Former India captain and current National Cricket Academy (NCA) director Rahul Dravid believes age fraud leads to an “erosion of culture” and is something that anyone involved in the game needs to play an active part in stopping.
“It is up to the maidan secretaries, the owners of the office teams, the club teams to ensure that this does not happen,” Dravid said during his 15-minute speech at the prize distribution ceremony of the Times Cricket Shield.
“Age fraud leads to an erosion of culture. It leads to a scenario where a lot of talented boys don’t get to play when they should actually be playing.”
Ensuring fair representation for young cricketers is an issue Dravid has championed in the past. When he was India’s U-19 coach, he was key in getting a rule implemented that saw players eligible to play in the ICC U-19 World Cup only once.
He also implored players to not worry too much about selection and rather focus on enjoying the game, telling them to remember why they fell in love with the game in the first place.
“Not everyone of you will go on to play Ranji Trophy or for India or get an IPL contract. But don’t let selection come in the way of your enjoyment. If you are always worried about your next selection, you will never enjoy the game.”
