"Players will fight tooth and nail to be out there" - Rahul Dravid backs inclusion of cricket in 2028 Olympics
Former Team India coach Rahul Dravid has backed the decision to include cricket at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and noted that the players will go all-out to win gold for their country. Dravid recently completed his coaching tenure with India after their triumph at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
He mentioned how the players in the dressing room regarded the 2028 Olympics in the same bracket as the 2026 T20 and 2027 ODI World Cups.
As a guest in the 'Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a new era' discussion, Dravid was quoted by India Today as saying:
"People are going to want to win that gold medal, stand on the podium, and be a part of the Games Village, a great sporting event, and interact with so many athletes. As you get closer, I have no doubt that teams will be preparing and checking out facilities. They will take this seriously, and players will fight tooth and nail to be out there."
He added:
"I've already heard a few conversations in the dressing room. People are talking about the 2026 T20 World Cup, there is an ODI World Cup in 2027, and you hear people saying there is the Olympics in 2028."
Cricket was part of only the 1900 Olympics, with only two teams - Great Britain and France. The 2028 edition will be the first time in the modern era and the second time overall that cricket will be part of an Olympic event.
"I will make every effort to be in LA in some capacity or another" - Rahul Dravid
In the aforementioned discussion, Rahul Dravid sarcastically mentioned how he wouldn't be able to play in the 2028 Olympics but would try to be part of the event in some capacity.
The now-51-year-old is among the rare cricketers to score over 10,000 runs in Tests and ODIs. Dravid finished his illustrious career in 2012 with over 23,000 international runs and 48 centuries.
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to play, but I will make every effort to be in LA in some capacity or another. If not anything else, I will try to get a media job," joked Dravid.
He concluded:
"The dream for me to have a fantastic cricket tournament, hopefully Indian men and women winning the gold which would be nice. But more than that, I wish for everyone here... So many Indian fans would be able to come there to LA and support cricket, and show the rest of the world how big and great a sport cricket is."
Dravid was replaced by another former batter Gautam Gambhir as Team India's head coach after the 2024 T20 World Cup.