Fun part of retirement is coaching young athletes, says Rahul Dravid

Mumbai: Batting legend Rahul Dravid termed his current stint as India Under-19 and India ‘A’ cricket team coach as well as his mentorship of young athletes in Olympic sports as “exciting” and “fun” as he was helping them in their quest for excellence. “For me, mentorship or coaching under-19 team is really helping young people on their journey, the same journey possibly that I had early on. It’s really an opportunity. It gives me a platform to share my experiences, some of the learning I had over 20 years of sports,” Dravid said at a programme organised by GoSports Foundation on Monday. [caption id=“attachment_2528942” align=“alignleft” width=“385”]  Rahul Dravid. Courtesy: BCCI Twitter [/caption] The programme seeks to promote young athletes in different disciplines and groom them for Olympics by providing personalised mentorship from Dravid, the former India batting stalwart, who is currently the coach of both India Under-19 and India ‘A’ cricket teams. Speaking about his association with GoSports Foundation programme at a media meet, Dravid said it afforded him a chance to set young people on a path similar to the one he took when growing up in cricket. “To be able to try and hopefully help a lot of young athletes in fulfilling their dream and making their journeys possibly bit easier in a difficult and tough environment,” the former India captain said. “It has been exciting, fun part of being retired now, to coach cricket teams, or under 19 or working with these 19 athletes with GoSport Foundation,” he said. The Aditya Birla Financial Services Group joined hands with the Rahul Dravid Mentorship Programme, which is aimed at supporting the country’s next generation Olympians. In addition to offering financial scholarship, the programme also provides mentorship and quality career guidance to some of India’s most talented athletes, it was announced at the media briefing. On the upcoming Under 19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh Dravid said, “I think, there is always good potential and good young talent. It’s not necessarily about results. They are growing as players and going to represent India, and hopefully will bring laurels to the country.” Dravid refused to answer questions on the Lodha Committee report which has suggested sweeping reforms in the BCCI in its recommendations submitted to the Supreme Court. PTI