Legendary Sachin Tendulkar told Rahul Dravid that “life has come full circle” after watching Rohit Sharma’s Indian team beat South Africa by seven runs in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados last week. The incident occurred in 2007 when India’s humiliating group exit at the ODI World Cup in the West Indies had called into question his leadership in the tournament. But 17 years later, India not only won their second T20 World Cup, ending a long ICC trophy drought but also witnessed a remarkable comeback story for Dravid. It was therefore only natural that when Virat Kohli called on him to lift the trophy, the Indian batting legend staged an unprecedented celebration.
As celebrations unfolded in the cricket-crazy country, with tens of thousands of fans gathering in Mumbai to celebrate India’s victory, former captain Sunil Gavaskar believes Dravid should be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.
However, Gavaskar, in his column in Mid-Day, said he believes the award should be given for his overall contribution to Indian cricket, including his achievements as a player and captain of the team.
“It would be fitting that the Government of India should award him the Bharat Ratna. He was exactly that. He was a great player and captain for the country and was hugely significant in the famous away series win in West Indies and also in England. He is one of only three Indian captains to win a Test match series and was also a great nurturer of talent, having previously served as the president of the National Cricket Academy and then as coach of the senior team,” he said.
Former Indian cricketer Sachin remains the only sportsman to receive the Bharat Ratna, having received it in 2014 at the age of 40, making him the youngest recipient of the award.
Gavaskar added, “Dravid’s achievements have brought joy to people across party, caste, creed and community and brought immense happiness to the entire nation. This surely deserves the highest praise a country can bestow. So everyone, please join me in calling for the Government of India to recognise one of India’s greatest sons, Bharat Ratna, Rahul Sharad Dravid. Isn’t that a wonderful story?”