Rahul Dravid believes that sometimes a little bit of luck can heavily impact the outcome of big matches, citing India’s heartbreaking defeat in the ODI World Cup final to Australia in 2023 and his side’s sensational triumph from a precarious position against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final earlier this year.
Having drawn lessons from the incredible highs and lows, Dravid on Wednesday recalled how crucial it was for the team to stick to the clichéd process and hope for luck to favour the team.
“I’ve had time to reflect on it. I’ve had time to reflect on a lot of things we’ve done. You do realise, sometimes, you have to do a lot of these things, you have to do the process, you have to do everything right,” Dravid said at the CEAT awards.
“Sometimes at the end of the day, you need a little bit of luck. (Against South Africa in T20 World Cup final)… 30 balls to go, 30 runs to go... incredible execution, incredible calmness by Rohit,” the former head coach said.
“We didn’t focus on what we needed to do, but we needed a guy who could keep his foot within one inch of a line. Sometimes (it is) the skill,” he said without mentioning Suryakumar Yadav’s juggling act at the ropes to complete David Miller’s dismissal.
That catch had tilted the match in India’s favour.
Dravid then recalled how India were close to dismissing Travis Head in the ODI World Cup final but the opener rode on his tremendous luck to come up with a match-winning century.
“(On) 19th November… I remember whatever it was, we beat Travis Head’s bat 15 times — he didn’t touch a single ball. You know, things can go your way sometimes, but you have to stick to the process,” he said.
Hailing India’s bench strength and the ability to churn out high-quality cricketers consistently, Dravid said the next generation of players have successfully carried forward the legacy.
“I left in 2011-2012. These players have been able to carry the legacy forward. If you just look at the success that we’ve had over the last 12 years in all the three formats of the game, the time that after we left, it’s been absolutely phenomenal,” he said.
“Very easily, clearly in a lot of the rankings, we’re always (No.) 1 or 2… we’re always up there with anyone. To be able to go out and win that, just the kind of cricket that we play, the level of skill of some of our players, the way that they approach the game, is great.
“I have no doubt that this generation of players, led by people like Rohit and Surya and the guys coming forward in all formats of the game is only going to continue to do that in the future,” he said.
