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Senior players have always inspired the younger generations. It is almost like a tradition in India to idiolise cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, laying the foundation for many youngsters aspiring to represent their country.
Having cricketers like Dravid as a role model always has a positive impact on young cricketers. Rahul Dravid has given his 100 per cent every time they stepped out on the ground and also played the game in the right spirit.
The former skipper has inspired a lot of cricketers across the world and we take a look at five such players.
#1. Cheteshwar Pujara
From hunger to scoring runs to stound technique, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahul Dravid have quite a few things in common. Rightly, India's No.3 in Tests is compared to 'The Wall'. Pujara, who has time and again mentioned that Dravid was one of his childhood idols, had earlier admitted the comparisons with the former cricketer acts as a moral booster for him.
“It’s a big compliment for me because someone who has been successful in Indian cricket and someone who has been called ‘The Wall’ of the Indian cricket, if you are compared with that person, it’s a morale-booster for me and increases my confidence,” Pujara had told PTI in an interview.
“He is one of my childhood idols. I try and learn as many things as possible from him. Unfortunately, he has retired now, but whenever I had the opportunity to play alongside Dravid, I always enjoyed his company, the way he used to guide me, the way he used to give me tips, it was always motivating for me,” he added.
Although Pujara made his Test debut when Dravid was around, but the Saurashtra batsman managed to establish himself only when the former skipper decided to call it a day.
After dominating the Test side for almost a decade, Pujara has witnessed a sudden slump in his form in recent times. However, he still averages over 45 in Test cricket and is an integral part of the Indian side.
#2. Karun Nair
The Karnataka batsman is one of the unluckiest cricketers to be born in this era. Despite a triple century within the first seven Test innings, Karun Nair has not managed to break into the Indian Test side.
However, he continues to belt out tons of runs in domestic cricket and averages over 48 in first-class cricket. The right-handed batsman possesses a sound technique and Karun has attributed all this to former cricketer Rahul Dravid. In a column for Sportstar, the 29-year-old has picked Dravid, who also played for Karnataka, as his idol. He wrote,
“Like most of my contemporaries, I have grown up watching Dravid and he has always been my idol. I must admit that he is someone I look up to. I have always idolised him for his ethics, both on and off the field. As a cricketer, he has always motivated me.
"I still remember the moment when I first saw Rahul Dravid in person. It was during a Test match between India and Australia at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. While he was a star cricketer, I was chosen as one of the ball boys for that Test.”
Karun Nair was last seen in action during the Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this year. He was also a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 but didn't get a game before the tournament was postponed due to COVID-19 scare.
#3. Carlos Brathwaite
Filled with colour and flamboyance, Carlos Brathwaite took the cricketing world by storm after guiding West Indies to the T20 title in 2016 at Eden Gardens. A couple of days later, Brathwaite got to meet his childhood idol - Rahul Dravid.
Brathwaite was representing the Delhi Capitals (then known as Delhi Daredevils) where Rahul Dravid was the mentor. Speaking to the media about his first meeting with the former Indian cricketer, Carlos Brathwaite described it as surreal.
“I find myself privileged enough to be working along with someone I have idolised all my career and that is Rahul Dravid. We had a couple of chats and it is good to hear from him as a person and as a player on what are the areas that I would look to improve on in terms of playing spin and I spoke to Rahul about,” Brathwaite had said.
Ever since, Brathwaite has struggled to live up to expectations. He is currently out of the West Indies side and is playing in T20 leagues across the globe.
#4. KL Rahul
Rahul Dravid and KL Rahul have a lot in common. From having a similar name to coming from Karnataka, to a batsman who can also don wicket-keeper gloves, KL resembles a lot like the former Indian cricketer.
KL Rahul has time and again manifested his admiration for Rahul Dravid. In a video shared by Star Sports on YouTube, 19-year-old KL spoke about his admiration for Dravid. He said,
“I always looked up to Rahul Dravid as a great cricketer. I can’t say that I have copied him but I do try to do whatever his stance or whatever."
Rahul Dravid has been an integral part of cricketer KL Rahul. A pep talk by the former cricketer at the age of 11 also helped KL change his approach towards the game. KL Rahul also went to Dravid at the NCA after a public fallout in the aftermath of the Koffee With Karan show.
Rahul is currently one of the best batsmen around across the formats. After a good outing in the warm-up game, the right-handed batsman will be hoping for an opportunity in the upcoming five-match Test series against England.
#5. Manish Pandey
Former India cricketer Rahul Dravid has inspired many cricketers across the globe and Manish Pandey is one of them. Coming from the same state, Manish has watched Dravid from close quarters and has tried to pick his brain.
During a chat with Cricbuzz, the right-handed batsman has said that he has been a big fan of Rahul Dravid and he always looked up to him as a perfect role model.
“When I was a kid, I used to look up to Rahul Dravid. I was always a big fan of his. The way he was disciplined towards his game and life, that was really good.”
“When I was playing Under 19, I used to love to watch him bat. He used to stand in the first slip and I was standing in the second slip (while playing for RCB). That feeling was very surreal,” said Pandey.
Unlike many youngsters, Manish Pandey has played alongside Rahul Dravid. Since Dravid took over as India A coach, Pandey has also trained under him. Pandey has also gone on record saying that he feels much more indebted and inspired by the senior batsman.
He is currently part of India's limited-overs squad that is playing against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
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