Rahul Dravid is accustomed to being at the centre of cricket teams, whether with bat in hand or from the coaching dugout. But the former India captain
and head coach is now stepping into unfamiliar territory as a team owner, taking charge of the Dublin Guardians in the inaugural European T20 Premier League.
For Dravid, the move is about more than adding another role to his cricketing career. He sees the ETPL as an opportunity to contribute to the growth of cricket in Europe, where the game still has considerable room to expand beyond its traditional strongholds.
The former India coach admitted that the ownership role takes him outside his comfort zone, but said the prospect of being involved in areas such as recruitment, coaching appointments, marketing and finance was part of what made the challenge appealing.
"I thought, 'Why not get involved, do something slightly different?'" Dravid said in an interaction with JioStar. "I've always been involved as a coach or as a player, but trying to set up things and appoint coaches and players and marketing and finance, stuff that is a little bit out of my comfort zone, is exciting nevertheless. "
Rahul Dravid sees T20 as the gateway for cricket in Europe
Dravid believes Europe's cricketing potential makes the ETPL a worthwhile project, particularly at a time when the sport is attempting to broaden its global footprint.
"I've always felt that there is a lot of talent and a lot of opportunity to grow the sport in Europe," he said.
For Dravid, the immediate objective is to make cricket more accessible to boys and girls who have traditionally had fewer opportunities to engage with the sport.
The presence of established cricket figures across the league has also added to its appeal. Steve Waugh and hockey great Jamie Dwyer are involved with Amsterdam Flames, Glenn Maxwell is part of another franchise, while Abhishek Bachchan is among those behind the league.
Dravid said the combination of people involved convinced him that the competition could provide a serious platform for growth.
"It felt like a good bunch of people trying to do something really nice," he said. "I thought, 'Why not get involved, do something slightly different?'"
The format itself, according to Dravid, is crucial.
He remains an unabashed admirer of Test cricket and considers it the game's ultimate format. But he believes T20 offers the most practical entry point for countries and communities where cricket is still developing.
"Personally, I love Test cricket, it's always going to be the number one format of the game," Dravid said. "But, you have to be realistic enough to realise that if you want to grow the game of cricket and not make it a niche game that's played only by a few countries, and we want the next generation to be able to enjoy, follow and play the game, then T20 is a great format to be able to promote the game. "
He believes establishing a T20 ecosystem can eventually create the conditions for longer formats to develop.
"When you're starting, when you're trying to take your early steps, I think the T20 format's the perfect format," he said.
Rahul Dravid backs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Test prospects
Dravid also offered an assessment of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, whose rapid rise has already prompted questions about whether he can eventually make the transition to Test cricket.
Dravid's answer was encouraging, although he stressed that the teenager's development needs to be handled patiently.
"With Vaibhav, you've got to be patient. He's only 15 years old," he said.
Based on what he has seen, Dravid believes Sooryavanshi possesses the ability to succeed in the longer format if given enough exposure to domestic and red-ball cricket.
"I have no doubt that, given the opportunity to practice and play domestic cricket and a couple of seasons of red-ball cricket, he will be able to hold his own in a Test match team," Dravid said.
The more difficult question, however, is whether the schedule will allow Sooryavanshi to get the preparation required.
India's increasingly crowded white-ball calendar could leave limited room for the teenager to spend extended periods playing domestic red-ball cricket. Breaking into the Test XI would also be complicated by the established players already performing at the highest level.
"Skill-wise, I think no problem; whether they'll be able to do it because of schedules might be a bit more tricky," Dravid said.
India still have a WTC final chance, says Dravid
Dravid remains hopeful that India can recover their position in the World Test Championship race and reach the final.
India have fallen behind in the standings, but the former India coach believes their quality means they cannot be discounted.
"I'm hoping they do. It'll be a great run if India can qualify for the WTC final from here," he said. "They've fallen behind a little bit, but the kind of quality that the Indian team has, you're not going to write them off at any stage. "
India's upcoming schedule, however, will provide a stern test.
Dravid pointed to the challenge of facing Australia in India, with the visitors likely to be motivated by their record in the country. He also highlighted New Zealand away as another difficult assignment, particularly for a younger Indian side without the experience once provided by Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara.
"New Zealand away, always a challenge. Tough team, New Zealand, to play away from home," Dravid said.
He also believes Australia's upcoming tour could be particularly compelling, given the historical significance of their struggles in India.
"That's a generation of truly great Australian players, a great Australian team that has not won in India. So they'll be keen to do that," he said.
For India, the challenge will be managing that demanding schedule while keeping their key players fit.
"Hopefully, they can keep the guys fit and not have a lot of injuries over the next few months," Dravid said.
The European T20 Premier League begins on August 26, with Dravid embarking on a new chapter in a career that has already taken him from international cricket to coaching and now into team ownership.
For a player known for his comfort in familiar territory, the Dublin Guardians project offers something different - and, by his own admission, that is precisely the attraction.
