The reason why Rahul Dravid opted for wicketkeeping at the start his career

Rahul Dravid, the former Indian cricketer, was an effective wicketkeeper. But the veteran reckons that he never wished to be one and took it up in order to break into a school team. The Wall of Indian cricket even went on to don the keeping gloves for his national side. There was a phase when Team India was straining to find a reliable option behind the wicket.

Dravid chipped in and kept in 73 ODIs before MS Dhoni came to the fore. In those matches, he took 71 catches and inflicted 13 stumpings. He also had the privilege of keeping in the 2003 World Cup in the African continent. However, Dravid admitted that keeping was hardly his cup of tea.

Dravid used to catch balls in his neighbourhood: Rahul Dravid

It was tough for him to fulfil the needs of a keeper. “I was never a natural wicket-keeper. It was challenging, it was never easy,” Dravid said in a reply to a fan’s query on Facebook.

Dravid went for keeping since he was used to catching balls in his neighbourhood. “I started wicketkeeping in school. Once, I went to the inter-school selections. There was no wicketkeeper.

So, I thought the best way to get into the school team was to put my hand up as a wicketkeeper because I used to catch cricket balls a little bit in my neighbourhood,” Dravid was quoted as saying in India Today.

Dravid is a satisfied lot though after being able to contribute heavily for the teams he went on to represent. “I enjoyed the contribution that I was able to make for the team with something that wasn’t my main proficiency,” the veteran added.

On Saturday, January 10, Dravid turned 47 years old and he was showered with praises from every nook and corner of the country. He has often been lauded for his role with the India U19 and A-teams. Under his tutelage, India U19 won the 2018 World Cup in New Zealand.

In his playing career, Dravid scored 13288, 10889 and 31 runs in 164 Tests, 344 ODIs and one T20I respectively. His career spanned 15 years from 1996 to 2011 where he notched 48 centuries and 146 half-centuries.