Rahul Dravid during the TNPL championship game‘Love playing at Chepauk, one of the most supportive and appreciative crowds’- Rahul Dravid during the TNPL championship game

Memories of reaching his 10,000th run in Tests at the storied location came back to Dravid.

Watching the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2024 finals at Chennai’s iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium was former India head coach Rahul Dravid. The 51-year-old reflected on the past while playing the game because he used to play a lot of league cricket on the historic pitch and then international cricket. In order to reach 10,000 runs in Test cricket, he also scored a century against South Africa on the same pitch.

Rahul Dravid, looking back, said that things have changed a lot since then and that the people in Chennai have always been among the nation’s most encouraging and grateful.

He continued by saying that the crowd knew exactly what was going on and that it was a unique experience for him to play at such a historic location.

Yes, I believe that some of my fondest memories are from playing league cricket here when I was younger. The stadium had a totally different appearance back then. It was nice to play some league cricket here, despite the fact that it’s all concrete stands. Dravid stated as much in an interview with Star Sports Tamil.

“I have participated in numerous international cricket matches here, and it is always a pleasure to perform for this audience, which is among the most enthusiastic and encouraging in the nation. They truly understand and cherish the game of cricket.” I therefore enjoy playing at Chepauk and at this field. It was a very pleasant and memorable experience for me to score my 10,000 runs at this ground,” he continued.

சென்னை மக்கள் முன் விளையாடியது எப்பொழுதும் Super-ஆன Moment தான்! – Dravid 💯😌#TNPLOnStar #TNPL2024 #NammaOoruNammaGethu @TNPremierLeague pic.twitter.com/pI19MqiMkx

— Star Sports Tamil (@StarSportsTamil) August 4, 2024

In the meantime, the Dindigul Dragons won their first-ever TNPL title, defeating the Lyca Kovai Kings by six wickets. Dindigul’s victory was sealed when seasoned all-around player Ravichandran Ashwin scored his third consecutive half-century.