PremiumWatch: Wasim Akram, Shoaib Malik heap praise on former India greats Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly
Describing the former Indian players as the "greats of the game", Wasim Akram showered flattering praise on all of them while discussing the highly effective domestic cricket structure in India.
Last Updated: 03.07 PM, Oct 30, 2023
Wasim Akram, the Sultan of Swing, believes that a lot of credit for Indian men's cricket's success must be bestowed upon the greats of the game like Sourav Ganguly, Ravi Shastri, VVS Laxman and, of course, Rahul Dravid. Describing the former Indian players as the "greats of the game", Wasim Akram showered flattering praise on all of them while discussing the highly effective domestic cricket structure in India.
"Imagine if individuals of such calibre are overseeing the cricket, you are bound to see the [overall] system improving. (And that too) with power in hand, meaning that they are able to make decisions," noted the legendary fast bowler who has known each of the aforementioned Indian players during his tenure as both a cricketer and later as a broadcaster.
"Rahul Dravid has no ego" - Shoaib Malik
Wasim Akram was joined by Shoaib Malik, Moin Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq on the same broadcasting panel and while discussing Indian domestic structure and the NCA, in particular, Malik recounted a meeting with Rahul Dravid on a flight. In 2016, when Pakistan was en route to New Zealand for a tour, Dravid was travelling on the same aircraft along with his Under-19 team as the head coach and a particular gesture of his has remained fondly etched in Shoaib Malik's mind.
"I was asleep on the plane but Rahul Dravid, who is a great player of the sport, waited for two hours for me to wake up. And just so that he could ask me about my career, how I made all those many comebacks and what motivated me. He was coaching the Under-19 team and wanted to communicate the psyche behind it all," said the Pakistani all-rounder who emphasized that Rahul Dravid had no ego in him and that despite having faced so many ups and downs himself, he still wanted to learn.
As far as the NCA or the National Cricket Academy is concerned, Rahul Dravid served as the director between 2019 and 2021 before making way for VVS Laxman. It is being speculated that post the World Cup 2023, Rahul Dravid will be replaced by VVS Laxman as the head coach of Team India.
Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah & Mohammad Shami tear down England
Of course, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Malik's praise comes on the heels of India's thumping victory over Jos Buttler's England. Despite losing the toss and being asked to bat first under extremely testing conditions, Rohit Sharma's team endured it all and set a total of 230 for England. In response, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Kuldeep Yadav & others bundled out the English for a measly 129 to secure India their sixth on-the-trot win in World Cup 2023. England, on the other hand, is down at the absolute bottom of the points table with only one win out of six games.