With cricket set to make its Olympic return in Los Angeles, batting legend Rahul Dravid says he has heard talks about representing the country in the dressing room during his time as India head coach.
Cricket was last included as a sport at the 1900 Summer Games and last year, International Olympic Committee announced it will feature in Los Angeles Games in 2028.
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During a ‘Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a New Era’ at the India House in Paris, celebrating the sport’s inclusion in the LA Games, Dravid said cricketers will be motivated to win gold for their country.
“I’ve already heard a few conversations in the dressing room. People are talking about the 2026 T20 World Cup, there is an ODI World Cup in 2027, and you hear people saying there is the Olympics in 2028,” Dravid said.
“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.
Dravid hoped that India would win both the men’s and women’s gold medals at the LA Games.
“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.
Dravid recently guided India to T20 World Cup triumph before stepping away as their head coach and is now looking forward to be part of LA Games.
“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,” he quipped.
ICC CEO Geoff Allardice, who was also part of the discussion, says cricket’s inclusion is a “dream come true”.
“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,” he said.
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