When Rahul Dravid Lost His Cool and Turned Into Hulk
We all know Rahul Dravid, the gentleman cricketer who is celebrated in India for the amazing & unforgettable contributions he has made to Indian cricket. The only man to have faced more than 30000 deliveries (31258 to be precise) in Test Cricket.
Call him “The Wall”, “Jammy” or “Mr. Dependable”; he is respected all over the cricketing world for his calmness.
He was also often criticized for his low strike rate, but then here is what Chris Gayle the “Six-Machine” said about Rahul Dravid.
“Dravid could play attacking cricket like me but I could never play like him”
And this is what Steve Waugh advised to his bowlers
“Try to take his Wicket in the first 15 minutes, if you can’t then only try to take the Remaining Wickets”
Rahul Dravid really personified the Gentlemen’s Game; he is the epitome of patience and dedication.
He is the only man in cricket who really deserves the Iron Man Suit, but do you know he once turned Hulk?
Rahul Dravid lost his cool in the dressing room and threw a chair. Hard to believe, isn’t it?
This is what Dravid’s wife Vijeta shared,
“Only once, I remember, he returned from a Test and said, “I got a bit angry today. I lost my temper. Shouldn’t have done that.” He wouldn’t say more.
Many months later, Viru told me that he’d actually thrown a chair after a defeat to England in Mumbai. He’d thrown the chair, Viru said, not because the team had lost but because they had lost very badly.”
This incident happened in 2006 when England team was on a tour of India. Playing in Mumbai, India went on to lose the test by 212 runs. While chasing a target of 313 runs in the fourth innings, England toppled the Indian batting line up for just 100 runs.
Dravid being the Captain, obviously was frustrated with this defeat. But this incident surely defines the passion he has for the game and Indian cricket.
When the Rawalpindi Express chose the wrong man
Shoaib Akhtar, the Pakistani Pacer used to have a very flamboyant attitude on the field especially while playing against India. We have heard of him being a mischievous guy around Sehwag and Tendulkar, but it didn’t go his way when he tried to do the same with Rahul Dravid.
All this happened during Akhtar’s spell in the 2004 Champions Trophy Indo-Pak match, when Dravid pushed to convert a single into a double and found Akhtar standing in his path, obstructing him. This angered the calm and composed Dravid and he went up to Akhtar with his bat and asked him to stay out of his way.
Fast-forward a few years and Shoaib Akhtar gave these remarks for Dravid:
“The biggest nightmare I ever faced was Rahul Dravid. He used to bore me. He was the first batsman who could intimidate me, in terms of when he walked in, I knew I would have to field for at least two sessions more.”
“Dravid was like Mohammad Ali, he would tire you out and then knock you down.”
At last a quote from Harsha Bhogle for Rahul Dravid, which demonstrates his true character.