Happy Birthday Rahul Dravid: ‘The Wall’ Turns 47

Rahul Dravid, former India captain and arguably one of the greatest batsman to ever grace the game of cricket, turns 47 on Saturday (January 11).

Dravid was known primarily for his sound batting technique that saw him amass nearly 25,000 runs across formats in international cricket.

His technique, drilled into him from a young age, earned him nicknames such as ‘The Great Wall’ (later shortened to The Wall) as well as Mr. Dependable. It also hamstrung him in the beginning of his career as he was known as a defensive batsman in Tests and dropped from the ODI squad for not scoring quickly enough.



However, it is worth noting that Dravid was a fluent stroke-player who could effortlessly hit the ball around the park when the situation so demanded.

Dravid made the Number 3 spot in India’s Test batting line-up his own during his career. In 219 innings batting in that position, Dravid scored 10524 runs with an average of 52.88, which included 28 centuries and 50 half-centuries.

His ability to play better innings in challenging conditions away from home is the stuff of legends; his Test average abroad is 55.53 and his Test average at home is 50.76.

Dravid was also captain of India but his record as a captain was mixed at best, with perhaps the lowest point coming in the 2007 ICC World Cup which saw India eliminated in the first round of the tournament itself.

Nevertheless, he has continued to remain active in the game after his retirement. He was coach of India A & the U-19 team and under his leadership, India’s U-19 team finished second in the 2016 ICC U-19 World Cup and won the tournament outright two years later.

Dravid is currently the Director of Cricket Operations at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru and his job brief sees him also monitor the progress of the U-19 and A team.