The Indian team, captained by Rohit Sharma, recently won the T20 World Cup 2024 by defeating South Africa in the final in Barbados. This victory was significant for the team as they remained undefeated throughout the tournament, ending an 11-year drought for ICC trophies.

Following the win, the BCCI announced a substantial cash reward of Rs 125 crore for the team. The prize money is to be distributed among the players, coaches, support staff, and members of the senior selection committee, with the majority allocated to the players and head coach Rahul Dravid.

However, Dravid declined the additional Rs 2.5 crore that the BCCI intended to award him. He preferred to receive the same bonus as his support staff. A BCCI source was quoted saying, “Rahul wanted the same bonus money (₹2.5 crore) as the rest of his support staff (bowling coach Paras Mhambrey, fielding coach T Dilip and batting coach Vikram Rathore). We respect his sentiments.”

According to the distribution plan, Dravid and the 15 main squad players, including those who did not play, were each set to receive Rs 5 crore. The rest of the coaching staff, including Vikram Rathour, Paras Mhambrey, and T Dilip, would receive Rs 2.5 crore each. The five-member senior selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, would get Rs 1 crore each.

This is not the first time Dravid has made such a gesture. After India won the U-19 World Cup in 2018 under his coaching, he requested equal cash awards for all members of the coaching staff, resulting in a revised distribution of Rs 25 lakh each.

The T20 World Cup victory marked the end of Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach of the Indian senior men’s cricket team. On July 9, the BCCI appointed former opener Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach, with his tenure beginning with the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka later this month.