Rahul Dravid: The Wall Of India turns 46

As ‘The Great Wall of India’ turns 46, it's time to revisit one of the most glittering careers in the Indian Cricket. Rahul Dravid, a leader, a selfless contributor and a legend who personified the way game of cricket is played, taught and inspired millions of Indian fans.

Dravid, as a teenager debutant at Lord’s, made it a point to make sure that the cricketing world takes notice of him. He slowly, steadily and with much less of a fanfare built a career which served Indian cricket for a long time. As the key member of the “Fabulous Five” of Indian cricket, Dravid held together the Indian batting lineup on multiple tough situations with his astute and patient knocks.. He played a key part in making the Indian team a force to reckon with in away conditions.

As a batsman, he was a consistent scorer; as a slip fielder, he had the safest pair of hands; as a captain, he was the one who had lead India to memorable victories in the Caribbean in 2006 and England in 2007.

The champion batsman did not stop his cricketing journey post his retirement. He chose a profession which many would not have ventured into. In his role as a winning coach of Under-19 World Cup 2018, he not only enthused the young bunch of cricketers but also inculcated a professional approach in them which helped India U-19 team to win one of the most one-sided Under-19 World Cup tournaments.

Dravid has been a true idol for many starlets who want to learn how to manage own career and passion. Dravid, as the coach of Indian U-19 and Indian A team, helped the youngsters know their true potential and made sure they did not get carried away with peers having flamboyance, zeal and that extra attitude of going over the board.

As a coach of the Under-19 team, Dravid has proved his merit in a very short tenure. The players coached by him have already made it to the International stage. Players like Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant have proved their mettle in International cricket at a very early stage of their careers. The way Dravid keeps his greatness aside while dealing with youngsters who were not even born when he started playing shows his simplicity, professionalism, and integrity towards building a future of Indian Cricket.

Dravid is a true legend who performed at all levels contributed immensely to the game and always remained elusive when it came to grabbing the headlines.

It’s time for all of us as cricketing fans to say a big ‘Thank You!’ to the legend for his contribution to the Indian cricket on and off the pitch.