‘Very Grateful’: Rahul Dravid, Mithali Raj Honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards

Former India head coach Rahul Dravid expressed gratitude after receiving the Lifetime Achievement honour at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026, saying he felt privileged to be recognised alongside some of the greatest legends of Indian cricket.

Dravid, along with former BCCI president Roger Binny, was honoured with the Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, while former India women's captain Mithali Raj received the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for Women at the ceremony held on Sunday in New Delhi.

The annual BCCI Naman Awards ceremony recognises exceptional performances and enduring contributions across international, domestic and age group cricket while honouring individuals whose work has shaped the growth and stature of the game in the country.

The Col. C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honour bestowed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to former Indian cricketers for their supreme contribution to the sport.

Dravid said the award held special significance as several iconic figures of the game had previously received the honour and had served as inspirations during his career as both a player and coach.

How did Rahul Dravid describe his long journey in Indian cricket?

"I am very grateful to receive this award. I mean, the earlier recipients of this award, you know, are some of the greatest legends of the game in our country," Dravid said.

The former India head coach added that the recognition was deeply humbling and reflected his long journey in the sport, which began during his early years in age group cricket.

"So, it's a great privilege, I'm very grateful for that honour, very humbled, and I think, you know, very appreciative of the fact that I've been able to be involved in Indian cricket for such a long time," he said.

"Since the time I was a young boy, probably playing under-15 cricket for the first time, to today I am very grateful for the opportunities that I've had," he added.

"I think that I've always just seen my role as just carrying a torch. I carried a torch from an earlier generation, whether I was a player or a coach. I have just built on the good work that other people have done," the former India head coach said.

"I have had my time when I've had the opportunity to contribute and do the best that I can," the Indian legend added.

"I'm very proud and grateful to see the way the next generation continues to carry that on, and the kind of successes that we have had are a great credit to the current management, the current team and everyone involved with Indian cricket," he said.

"So we all have our time in the game, and we have to do our bit, and I've tried to do the best that I can, and I've been inspired by generations before me, and it's just amazing to see that generations ahead of us continue to, in fact, take it to another level," Dravid added.

What were Rahul Dravid’s key achievements after retirement from international cricket?

Dravid was honoured for his outstanding contribution to Indian cricket as both a legendary batter and an influential coach.

During his international career, he scored over 24,000 runs and anchored India's batting line up for more than a decade, playing a key role in many historic victories as a player and captain.

After retirement, Dravid helped shape the future of Indian cricket through his work at the National Cricket Academy, where he strengthened player development and guided India's U-19 team to the ICC U-19 World Cup 2018 title.

As head coach of the Indian men's team, he later led India to victory in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, further cementing his lasting impact on the game.

Meanwhile, Mithali acknowledged the role played by mentors, coaches and teammates throughout her career after being honoured with the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for Women.

"I think there are so many people who played a huge role in my career, just not my parents. Of course, I've had a lot of support from them and every other coach and player, different mentors. But as a sport, I've seen the evolution of women's cricket, and there are so many other people that I need to acknowledge," Mithali said.

What did Mithali Raj say about the recent growth and success of Indian cricket?

"The last 2-3 years, Indian cricket, men or women or the under-19 girls or boys, they've been doing immensely well. It's a proud moment as a former cricketer to see the growth of Indian cricket. For the longest time, I wanted Indian cricket to dominate, and the time has come," she said.

"Well, I think everything takes time. Even women's cricket had its own journey, so did men's cricket. But we've taken a lot of inspiration from the men's cricketers," she said.

"I've taken inspiration from Rahul and Sachin because whenever I've bumped into them in NCA or the COE, they've always had a lot to chat about, sport about, batting, and the advice and suggestions really worked for me when I was playing," she said.

"This interaction between the men and women, I think, helps the women cricketers greatly because we're always trying to catch up with the standards of men's cricket. In that context, both of them have been doing well," Mithali added.

Mithali received the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for Women for her outstanding contribution to women's cricket.

During a career spanning over two decades, she became the highest run scorer in women's ODIs with 7,805 runs and played a key role in raising the profile of the women's game in India.

As captain, Mithali led India to two ICC Women's World Cup finals, inspiring a generation of cricketers and helping elevate Indian women's cricket on the global stage.

(With inputs from ANI)