Sunil Gavaskar Proposes Bharat Ratna for Rahul Dravid

Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has proposed that Rahul Dravid be honored with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, for his exceptional contributions to Indian cricket. Dravid's tenure as head coach of the Indian cricket team culminated in a triumphant victory at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies.

During his coaching stint, India achieved remarkable milestones, including finishing as runners-up in both the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup and the 2023 World Test Championship final. The team also emerged victorious in the Asia Cup in the same year.

Prior to his role as head coach, Dravid had already made significant contributions to Indian cricket. He served as the head of cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and led the Indian U19 team to victory in the 2018 U19 World Cup as their head coach.

With an impressive tally of 24,177 runs in international cricket during his playing career, Dravid's impact on Indian cricket has been immense both on and off the field. Gavaskar believes that Dravid's achievements deserve the highest recognition that the country can bestow.

Gavaskar praised Dravid's unwavering commitment and selflessness throughout his career, both as a player and now as the head coach of the Indian cricket team. He highlighted Dravid's willingness to put the team's needs above his own, recalling instances from his playing days.

"Not for him a night watchman for the simple reason that if he, as a top-order batter, couldn't play those last few minutes of the day, how can one expect a lower-order batter to do so? When asked to keep wickets, he would do so because that helped the team think-tank pick an extra batter or bowler according to the pitch and the opposition," Gavaskar wrote.

Gavaskar believes that Dravid's team-oriented attitude has been instilled in the team, contributing to their success in close games and their overall calmness under pressure. He concluded by expressing the gratitude of a cricket-crazy nation for Dravid's exceptional contributions.

Tags: #RahulDravid, #BharatRatna, #IndianCricket, #CricketCoach, #SunilGavaskar