15 amazing facts about Rahul Dravid

Born on January 11, 1973, Rahul Dravid was one of the most promising batsmen of Indian team. During his stint as a professional Indian cricketer, Rahul Dravid hogged the limelight for his rare exceptional virtues. Armed with control, supreme technique and an enviable poise, his batting is a treat to watch. Having amassed over 23,000 runs in international cricket, Rahul Sharad Dravid announced his retirement from all formats of the game on March 9, 2012. According to Brian Lara, the West Indies batting legend, “If I have to put anyone to bat for my life, it’ll be Dravid.” According to Ian Chappell, “Team in trouble? Whom do you turn to? Rahul Dravid.”

The former Indian captain started playing cricket at the age of 12 and progressed amazingly to represent the state teams at various levels such as under-15, under-17 and under-19. Born in Madhya Pradesh, Rahul Dravid along with his parents moved to Bangalore, Karnataka. Here is an interesting account for his sobriquet – Jammy.  Rahul Dravid’s father used to work for a company that made various flavors of jams. As a consequence, people of India started calling him “Jammy!” Well, this brings a smile on our faces…:)

Here are 15 amazing facts about Rahul Dravid, the greatest batting legend:

1. Rahul Dravid completed every milestone in his Business Administration by pursuing MBA from St. Joseph’s College of Business Administration. If one were to watch the auction and bidding of Rajasthan Royals players, his business acumen and financial acumen are hard to miss. Well, a truly versatile, multi-faceted and multi-talented guy.
2. To all intents and purposes, Rahul Dravid may be called ‘Gold Finger.’ More often than not, Rahul Dravid would never shy away from showering praise on truly deserving cricketers. A truly selfless crusader!
3. Rahul Dravid is a guy known for his temperament. Anxiety can never get the better of him. However, at a very young age of 13 years, Rahul Dravid cried for having lost his wicket too early in the game. This clearly reflects his dedication, commitment and passion for the gentleman’s game- Cricket. In his beautiful tenure of 16 years, Rahul Dravid never expressed any disappointment at being dismissed due to wrong decisions or foul plays. This is an eloquent testimony of his supreme character.
4. If one were to nitpick, the only area of concern to his teammates and friends would be Rahul Dravid’s adherence to rules. More often than not, Rahul Dravid adheres to speed limits and hence, his car driving may seem little off beat. However, abiding by the rules is a ‘must have’ requisite. His driving shall be the cynosure. Wisdom in words and hero in deeds!
5. The one and only one player to score a century against each test playing nation outside India is indisputably Rahul Dravid – one of rare illustrious stalwarts. All in all, Rahul Dravid mastered the finer nuances of Cricket and displayed exquisite technique to score 36 hundreds in international test cricket and 12 hundreds in ODIs.
6. While Rahul Dravid is predominantly an elegant batsmen, he has 5 international wickets as a bowler in his kitty. He bowled 120 deliveries in Test cricket and 186 deliveries in ODIs. Remarkably, his best bowling figures stand at 1/18 and 2/43 in Test and ODIs respectively.
7. Taking over a mantle of full time Indian captain, Rahul Dravid’s team lost to Bangladesh in 2007 ICC World Cup. Despite this, he never lost his cool and saved his best for the cause of the team. He is indeed a player who wanted to win and had not much to lose.
8. The first non-Australian to deliver the celebrated Bradman Oration in Canberra is Rahul Dravid. He delivered the speech in the month of December in 2011. His oratory skills bamboozled the audience and earned him their laurels. An accomplished virtuoso and an effective speaker!
9. Tickle your grey cells to find out the hatchet man of India in overseas? Yes, it is our beloved Rahul Dravid again. He holds the record of receiving 8 of his 11 Man of the Match awards in overseas.
10. Interestingly, Rahul Dravid played for Scotland too. It just seemed the right time and right place and the picture perfect moment for India as he decided to play for India- our great nation!
11. Rahul Dravid outclassed several top notch fielders by taking 210 catches in Test cricket. This is the highest by any non-wicketkeeper. In ODIs, he has 196 catches in his kitty. There is something more than it meets eye- He took 55 catches of Anil Kumble’s bowling and 51 catches of Harbhajan Singh’s. An amazing fielder who always gave his best!
12. In 2012, Rahul Dravid was honored with Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honor. Several celebrated cricketers such as Kohli, Sehwag and Ganguly described themselves lucky to have played alongside a legend – Rahul Dravid.
13. Rahul Dravid was voted the sexiest sport personality in India. This is in accordance to the results of an online survey conducted during 2004-2005. A handsome guy with a broad smile on his face! This landmark never seemed a pushover as Rahul Dravid had to face stiff competition from the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Sania Mirza. Despite the neck deep competition, Rahul Dravid emerged victorious.
14. Before establishing himself as a full-time Indian cricketer, Rahul Dravid tried his hands at hockey. So serious was his commitment to hockey that he was chosen to represent Karnataka’s junior team members. His passion towards sports is extremely contagious!
15. Let me deal with the numbers now- Rahul Dravid played a vital cameo in 88 century partnerships and 738 partnerships in Tests. He played his last test on 24 January, 2012 against Australia. He played his only T20 on 31 August against England where he hit three back to back towering sixes, an absolute masterpieces. Most importantly, people lovingly call him – ‘Mr. Dependable’ and ‘Mr. Wall.’ He always idolized his childhood hero, Sunil Gavaskar.

Rahul Dravid redefined excellence against all the odds and scaled the summit of success with his sterling performances, both off the field and on the field. Let me sign off with a saying of the man of the moment, Rahul Dravid – “Every series is a challenge. We have prepared ourselves the best we can. We enjoy batting for India.”