Rahul Dravid opens up on age-fraud, says it leads to ‘erosion of culture’
Former India captain Rahul Dravid talked about the issue of age-fraud in India, and said that the issue is “seriously detrimental” to the health of sport.
Former India captain Rahul Dravid talked about the issue of age-fraud in India, and said that the issue is “Seriously detrimental” to the health of sport. Speaking in an interview to Times of India, the former cricketer said: “Age fraud leads to an erosion of culture. It leads to a scenario where a lot of talented boys don’t get to play, when they should actually be playing.”
“It is up to the maidan (ground) secretaries, the owners of the office teams, the club teams to ensure that this does not happen,” further added.
Dravid has been the coach of India’s junior teams since 2016. Under him, India reached the final of U-19 World Cup final in 2016. In 2018, he led his team to the title as a coach. Under his charge of the junior teams, the 46-year-old has made it a rule that no player can appear in a junior World Cup twice in a row, irrespective of whether he clears the bill of age limit.
Further urging young Indian cricketers to enjoy the sport, Dravid said: “Not everyone of you will go on to play Ranji Trophy or for India or get an IPL contract. But don’t let selection come in the way of your enjoyment. If you are always worried about your next selection, you will never enjoy the game.”
Meanwhile, after the Committee of Administrators (CoA) backed Dravid during his deposition in front of BCCI Ethics Officer DK Jain on Thursday, it is learnt that the opposing party also made a strong case.
CoA chairman Vinod Rai, in a letter to the Ethics Officer, cited two examples, including that RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, where a person’s leave of absence from an organisation is not seen in conflict. Meanwhile, according to the sources, the opposing party repeatedly reminded the Ethics Officer of the fact that Dravid is an employee of India Cements, which owns the Chennai Super Kings. Mere taking a leave of absence won’t solve the issue and if Dravid has to continue in his role of National Cricket Academy (NCA), he will have to resign from India Cements to be free of any conflict.