Rahul Dravid, the former India head coach, recently acknowledged this evolution in Indian cricket, crediting the growth of the game in the country to the ever-expanding talent pool that now reaches even the most remote corners of the country.

“You just look at the standard of the Ranji Trophy. In the old days when you played in the South Zone, other than playing Hyderabad or Tamil Nadu, I think it is fair to say, without being disrespectful, that a lot of other teams you could take it not for granted but you could certainly take it a little bit more lightly,” Dravid said, as quoted by PTI.

“I don’t think there is any team in the South Zone today that you can walk in and say that you will comfortably beat,” he added.

Dravid, who played a pivotal role as head coach in India’s triumph at the T20 World Cup, also emphasised the crucial role that a strong club cricket culture has played in driving this change.

Dravid on club cricket

The once-prevailing notion that city cricketers had a monopoly on progressing to the national team has been effectively challenged, with players from smaller towns and rural areas now regularly making their mark on the sport.

“We need clubs to be strong. We need cricket not to be concentrated in the hands of a few people. We need cricket to be egalitarian, we need it to be all over the place,” said Dravid.

“You cannot have talent or you cannot have facilities concentrated only in one or two places. To get the best out of talent, we need to ensure that young boys and girls are getting access to good infrastructure in every part,” he noted.