Rahul Dravid, India’s junior team coach, has proposed a plan to help young cricketers get training and jobs in order to be equipped for both life and a career outside the sport.
According to a report in The Times of India, Dravid met with Board of Control for Cricket in India officials to discuss the program which will be aimed at improving the life skills of young players. National Cricket Academy Chief Operations Officer Tufan Ghosh told the newspaper that the board officials are working on a structure.
“Dravid and the other coaches here had pointed out the need to start such a process. We are working towards formulating a structure before it is sent to the higher authorities in BCCI to get things going,” Ghosh told TOI.
The board plans to approach placement agencies and other firms to help train youngsters for alternative options in case a career in cricket doesn’t work out.
“Most of the cricketers these days are so engrossed in playing the game that they don’t look at any other aspect of life. It has been observed a lot of these young players quit cricket by 21. Then it’s a struggle for them to lead a stable life. We are looking at life coaching, internships with companies and training in other vocational courses and then facilitating jobs for the youngsters,” Ghosh added.
This is not the first time Dravid has tried to expand the horizons of budding players beyond cricket. As part of mentoring sessions, he had organsied lectures and workshops for the Under-19 cricketers and has often spoken about the importance of balancing academic education with sport.
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