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India’s former star player Rahul Dravid is a batsman who patiently anchors the field like the earth. He has a style of his own where he can attack any world-class fast bowler and keep the bowlers tired, score runs and get victories. In fact, he has a world record as the batsman who has faced the most balls in the history of Test cricket, he has accumulated 10000+ runs in ODI cricket and has proved that he can bat aggressively and according to the environment.
Regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in history, he has since retired since 2016 as coach of the Indian Under-19 team and director of the National Cricket Academy, building India’s strong next generation. Since then, he has taken over as the head coach of the senior team from November 2021 and has dedicated most of his life to Indian cricket and working for its development. That is why fans and ex-players have a special value and respect for him.
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Gentle Dravid:
And like his batting, Dravid is always patient and gentle in most moments on the field. Especially when foreign players like Australia and Pakistan deliberately try to disrupt the attention by sledging, it is another quality of Dravid not to bend to it and not to get angry. However, as there is a limit to everything, there have been instances in his career where Sadhu Mirandal has been angered by not going wild.
Former Pakistan star fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has now said that he saw Rahul Dravid angry for the first time in 2004. Shoaib Akhtar, who usually bowls at a fast pace to get out Sachin and Dravid, has shared the incident on Star Sports TV in 2004 during an ODI match.
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“That was the first time I saw a gentleman of cricket like him get angry. He wanted to do sledging with me in that match. Because we ran into each other unexpectedly. Before that, Mohammad Kaif, who came across when he came to bowl, moved. So I got angry and didn’t say anything to him. Bowling in that anger, I dismissed Mohammad Khaib and Yuvraj Singh.”
“So at one point when we were close to victory in that match, Rahul Dravid ran up to me. Then I told him you run your way and I will run mine. He got angry and glared at me. Seeing that, I said, “Rahul, why are you angry? I know the weather is hot right now. But I cannot understand whether you will also get angry and fight,” I replied.
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Gentleman Dravid:
Shoaib Akhtar said that after the 2003 World Cup, he bowled too fast because he was forced to bowl better in the ODI series at home. He took 9 wickets in 5 matches in that series and praised Rahul Dravid as always a gentleman.
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He further spoke about this as follows. “Rahul Dravid is a gentleman. I bowled very fast in that match. Because after the 2003 World Cup, I emerged as an influential opposition bowler in the Indian team. “After the 2003 World Cup, I always worked with the intention of bowling fast in the matches against India,” he said.
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