5 life lessons given by Rahul Dravid

In a career spanning 16 years, Rahul Dravid found several admirers from all around the world for not the just he played the game on the field, but also for the dignified manner in which he conducted himself away from it.

A gentleman on and off the field, a lot can be learnt from his calm and balanced demeanor which was mistaken at times for passiveness and a lack of 'fire in the belly'.

Usually, cricketers are not high on the list of role models whom parents would advise their children to look up to, but Dravid could well be an exception to that line of thinking.

Here are five life lessons that one can imbibe from the great man's career:

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Aggression

Regarded as a cricketer who did not show too much emotion on the field, Dravid's expressions or the lack of it was often mistaken for him to be a passive cricketer, someone who could not give it back to the bowler or the opposition when provoked.

However, there have been examples on the field when the right-hander did not shy away, the most notable one involving him and Shoaib Akhtar during the ICC Champions Trophy of 2004 when some of the surrounding Pakistani cricketers had to intervene to stop the altercation between the batsman and the bowler.

Even the commentators viewing proceedings were left a bit shocked at what had happened out in the middle.

There was another instance during the 2013 IPL when he had a go at Mitchell Johnson, who had a word or two to say about his batting.

Matthew Hayden, the former Australian opening batsman, had this to say about Dravid's aggression:

"When I look into Rahul Dravid's eyes I know that though he might not be outwardly aggressive, he is inwardly aggressive: he wants to hit the ball, he wants to seek out opportunities. He has got fire in his belly. A lot of the aggression that you see now, like staring and chatting, is all guff. That is just a waste of time"

It doesn't matter if you are open about your emotions, what does matter is if you can get the job done in your own aggressive manner, that's what the world wants to see.

The constant need to improve

Dravid's evolution as an ODI player was excellent

One of the facets of Dravid's career was the manner in which he kept evolving as a player, improving and returning at every stage when his style of play was questioned.

Early on his career, he was often rated as a batsman who was more suited for the longer format and perhaps was not a viable option in limited-overs cricket, where you needed players to maintain a higher strike-rate.

But he improved and proved his detractors wrong in 1999 World Cup, where he made 463 runs to end as the tournament's leading run-getter. He added a few shots to his game like the loft over extra cover, the sweep shot, focussed on taking the singles and in short, all those additions ensured he did not prove to be a misfit within the squad and he ended up with more 10000 runs in the 50-over format.

A lesson for all of us to keep evolving and keep getting better at what we do, every single day.

Humility

Dravid at the Imran Khan cancer hospital in 2006

Success breeds arrogance in several cases, but certainly not in Dravid's case. During the course of his career and after, he has always come across as someone who is willing to stay normal, listen to other people and find out what is happening in their lives and not plainly look at his contribution towards a winning cause.

In a world, where getting credit for his/her own work is arguably the most sought-after trait among several eminent personalities, Dravid has sought to take the opposite route, instead willing to give others their share of the limelight as and when required.

Certainly, a trait, if imbibed, in our own lives that could earn us respect both at work and away from it.

Leading from the front

Dravid was never shy to face the music first-up

Dravid is often remembered for being the captain when India were dumped out in the first round of the 2007 World Cup. However, during his time as skipper, he did have his fair share of moments when he proved he could be an excellent leader.

Like the time when he decided he would open the innings during the 2006 tour to Pakistan despite their being in Wasim Jaffer a genuine opening batsman in the squad in order to accommodate an additional bowler in cold conditions against the likes Shoaib Akhtar and co.

He may not have had the greatest of track records as captain, but there were leadership qualities in Dravid which one can utilize in their day-to-day lives.

The Ultimate Team Man

Never the one to say 'no' to any challenge

There are two types of athletes in the world: Those who are selfish and those who are selfless. One look at Dravid's career and it won't be hard to say in which of the two categories he belonged to.

He didn't like wicket-keeping, yet for the sake of team balance, he took up the role and did the best that he could. He never liked opening the batting, but the moment there was an injury to a regular opener, he was asked to move one slot up and he did it without making much noise.

He once said he took up the tough jobs because he himself wanted to find out how good he could be in those situations. Perhaps we could try taking up a role we aren't good at for the same reason.