CEAT Lifetime Achievement Award

Rahul Dravid, the former head coach of the Indian men's cricket team, was warmly celebrated as he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the CEAT Cricket Awards. Dravid recently stepped down from his coaching position after leading India to victory in the T20 World Cup against South Africa on June 29, an accomplishment that highlighted his significant influence on the sport.

Dravid’s career came full circle at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, where he guided India to their first ICC trophy in over a decade—marking their first world title in 13 years and their inaugural T20 World Cup victory in 17 years. This win was especially poignant for Dravid, as it was in the West Indies where he faced a disappointing early exit during the 2007 ODI World Cup as captain. Although he was not part of the 2011 World Cup-winning team, this triumph served as a remarkable redemption for him.

During his illustrious playing career, which lasted nearly 18 years, Dravid participated in 164 Test matches, 244 ODIs, and one T20I. He scored a total of 13,288 runs in Tests, placing him fourth on the all-time list, which includes 36 centuries and 63 fifties. In ODIs, Dravid amassed 10,889 runs, ranking tenth worldwide, and achieved 12 centuries and 83 fifties.

Beyond his playing days, Dravid has made substantial contributions to Indian cricket as a mentor for IPL teams like Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils, as head coach for India’s Under-19 and 'A' teams—leading the U-19s to World Cup glory in 2018—and as Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) before serving as the head coach for the senior men's team.

At the CEAT awards, Virat Kohli was honoured as the Best ODI Batter of the Year, having scored 1,377 runs in 2023, including six centuries and eight fifties. His standout performance in the ODI World Cup saw him become the tournament's top scorer with 765 runs in 11 matches, at an impressive average of 95.62, equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most ODI centuries.

India's captain Rohit Sharma received the Men’s International Cricketer of the Year award for his exceptional performances across formats, amassing 1,800 runs in 2023, which included 1,255 runs in ODIs at an average of 52.59. His World Cup tally of 597 runs was the second-highest in the tournament.

Mohammed Shami was awarded the Best ODI Bowler of the Year for his outstanding World Cup performance, securing 24 wickets in seven matches, including two five-wicket hauls, achieving a remarkable strike rate of 12.20.

Other Award Winners:

Phil Salt: Best T20 Batter of the Year

Yashasvi Jaiswal: Best Test Batter of the Year

Shreyas Iyer: Star Sports T20 Leadership Award

Ravichandran Ashwin: Best Test Bowler of the Year

Deepti Sharma: Women’s Indian Bowler of the Year

R Sai Kishore: Domestic Cricketer of the Year

Smriti Mandhana: Women’s Indian Batter of the Year

Tim Southee: Men’s T20I Bowler of the Year

Shafali Verma: Memento for Fastest Double Century in Women’s Test Cricket

Harmanpreet Kaur: Memento for Leading India in the Most T20I Matches