Rahul Dravid: A gentleman behind 'The Wall'

Introduction

A boy from Karnataka started playing for India way back in 1996 and made his Test debut at Lord’s Test match in June of the same year. A shy and modest person from a Marathi family played for the Indian cricket team for almost 16 years. This article will take you through how Rahul Dravid unwittingly presented himself as someone who does not like to be the center of attention, and why he is a great human being. 

A team-man

Rahul's batting technique looked like it was taken right out of a cricket manual. He saved team India from defeat in many instances and his batting approach in Tests helped him earn the nickname ‘The Wall’. His ‘Team-first approach’ was something that put him apart. His adaptability to become a wicketkeeper in the 2003 Cricket World Cup helped the men in blue achieve balance on the batting side, which continued their journey to the 2003 World Cup final.

After retirement from international cricket in 2012, Dravid was asked by the BCCI to coach the U19 cricket team. The top-scorer of the 1999 Cricket World Cup with his disciplinary approach as a coach, guided the team to a World Cup victory over the Australian U19 team in February 2018.

After the World Cup victory, the cricketing board BCCI offered some cash rewards to the players, and the staff. According to reports in The Indian Express, Dravid requested parity in cash rewards and demanded that the amount BCCI offering should be equally given to the other supporting staff, and requested to cut his extra amount. The BCCI later accepted Dravid’s request and ensured that the rest of the staff received Rs 25 lakh each.

His off-field conduct

In January 2017, the former India captain was nominated by the University of Bangalore for an honorary doctorate. As per reports, Rahul Dravid declined the offer from the University and wished that he would be happy to receive it through academic research in sports. The denial to the degree did not show his arrogance but his uncompromising adherence to his principles off the field as well.

According to reports in The Indian Express, Dravid was at the ACA Central Zone Academy in Andhra Pradesh in 2017. While interacting with young cricketers, Rahul said that people who learn to fail well will eventually succeed and make it to the top. Dravid stressed the fact that cricket is about sportsmanship and team spirit. The game is all about partnership, helping and supporting each other, friendships, and growing together. According to the gentleman, one should not be afraid of failure and should not get carried away by success.

A person with a sense of honesty

In another instance, the former legendary batter was speaking at the GoSports Foundation Conclave in Bengaluru in December 2017. As per NDTV Sports, Dravid explained how he was qualified to talk about failure by giving some numbers. Dravid went on to say that he batted for India 604 times and he did not cross 50 runs 410 times out of those innings. Rahul considered himself as someone who failed a lot more times than he succeeded.

After achieving some great numbers in the game, and still considering himself a failure, one can easily feel Dravid as a person with a sense of openness and honesty. One should applaud the genuineness shown by the former Test batter.

Understanding responsibility

Cricketing fans around the world witnessed the unbelievable journey of team India under head coach Rahul Dravid and captaincy of Rohit Sharma who remained undefeated and reached the final of the ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. India lost the final and in the post-match press conference, Dravid came forward to face sports journalists and modestly answered the questions.

A Person with a quality of compassion

In a recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024, the Indian team emerged victorious and India was the only team that remained undefeated throughout the tournament. Following the World Cup win, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) offered prize money to the whole team where the board offered Rs 5 crore to the outgoing head coach of team India. As per reports of TOI (The Times of India), Dravid gently turned down the extra Rs 2.5 crore amount as he wished to settle to take an equal share of the prize bonus as the rest of his staff. Here again, the legendary player showed why he is a man of principle.

Popular cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, in July 2024, tweeted on social media platform X,” In a world where 'come-look-at-me' is a disease and paid PR is an acceptable way of life, Rahul Dravid makes humility look cool. It is what we must aspire for in our profession; to achieve greatness and let it rest simply upon us.”

A famous business tycoon Anand Mahindra also praised Dravid by tweeting about him on platform X from his account. Mahindra writes, “The mark of a man… Now THAT’s what you call a role model.”

Conclusion-

We have perceived the journey of the former India legendary batter, who has always put his team first and shown the cricketing world how humble he has been on and off the field as well. His act of declining an honorary degree or extra prize bonus demonstrates that he is a man of great class and great integrity. His views on the spirit of the game and how he views his numbers and success tell us a lot about him as a genuine person and how he cared for his teammates.

As of today, to be in the top 5 highest run-scorers, he still counts himself a failure, and he keeps his feet grounded to ascertain Mr. Dependable's personality. Methodical batting was one of the characteristics of the former Test specialist, and it might be a reflection of his disciplined and obliging nature. After a successful World Cup journey of the Indian team in 2024, we witnessed the outgoing coach silently saying goodbye to his role and his team without any fuss giving us a glimpse of ‘A gentleman behind the wall’.

By- Shivraj A Ransing