5 instances when Rahul Dravid lost his cool

Dravid's rare moment of anger during his international career

One of India's finest batsmen ever, Rahul Dravid, is respected all over the cricketing world not only for his batting but for his patience too. During his playing days, seldom did anyone see Dravid losing his temper, be it the opposition players, teammates, officials, or anyone for that matter.However, there were a few instances when one realized that 'The Wall' was only human and he did lose his cool at times. However, there were not many moments of Dravid showing dissent in his international career, compared to what we saw during his IPL career as player and mentor.Here are 5 memorable occasions when one of the world's calmest cricketers lost his cool.

#1 Shoaib Akhtar bears the brunt of Dravid\'s anger

Dravid's rare moment of anger during his international career

Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar used to be quite an annoying cricketer during his playing days, particularly in matches against India. We've all heard about clashes with Virender Sehwag and attempts to get under the skin of Sachin Tendulkar.

However, the biggest proof of his notoriety in Indo-Pak encounters was him managing to make even a highly composed character lose his temper. In the 2004 Champions Trophy encounter between the two sides at Birmingham, Rahul Dravid was the only shining star in India's dismal performance with the bat.

During one of Akhtar's overs, Dravid pushed to run a quick two only to find the beefy bowler standing in his path. This angered the Indian great to the extent that he went up to the bowler and asked him to stay out of the way, prompting Pakistani skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq to step in and separate the two.

#2 Dravid throws his cap in anger

Rahul Dravid tosses his cap angrily

There was something about Rajasthan Royals' encounters with Mumbai Indians which made Rahul Dravid display much more emotions than in other games. One of the popular instances came in a match between the two sides in the 2014 IPL.

It was a do-or-die clash and Mumbai needed to chase down 190 in 14.3 overs to qualify for the playoffs. Sitting in the dug-out as the mentor of the Rajasthan Royals, Dravid must have been quite confident of his team sealing their berth.

However, some breathtaking batting by the Mumbai Indians saw them level Rajasthan's score in the stipulated number of overs. With a boundary required to seal the deal, batsman Aditya Tare smashed a six to help his team make it through.

Rahul Dravid was so disgusted with his team's efforts that he flung his cap to the ground in a rare show of anger.

#3 The Wall loses his cool and flings a chair

Sehwag informed Dravid's wife about his anger after a loss

It is difficult to imagine Rahul Dravid throwing things around in anger, that too, a chair. However, this was an instance which actually happened andwas shared by Dravid’s wife Vijeta during an interview.

Mrs Dravid revealed that she had once been told by the master batsman’s long time team-mate Virender Sehwag that he once threw a chair out of anger. The reason for Dravid’s livid reaction was the after-effect of India losing a home Test to England quite badly.

It was an incident about which Rahul Dravid had told Vijeta earlier, but he had skipped the chair-throwing part which Sehwag informed her about later.

#4 Mitchell Johnson raises Dravid\'s temper

Rahul Dravid Mitchell Johnson

Dravid and Johnson were involved in a heated exchange during the qualifier 2 of the 2013 IPL

Sledging comes naturally to Australians and particularly their fast bowlers. The last great carrier of this ‘so-called’ legacy was the recently retired left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson. While Johnson’s tactics have worked against some batsmen, they have fallen flat against few of the others.

In Qualifier 2 of the 2013 edition of the IPL, the Aussie picked the wrong night to try and get into Rahul Dravid’s skin and paid the price for it. The 3rd over of the Rajasthan Royals innings saw Dravid smash a straight drive off Johnson’s bowling prompting the bowler to speak a few words to the batsman.

The Indian legend did not hold back and had a couple of words of his own to say. Off the very next ball, Rahul Dravid flicked Mitchell Johnson for another four and the Australian had some more words to share.

In a rare display of foul temper, Dravid walked up to Johnson and asked him if he wanted to say something.

#5 Dravid voices his anger over Kieron Pollard at a press conference

Dravid expressed his unhappiness in a press conference

Incidents in yet another IPL encounter between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians in 2013 brought the angry side of Rahul Dravid to the fore. However, he did not express it on the field but showed it in the way he spoke at the post-match press conference.

Mumbai all-rounder Kieron Pollard was continuously nagging Rajasthan’s star player Shane Watson throughout his stay at the pitch. After his dismissal, Pollard not only gave Watson a send-off but also headed towards the Royals dugout later and mocked the Aussie again, prompting the latter to leave the place.

Rahul Dravid, the skipper of Rajasthan Royals, did not mince his words at the press conference when he termed a bowler sending off a batsman after dismissing him as an act of cowardice. It was clear that he was referring to the Pollard-Watson incident.

Check RCB Squad 2024 Details. Follow Sportskeeda for IPL 2024 Live Score, Schedule, Points Table

Quick Links

Edited by Staff Editor