ICC U-19 World Cup 2018: BCCI announce Rs 50 lakh reward for Rahul Dravid; players to receive Rs 30 lakh each

New Delhi: The BCCI on Saturday announced a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh for the U-19 chief coach Rahul Dravid while the victorious squad members will receive Rs 30 lakh each. The other members of the support staff including fielding coach Abhay Sharma and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey will be richer by Rs 20 lakh. In a marked departure from the usual norm where the players, who have done it on the field get greater share of the prize money, the COA-led BCCI has decided that the chief coach should get the biggest share. [caption id=“attachment_4298809” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of India’s U-19 team. Image courtesy: ICC[/caption] “India is known for its guru shishya parampara and the Guru always gets more. Obviously, the stature of the coach matters a lot,” a senior office-bearer, who was a part of the policy decision told PTI on Saturday. However, it must be noted that neither Dav Whatmore (2008 India coach) nor Bharath Arun (2012 coach) got more than the Virat Kohli or Unmukt Chand-led team. Congratulating the team for beating Australia in the final BCCI Committee of Administrators (COA) chief Vinod Rai said, “I congratulate the U19 team who have made the country proud. Head Coach Rahul Dravid played his cricket with sincerity and it was pleasing to see the boys uphold the value.” BCCI acting president CK Khanna said, “The boys have shown tremendous maturity in the manner they dominated the proceedings from the first match. They always looked like champions. My heartiest congratulations to the boys and Rahul, who has been like a pillar for this team.” Khanna said he will recommend that the U-19 selection committee chaired by Venkatesh Prasad also gets financial reward just like the senior men’s and women’s panel that went home richer despite their respective teams losing World Cup finals. BCCI Acting Secretary Amitabh Choudhary, said, “It is a proud day for everyone associated with the BCCI and Indian cricket. India are the only team to have qualified for the final of the last three ICC events.” BCCI CEO Rahul Johri said, “Winning the World Cup without losing a solitary game is a fantastic achievement and I congratulate everyone for this dominant show.” “In Rahul Dravid, we have a fantastic coach who is moulding the youngsters and also fine-tuning the boys at the India A level before they progress to the senior side,” he added.