India has 110 athletes competing in 16 sports at the Paris Olympics 2024, and former Team India coach Rahul Dravid is in France to show his support. The former Men in Blue head coach was spotted in the hockey game of India vs Argentina.
He stirred a whirlwind of social media comments after posting ‘Chak De India’ on the platform’s message wall. Dravid’s message aimed to spur the Indian hockey team to success in their round of matches.
Where Has Rahul Dravid Been at Paris 2024 So Far?
Rahul was seen at the Men’s Doubles game involving Indian players Sriram Balaji and Rohan Bopanna. He also got to the hockey game where India’s team held Argentina to a hard-fought tie at full time. India’s hockey team secured a 3–2 win versus New Zealand in their first game on July 27, 2024.
Dravid also reacted to the historic performance of Manu Bhaker at Paris 2024. Bhaker won a bronze medal after hard-fought efforts at the 10m air pistol event. She secured India’s first-ever Olympics medal in the competing, which delighted Dravid.
Why Does Rahul Dravid Attract So Much Positive Fan Attention?
Rahul Dravid recently stepped down from his previous role as Team India’s head coach. He had a recent successful run that saw India clinch the Asia Cup 2023 and T20 World Cup 2024. India narrowly missed out on the ODI World Cup during Dravid’s stint, but that’s a distant memory.
Dravid’s last international tournament as coach (T20 WC 2024) ensured a huge boost to his profile. His fan base and likability skyrocketed after guiding the Men in Blue to their second-ever T20 WC title.
Rahul Dravid at the India Hockey Team Olympics Match
Dravid sat through the entire India vs Argentina hockey game and received much attention from attending fans. India’s charges gave their all to ensure a share of points which kept their qualification hopes alive.
India currently sits third in the standings after a run of two matches gave them one victory and a draw. India’s hockey team at the Olympics will qualify for the next round if they maintain their current position or move up these standings after all group games.
Rahul Dravid Hails the Inclusion of Cricket at the Olympics
Dravid praised the decision to include cricket as an Olympic sport from 2028. Cricket will be a part of the schedule of sporting events at Los Angeles 2028, and Dravid hailed the move as “truly phenomenal”. He made these comments at India House, citing the essence of cricket in Olympic sports from 2028:
“You always wanted to be a part of a great event. You have great events in cricket but they are individual events. To be in this kind of environment [the Olympics], energy and vibe is a dream come true for any sportsman,” Dravid said.
Dravid also commented on the growing interest for cricket in America. The USA is on schedule to host the first Olympic Games with cricket as a listed sport, and Dravid sees this as an advantage:
“We know there is an incredible audience for cricket in the USA. We know that just from the number of people who travel from USA to other World Cup events. There is a huge passion for the game in the USA. Just growing the game and having more people play the game was phenomenal,” the ex-Men in Blue coach added.
International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO, Geoff Allardice, also weighed in after Dravid’s comments:
“You could see in the way USA performed at the T20 World Cup and all of a sudden people who didn’t know about cricket were talking about the performance of the USA team. Leading up to the Olympics in 2028, that was the first real statement there. USA having a really competitive cricket team four years out from hosting the Olympics is a really good step.”
Allardice sees the impressive performance of Team USA at the T20 WC 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 as two great opportunities to boost cricket’s popularity.
Dream Sports CEO Harsh Jain also shared similar comments during the interview:
“The ICC has over a 100 members, so more than half of the world plays cricket. It is a big win win for the world to have a billion people more watch the Olympics. It is a big moment for India and cricket. It is a big moment for cricket’s development in the world. A lot more funding would go towards cricket’s inclusion at the grassroots level.” Jain said.
