“To see cricket in the Olympics… I think it’s truly phenomenal.” Rahul Dravid shared his desire to be part of cricket’s long-awaited comeback to the Olympics in 2028.
He was speaking at the India House an initiative by Reliance Foundation and the Indian Olympic Association.
#Olympics #Paris2024
He was speaking at the India House an initiative by Reliance Foundation and the Indian Olympic Association.
#Olympics #Paris2024
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00:00Unfortunately, I won't be able to play in 2028.
00:03Unless they're going to play 10-day test or something.
00:08I'm certainly going to make all an effort to be at Los Angeles
00:11in some capacity or the other.
00:12If not anything, at least I'll take a media job.
00:14It's a dream come true for any sportsman to be a part of that.
00:20Rahul, by the way, actually when meeting the Prime Minister
00:22with the team, already put pressure on Rohit and Virat
00:24saying they should be ready for that Olympic gold quest in 2028.
00:30I wanted to ask you in particular this question
00:33from the lens of being a player and a coach
00:35and someone who's been involved with the game for so long.
00:38You've been part of so many wonderful things in cricket.
00:40One series, now winning a World Cup.
00:43When you come to an Olympics,
00:44is that something that you're saying,
00:46this is something I never experienced as a professional athlete
00:49to be in an Olympic village, to be in an environment
00:52and now cricket's going to be in that environment?
00:55Yeah, I mean, I think the only small chance
00:58that I had of experiencing something like this,
01:00and obviously not the Olympics,
01:02but there was cricket at the Commonwealth Games.
01:04I think it was in 1998, if I'm not mistaken.
01:06I think it was Malaysia.
01:08And India sent a team, but they sent...
01:10At the same time, we had a series in Canada, in Toronto.
01:15We were playing Pakistan in Toronto.
01:18And they split the Indian team into two parts.
01:21They sort of had one set of boys go to Toronto
01:24and one set of boys go to Malaysia.
01:26And I was hoping and praying
01:27that I would be in the team to Malaysia.
01:30Unfortunately for me, I was...
01:32Yeah, admit it. It was just for the easy runs.
01:35But no, I think, you know, just...
01:39So you've grown up with the Olympics.
01:40I think if you've been a sports fan,
01:43if you've loved sport, as I have,
01:46you know, we've grown up watching the Olympics.
01:48I mean, my earliest memories are of, you know,
01:50Carl Lewis winning Olympics
01:52and the television coming into India in those days.
01:55And, you know, all of us glued to those television sets
01:58to watch these great athletes perform and play.
02:02And so many of these...
02:04So many of the Indian athletes as well, you know,
02:06who've participated in these Olympic Games.
02:07And you always wanted to be a part of a great event.
02:10We have our great events in cricket.
02:11You know, we have our World Cups.
02:13But they're individual events.
02:14They're only cricketers at those events.
02:16They're the greatest cricketers in the world
02:17who come together in one country
02:19to play those great events.
02:22But here to be in this kind of environment,
02:24this kind of energy, this kind of vibe,
02:25it's a dream come true for any sportsman
02:28to be a part of that.
02:29And it always felt...
02:32It always felt that, you know,
02:33cricket should be involved in events like this.
02:35It's truly a great game.
02:36It's followed and watched by so many people in the world.
02:40But it's just fantastic, you know,
02:42from someone like me who's now really a fan.
02:45For us, for me to be able to see
02:46and to see cricket in the Olympics,
02:49that's going to be a part of this,
02:51I think it's truly phenomenal.
02:52So, obviously, unfortunately,
02:54I won't be able to play in 2028.
02:57Never seen him, huh?
02:59Unless they're going to play 10-day test match or something.
03:06No.
03:08Unfortunately, I won't be able to play as a player.
03:11But I'm certainly going to make all an effort
03:14to be at Los Angeles in some capacity or the other.
03:16You guys can, if not anything,
03:18at least I'll take a media job.
03:19You guys can organize a media job for me.
03:20No, no, I've got a better suggestion.
03:23Jeff can organize me as some volunteer or something in the cricket.
03:26I've got a better suggestion, Harsh.
03:28Since both you and I can count ourselves as fans.
03:32Rahul asked for Virat and Rohit
03:34to end their international retirement
03:36to consider coming back for a T20 tournament
03:38at the Olympics, right?
03:40If we can have players un-retire,
03:42we can have a coach un-retire
03:43and come and coach that team.
03:51I'm sorry.
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