“You don’t play for revenge, you play for respect & pride.”
Rahul Dravid, often touted as the “The Wall”, is a top-class cricketer who shared the limelight with stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. Born in 1973 in Madhya Pradesh, Dravid did his schooling in St. Joseph’s Boys School in Bengaluru. At a young age, he exhibited his talent in cricket while representing his state Karnataka for the under 15 team.
Known for dedication and stability, Dravid’s USP was performing as a rescuer during a crisis to save the game, quite unlike other players who won accolades for playing aggressively.
His personality is described as having a “cool demeanor”, which has been aptly displayed by his ability to fetch runs for longer periods of time. He has more than 10,000 runs to his credit, being the only cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to hold this record. He helped India win the series against Pakistan at Rawalpindi by scoring a whopping 270 runs, which were collected over 12 hours. Cautious yet determined and focused, Dravid’s cricketing style has been praised by many of his peers. He also holds the record of holding the highest time spent on crease, which is 44,152 minutes. Here’s a list of some of the multiple awards that he has won:
- 1998 Arjuna Award
- 2004 Padma Shri
- 2004 ICC Test Player of the Year
- 2013 Padma Bhushan
- 2018 ICC Hall of Fame
“My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride.”
In 2019, he was appointed the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Currently, there are huge speculations that he may be appointed as the head coach of the Indian men’s team. His net worth is estimated to be around INR 172 crores. Besides, Dravid is an ambassador to many organizations that drive social changes and innovation to support noteworthy causes.
Although he has plethora of achievements to his credit, it is Dravid’s ability to remain grounded that sets him apart from others. He truly makes cricket a gentleman’s game; or as the former Australian cricketer Brett Lee has rightly worded,
“If you don’t get along with Dravid, you are struggling with your life.”
Birth Score – 4/5
Pride Score – 4/5
A super-impressive 8/10 Notable Brahmin Score.