Rahul Dravid is regarded as one of the best Test batsman the World has ever produced. The “Wall” has an incredible Test record which consisted of 164 matches. Having scored 36 centuries with an average at 52.31, and is one of the few players to reach the 10000-run mark in both Tests as well as ODIs.
Dravid was also named one of the 5 players of the year by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2000 and received the Player of the Year and the Test Player of the Year awards at the inaugural ICC awards ceremony in 2004.
However, there is more to the man than just his runs on the field. The Karnataka-native has been known to have a heart of gold and today we take a look at 7 instances where he lived up to his stature as a true role model for the next generation.
#1 Donated blood to patients when the whole world was busy with the Ice Bucket Challenge
There was a time when the so-called “ice-bucket challenge” went viral and celebrities all over the posted media content on the internet involving an ice-bucket. On the other side of the coin, Rahul Dravid was busy donating blood to the needy patients in Bangalore at that time.
In spite of doing service for a social cause, he never demanded any publicity. It shows he has such a good soul and is equally capable of helping everyone around him on and off the field. There were many big names such as Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle and Kevin Pietersen who posted their videos on social media of their respective Ice bucket challenges, but “The Wall” was busy doing something else.
#2 Played for his childhood club after retirement
Rahul Dravid did the thing he loved the most even after retiring from the international arena. His childhood club needed a victory in order to avoid relegation and that is when the head coach of the team requested him to play. Not only did he accept the invitation, but he was there with his evergreen panache and sincerity.
Dravid scored a century and helped them win the match at the HAL sports ground in front of a handful of spectators. This incident shows us how dedicated and committed he was to playing Cricket. Dravid started playing Cricket when he was 12 and represented Karnataka at Under-15, Under-17, and Under-19 levels. He was a college student back in 1991, the year he made his Ranji debut.
#3 Refused to coach the Indian senior Cricket Team
Rahul Dravid was the head coach of the Under-19 Indian Cricket Team which lost to West Indies in the final of the Under-19 ICC Cricket World Cup which was held earlier this year in Bangladesh. He was not keen on taking charge of the senior side and rather wanted to work with the junior team to enrich the talents among the youth. That was a great gesture on behalf of Rahul Dravid to make sure the future International stars are groomed properly.
Many big stars have emerged during ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cups over the years. Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh were the finds of the 2000 Under-19 ICC Cricket World Cup, while current Indian captain Virat Kohli prospered during the 2008 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. And many might say that India’s future will be in safe hands with Dravid nurturing the next generation.
#4 When Dravid saved Sanjay Manjrekar and pointed out his mistake
In the ‘City of Joy’ at a media event involving Sanjay Manjrekar and Rahul Dravid, the former said something about the “Prince of Kolkata” Sourav Ganguly which apparently seemed to be leg-pulling with an immature comment. Dravid immediately stopped the shoot and asked for a retake saying “I don’t want people in Kolkata offended. Skip that Sanjay.” Sourav Ganguly has a huge fan following in his hometown.
Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid have played together for a very long time, making their Test debuts in the same Test match back in 1996. Both of them share many memorable partnerships, wins and losses together and the elegant right-hander was in no mood to drag the name of Ganguly through the mud, even for some laughs.
#5 Helped a Paralympian when it mattered the most
Sharath Gaikwad is a budding Indian Paralympic swimmer from Bangalore. Once in his career, he was in a dilemma whether to quit swimming or not. India’s wall Rahul Dravid seemed to be the perfect remedy for his confusion. He had talks with Sharad and explained him on how to handle pressure by giving examples from his career.
The swimmer went on to win 6 medals at the 2014 Asian Games with 1 silver and 5 bronze. This incident took place as a part of the GoSports Foundations in 2014, where he was a member of the board of advisors for Indian athletes who would represent India at the Olympics and Paralympics in the future.
#6 A letter to Kevin Pietersen
Dravid, popularly known as “Jammy” showed the world his greatness when he wrote a letter to English batsman Kevin Petersen explaining to him how he should play spin at a time when he was struggling against spinners in Bangladesh. He elaborated on ways to tackle spin.
Pietersen is a South-African born English Cricketer who has played 104 Tests and scored 8181 runs at an average of 47.18. His was an instrumental figure in the famous Ashes win for England in 2005, where they defeated Australia after 18 years.
The spat between Pietersen and former England captain Andrew Strauss curtailed his career and is still searching for an opportunity to play for the Three Lions again in Tests, while he had already retired from ODIs in 2013.
#7 Fulfilled a fan’s wish who was suffering from cancer
Dravid has been a player who has always been there for the Indian team in tough times; he is not an exception outside the cricket world also. Once, when a young fan of his was suffering from cancer and wanted to meet him, he did not let the man down.
The former cricketer had a chat with him on Skype for than an hour and also apologised to him for not attending him personally. A ‘gentleman’ in its true sense is the man from Bangalore. It is obvious that Dravid checks his mails regularly, so when he read the mail from the patient about his desire to meet the legend he made arrangements to fulfil the young man’s wish.
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