Sachin Tendulkar wishes birthday boy Rahul Dravid on Twitter

Former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid celebrates his birthday today as he turns 44. Popularly known as ‘The Wall’ for his imperative strokeplay and the ability to defend a game and fight for his team, Dravid’s contribution to the sport has been manifold. Although not heralded as someone for showcasing explosive shots, there was always something magical about this cricketer that appealed to his fans and colleagues.

Be it on the field or off it, Dravid wore his failures and criticism on his sleeve and never let it change or define who he truly was. We are all familiar with the genius of Dravid as we know the toil and turmoil of him being dropped from the side in 1998. Never an automatic choice in ODI teams during his early years, he still emerged as the highest run-scorer in the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup. Not bad for someone who was once written off the face of ODI cricket.

Dravid portrayed passion; he had grit without the need to explicitly show it. He faced the most number of balls in cricket and was involved in the most century stands in Tests – a clear indication of his passion to survive and fight it out in the middle. And now post-retirement, Dravid has made sure to keep contributing as much possible to the sport. Very few have enough love for the game to take up the unglamorous job of coaching the U19 team, especially after a glittering yet taxing 16-year career at the top level.

Sachin wish Dravid luck for U-19 World Cup

On his birthday, the cricketing community took to social media to wish the right-hander on the auspicious occasion. And the best one came when ‘Master Blaster” Sachin Tendulkar took to his Twitter handle to wish his compatriot.

Sachin wrote, “There might be many strong walls around us but the greatest yet is the one and only, #RahulDravid. Happy birthday, Jammy! My best wishes for the U-19 World Cup. #HappyBirthdayDravid”

You can see the Tweet below