Rahul Dravid’s humility was on display once again when the outgoing head coach refused to accept the additional bonus of Rs 2.5 crore offered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCOI) after the T20 World Cup win in Barbados. Dravid decided to ensure that all the support staff members of the senior men’s team receive the same bonus rewards.
The BCCI announced a reward money of Rs 125 crore for Team India members including players and support staff. While the players and Rahul Dravid were given Rs 5 crore, other members of the support staff including batting coach Vikram Rathore, bowling coach Paras Mahambre and fielding coach T Dilip were supposed to get Rs 2.5 crore as bonus. However, a source told India Today that Rahul Dravid told the board that he would only take Rs 2.5 crore as bonus.
The 15 players in the squad were given Rs 5 crore each. Support staff members were given Rs 2.5 crore, while selectors and traveling reserve players were given Rs 1 crore each. BCCI secretary Jay Shah and president Roger Binny handed over the prize money to the team after the victory parade in Mumbai on Thursday, July 4.
This is not the first time Rahul Dravid has made such a heartwarming gesture. In 2018, after India won the Under-19 Men’s World Cup trophy, the BCCI had announced a reward of Rs 50 lakh for then-coach Dravid, Rs 20 lakh for other members of his team and Rs 30 lakh for the players. Dravid had asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India to divide the prize money equally among the coaching staff and the board had agreed to his request.
During the felicitation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, Rahul Dravid praised his support staff members while recalling the T20 World Cup victory. Along with Dravid, the tenure of Rathore, Mahambre and Dilip also ended.
Dravid bids farewell in a grand manner
Dravid bid farewell on a grand note, overseeing India’s title win, ending their 11-year-long wait for the International Cricket Council crown. Dravid had considered stepping down after the ODI World Cup final loss in November last year. However, when captain Rohit Sharma called him and asked him to stay on, he decided to stay on and give it another chance to win silverware. Dravid ends his tenure with two major trophies including the Asia Cup in 2023 and runners-up medals in the ODI World Cup and the World Test Championship 2021-23.
Board Secretary Jai Shah said, “We thank Mr Rahul Dravid and his team of support staff for their service and tremendous effort during their tenure with Team India. The team achieved remarkable success across formats and becoming champions at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024 is a moment the nation will cherish for a long time.” The BCCI on Tuesday, July 09 appointed Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach of the senior men’s team. The former India opener has been given a three-and-a-half-year contract. Abhishek Nair is expected to be included as Gambhir’s assistant coach.
