Dravid: Successful clubs key to identifying talent across Karnataka

Former India captain Rahul Dravid stole the show at the golden jubilee celebration event of Mount Joy Cricket Club here on Sunday.

Dravid arrived with another cricket stalwart, G.R. Viswanath.

Dravid felicitated key members of Mount Joy CC, K.V. Sathyamurthy, Secretary B.K. Ravi and others. Dravid, the head coach of the Indian team which won the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, greeted the many State players produced by the club – B.R. Sharath, Yere Goud, Anand Katti, J. Suchith, C. Raghu, G.K. Anil Kumar and others.

Dravid took particular delight in interacting with promising junior cricketers from the club.

Ravi recalled an occasion when Mount Joy CC was dominating a match in Mysuru in the 1980s, only to be foiled by a young schoolboy who batted with great gumption in the opposing team. “That schoolboy was none other than Rahul Dravid,” Ravi said, to big applause from the packed house.

Dravid, who played for Bangalore United CC (BUCC), stressed on the need for a strong club cricket structure. “Young boys and girls who practice at a cricket club learn about discipline, teamwork and fitness. Being part of a club is not just about representing the State or country, but about learning life skills. Clubs build communities and societies, which goes a long way in building a state and a nation,” Dravid said.

Dravid explained that his younger years were filled with lessons learnt from playing club cricket.

“I’ve grown up watching club cricket. As a young boy, I grew up watching the great G.R. Viswanath. I have been inspired by him. A lot of what I am today is because of the stories I heard when playing club cricket,” Dravid said.

“Our city and state have grown. We need to identify talent from every part of Bengaluru and Karnataka. For that to happen, there have to be successful clubs everywhere. We need to ensure that young boys and girls have access to good infrastructure,” Dravid added.

Before making his exit, the 51-year-old signed autographs and took photos with the many young children gathered at the venue.

In 1974, under the leadership of Test umpire S.K. Raghunathrao, Mount Joy Cricket CC was formed. K.V. Sathyamurthy, Y.S. Mahadev and C. Rajasekhar were some of the key players.

P. Sriram was the first Mount Joy CC player to represent Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy. Prasidh Krishna recently became the first cricketer from the club to represent the national team.