Did you know Dravid played for another national team? Know such amusing facts about THE WALL-

Legendary cricketer Rahul Dravid has had several achievements written under his name. His patience and perseverance for his team and country are unwavering. He wants to contribute in some or another way to the Indian cricket team. Many were doubtful when he got retired, what would be next? IPL, then what? A coach! Yes, he has been an iconic GURU guiding several youngsters. Donning the coach’s hat, Dravid did what he does best - work towards the betterment of his team "quietly".

 

 

 

After being a captain, opener, No.3, wicketkeeper, ICC event winning coach, former NCA head, and now India coach, there are still stories that many are oblivious of. Let's take a look at a few interesting stories about him-

 

1. Did you know that Sachin Tendulkar and Dravid used to talk to each other in Marathi? Dravid was born in a Marathi family, his mother tongue is Marathi. His family moved to Bangalore (Karnataka) when he was a grade-schooler. In Bangalore itself, he was raised and did his further schooling. Later he earned a degree in commerce from St. Joseph's College of Commerce, Bangalore. He started playing cricket at the age of 12 and started representing the Karnataka team right from under-15 level.

 

2. All of Rahul Dravid’s boundaries in T20 internationals were sixes. All of them were off the English cricketer Samit Patel. Interestingly Dravid’s son is also called Samit! Watch here when Dravid hit three consecutive T20 sixes!

 

 

3. Cricket fans might only remember the occasion when he played for a whole day at Eden Gardens for an unforgettable 376 run partnership with VVS Laxman. However, in 1991, Dravid had batted for a whole day with Arjun Raja at Eden Gardens in a Ranji trophy game.

 

4. Did you know that Dravid played cricket for another national team? He once played a game against Pakistan for Scotland in 2003 but was unfortunately out for 0. Dravid played a total of 12 matches for Scotland, which included 11 one-dayers and one tour game against Pakistan.

 

 

5. Dravid was the first Indian player to score a hundred runs in a pink ball game! He scored it at Abu Dhabi while playing for MCC against county champions Nottinghamshire back in 2011.

 

 

6. Can you imagine a patient person like Dravid can lose his cool? He did. The only recorded time that Dravid lost his cool was when India was out for 100 while chasing 313 against Mumbai in a test match in 2006. He had apparently thrown a chair at that time. His wife, Dr. Vijeta Pendharkar mentions this in her tribute article after he retired.

 

 

7. Rahul Dravid refused an honorary doctorate when it was offered to him, after seeing how hard his mother worked to get hers at the age of 55.

 

 

 

8. The legend was also pranked once! He was pranked by Cyrus Broacha. Sayali Bhagat interrupted his lunch by posing as a journalist who wanted to interview him. However, Dravid refused her proposal for marriage vehemently and began lecturing Sayali Bhagat on how she should focus on her studies instead.

 

9. When Dravid began his career, he had the jersey number 5 which he then changed to 19 because Vijeta's birthday is on the 19th.

 

10. Dravid did not just shine in the cricketing arena, he was a strong hockey player at school and played with future India players Sandeep Somesh and Anil Aldrin. Here he is playing with one of India's GOATS - Dhanraj Pillay.

 

 

 

His milestones as a cricketer have been overshadowed by the milestones of other legendary cricketers of that time. 13,288 runs don't tell you the hard work nor do the 36 test hundreds, 31,258 balls & 44,152 exhausting minutes at the crease! Nobody has spent as much time or played as many balls in the history of test cricket! After being a captain, opener, No.3, wicketkeeper, ICC event winning coach, former NCA head, and now India coach, but above all, he is a great human being inspiring millions of people.