Making his own luck

Mumbai, August 22

The legendary Rahul Dravid acknowledged 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 and his side’s sensational triumph from a precarious position against South Africa in the T20 World Cup final.

India had stormed into the ODI World Cup final last year with a 10-match winning streak but when the tournament’s best team bumped into Australia in the title clash, nothing worked.

Six months later, skipper Rohit Sharma and Dravid combined to complete the unfinished business. A formidable South Africa stood between them and the trophy but luck smiled on them.

Having drawn lessons from the incredible highs and lows, Dravid recalled how crucial it was for the team to stick to the cliched process and hope for luck to favour them against the Proteas at Barbados on June 29.

“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.

“Sometimes at the end of the day, you need a little bit of luck. (Against South Africa in the final)… 30 balls to go, 30 runs to go. (It was about) incredible execution, incredible calmness by Rohit. 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, single-handedly crushing a billion hopes.

“(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,” Dravid said.

Dravid quit as India’s coach following the title triumph. He hoped Team India will continue to have success in the coming years. “I have no doubt that this generation of players, led by people like Rohit and Surya and the (other) guys coming forward in all formats of the game, is only going to continue to do that in the future,” he said.

India to begin next WTC cycle with series in England

london: The Indian men’s cricket team will start its next cycle of the World Test Championship with a five-Test series against England with the opening game scheduled to start at the seamer-friendly Headingley on June 20. The next WTC cycle will run from 2025 to 2027 and it starts right after the final of the current cycle which will also be held in England. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has strategically kept matches at venues where England’s swing bowlers will enjoy distinct advantage. The second Test will be held at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 2-6. The third Test will be held at the hallowed Lord’s ground on July 10-14, while Old Trafford in Manchester will host the fourth Test on July 23-27. The tour concludes with the final Test at the Oval on July 31-August 4.