Happy with India's win at the Champions Trophy former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid said that the victory could not have come at a more opportune time as the credibility of Indian cricket was at stake following the IPL spot-fixing scandal. In an interview with The Indian Express, the former captain spoke about this much-needed "positive story", Dhoni's captaincy and the Team India pulling of a spectacular transition.
He said, “I think (in the wake of the IPL scandal) we needed a good positive story. We needed a cheer in our cricket, happiness in our cricket. We had lot of positive stories to write about. For Indian cricket, it was heartening to watch. (Also the win) gives you great confidence that there is a group of young kids coming through. I am not saying that everything is perfect...(but) you have a lot of confidence now that this Indian team can do well abroad. A group of a talented youngsters are coming through, that is a great hope and a big positive. Apart from winning what we also saw was great fielding by the Indian team. For it has never happened that India have been considered as one of the best (fielding) sides in the competition.”
In all praise for Dhoni's captaincy, Dravid said, “There is no doubt that he is the finest captain India have, and his records show that. Even before this he had a fantastic record. He is managing the transition very well and credit must go to him. After you captain for such a long time, you tend to get criticism but I think he has kept his cool. The great thing about him is that his performances have been there. He leads from the front.”
According to a report in The Hindu, Dravid said due credit should be given to the selection committee. “Hats off to the selectors. In this particular Champions Trophy, they took brave decisions. They took calls which could have been criticised.
“It has worked out for them and when they do those things, you have to give them credit. Credit to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his boys for one of the finest overseas performances I have seen in a long, long time. I think it was a fantastic tournament for the Indians. They played exceptional cricket, they were by far the most dominant team in the competition.”
“Dhoni has done a great job with the team. In fact, I thought all the youngsters really lived up to their potential. It really is an exciting time for Indian cricket. We would like to believe that this is a good team. As fans of Indian cricket, I hope these guys can go on and establish themselves and build on the starts they have got,” Dravid added.