BCCI accepts India U-19 coach Rahul Dravid's demand for equal pay for team's support staff

Rahul Dravid’s demand for parity in the cash rewards announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after the India U-19 team clinched the 2018 World Cup has been accepted by the Indian board.

Dravid, the head coach of the U-19 team, had expressed his reservations against the discrimination in the cash awards awarded to him and the members of the support staff. While Dravid was supposed to get Rs 50 lakh, the support staff were getting Rs 20 lakh each. The players were getting richer by Rs 30 lakh.

However, the BCCI have revised the amounts after a discussion with Dravid.

According to a report in the Indian Express , each member of the support staff, including Dravid, will be paid Rs 25 lakh. Incumbent bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, fielding coach Abhay Sharma, physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar, trainer Anand Date, masseur Mangesh Gaikwad, and video analyst Devraj Raut will all receive the cash awards.

“From the time the award was announced, Dravid wasn’t happy with him getting much more than others. He informed the Board that he felt that every member had played an equal role in the team winning the World Cup. It surprised many in the BCCI that he was ready to take a cut in his own earning,” a board official was quoted as saying in the report.

In addition, the Indian board has also decided to reward all the members of the support staff who were part of the team’s year-long preparation leading to the World Cup.

The list includes trainer Rajesh Sawant, who died in January 2017, WV Raman, who coached the Indian U-19 team during their tour of England, logistics managers Manuj Sharma and Sumeet Malahapurkar and trainer Amogh Pandit.