The USA leg of the T20 World Cup faced significant challenges, marked by poor pitch quality and relatively low turnout, except for matches involving Team India. A report from PTI had revealed earlier this month that the ICC incurred losses of nearly USD 20 million by hosting the event in the United States. However, despite widespread criticism, Rahul Dravid, the former India coach who led the team to victory in the tournament, has defended the decision to include the USA leg.
Team India played all its group-stage matches in the USA, competing against Ireland, Pakistan, and the host nation. Their final group match against Canada was washed out in Florida. Addressing the criticism, Dravid emphasised that “compromises” are inevitable when hosting large-scale events at relatively new venues.
"Yes, in terms of facilities, it's challenging. But if you want to grow the sport and make it a global game, then you have to be at events like this and make compromises, even if it means playing at odd hours in conditions that might not necessarily be perfect," Dravid said in a panel discussion on 'Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a New Era', celebrating the sport's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, in Paris.
"I don't think starting at 10:30am was a problem for me, honestly. We are in the entertainment business, which caters to people who want to watch the sport. I had absolutely no problem with it," Dravid said.
{{/usCountry}}"I don't think starting at 10:30am was a problem for me, honestly. We are in the entertainment business, which caters to people who want to watch the sport. I had absolutely no problem with it," Dravid said.
{{/usCountry}}Dravid said that conditions, even if they were tricky, were “even-stevens” for both the teams.
"As a coach, the conditions were quite even because dew becomes a factor in a lot of day-night games. The toss can become a big factor, as we saw in Australia. But for 10:30, it was not a problem; it was even-steven for both teams.
"From a coaching perspective, I didn't mind the 10:30 game," he said.
Dravid had ICC CEO Geoff Allardice for company during the discussion and lauded the governng body for its audacious move of taking a World Cup to the USA.
"It was a great effort by the ICC to take the game to the USA and expose that audience to the game. There is a huge passion for the game in the USA. It was really nice to play in the USA; some of the games were packed," he said.