going to want to win that gold medal, stand on the podium, and be a part of the Games Village, a great sporting event, and interact with so many athletes.
“As you get closer, I have no doubt that teams will be preparing and checking out facilities. They will take this seriously, and players will fight tooth and nail to be out there,” he added.
The great batsman engaged in a conversation with Geoff Allardice, the CEO of ICCat India House.
“You grow up watching the Olympics, seeing Carl Lewis winning the gold medal, watching the great athletes perform. You always want to be part of great events like this. The environment, the energy — it’s a dream come true.”
Dravid expressed his desire for India to secure the top spot in both the men’s and women’s events at the upcoming Los Angeles Games. He remained optimistic about the country’s chances of clinching the gold medals in both categories.
“The dream for me to have a fantastic cricket tournament, hopefully Indian men and women winning the gold which would be nice.
“But more than that I wish for everyone here… So many Indian fans would be able to come there to LA and support cricket, and show the rest of the world how big and great a sport cricket is,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to play, but I will make every effort to be in LA in some capacity or another. If not anything else, I will try to get a media job,” joked Dravid, who ended his tenure as India head coach after the recent T20 World Cup triumph.
The men’s and women’s cricket competitions will run concurrently at the LA Olympics.
Defends 10.30am start to T20 World Cup matches in US
Shifting gears, Dravid expressed his support for the scheduling of matches in the T20 World Cup held in the United States. The former Indian cricketer, who guided the team to their first ICC trophy in over a decade, had no issues with the early 10.30am start times for the knockout games.
The decision to host the tournament in the USA, alongside the West Indies, was viewed as a significant step towards cultivating a cricket fan base in the region, especially with an eye on the Olympics. However, the timing of the matches, particularly those involving India, drew some criticism.
To accommodate the massive viewership in the Indian subcontinent, all of India’s matches were scheduled to begin at 10.30am local time. Despite the unconventional timing, Dravid remained supportive of the decision, understanding the importance of catering to the team’s primary fan base.
“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.
The former India player said the early start, in fact, ensured it was “even-steven” for both the 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.
“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.
“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.”
As far as Allardice is concerned, he said cricket will be one of the “star attractions” in LA four years from now.
“It’s quite surreal to be here in Paris, seeing the energy around sport and how it’s getting together. Cricket is starting to dawn on the global sporting community.
“I think cricket will be one of the star attractions in Los Angeles.
“Just going around a few of the sports in the last few days, when you see global stars of big sports around the world competing in one city at a time — watching Rafael Nadal at tennis this afternoon — and then if you are in LA, you can watch the best tennis players, best golfers, and the best cricketers. We are going to be very, very strong come 2028,” he said.
Women’s cricket is going forward
Dravid said women’s cricket is progressing well, with increasing participation by young players making the sport more inclusive and attractive.
“Women’s cricket is already going forward. I don’t think it needs anything else. It’s fantastic to have it going on concurrently. Even when you talk to people at the grassroots level, to coaches, one of the things they constantly tell you is the level of participation from young girls.
“Every year in every academy, the percentage is growing exponentially, sometimes even more than the boys. Cricket is becoming a lot more inclusive and attractive. This could potentially be a career. You would not have said that five or six years ago. That’s what we want to see.”
