India Under 19 coach Rahul Dravid on Monday questioned the disparity in cash prizes between him, the support staff and members of the team after returning home from New Zealand where the Indian cricket team had defeated Australia to win the ICC Under 19 World Cup on Saturday. The BCCI had announced awards of Rs 50 lakh for Dravid, Rs 20 lakh each for the support staff and Rs 30 lakh for the players. However, the former team India captain asked BCCI: ‘Why the disparity in cash prizes between him, his support staff and the winning squad?’
Dravid’s coaching staff for the tournament included Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, Fielding coach Abhay Sharma, Physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar, Trainer Anand Date, Masseur Mangesh Gaikwad and Video analyst Devraj Raut who would get Rs 20 lakh each. The 45-year-old batsman, however, wasn’t happy with the fact and while addressing a press conference, expressed his reservations and requested that all support staff members be rewarded evenly.
Talking about India’s performance in the final, Dravid said that the team didn’t play their ‘number 1 game’. He said that team’s best performances came against Bangladesh and Pakistan in the quarterfinal and semifinal, respectively.
Praising his team, Dravid had said that the team deserved to win the medal as they made a lot of sacrifices leading up to the tournament. “The way they jelled, the quality of cricket they played – all these give you a lot of satisfaction. We were under pressure in a few games, but there were people who stood up and delivered,” he added.
Even after India’s win on Saturday, Dravid had credited the success of the team to the entire support staff which had worked hard behind the scenes. “It’s a bit embarrassing at times because I tend to get a lot of attention and focus, but it is really about the support staff and the quality of people that we’ve had. I don’t want to mention names but everyone in the support staff has put in a great effort. We do the best for the kids,” he had said.