From being voted as the Sexiest Sports personality in India to being the first non-Australian to have spoken at Sir Don Bradman Oration, Rahul Dravid has ruled it all. On his 46th birthday today, we take a deep dive into his life and list down some lesser known Rahul Dravid facts which you, me and no one can afford to miss..
‘The Wall’ of Indian Cricket turned 46 today. The man who needs no introduction, Rahul Dravid, is India’s pride and a gentleman in it’s true sense - both on and off the field. His fellowmen have all vouched for it.
The batting stalwart has been admired across the globe not only for his extravagant cricketing skills but also for the persona that he carries and the inspiration that he is.
Currently donning the role of Overseas Batting Consultant for the Indian team, and also the head coach for the Under-19 and 'A' teams, Dravid has also been awarded Padma Shri in 2004 and Padma Bhushan in 2013 for his outstanding performances on the cricket field. The right hand batsman has scored nearly 25000 runs in international cricket and the title of Mr. Dependable.
Definitely, this man is more than the ‘The Wall’. Rahul Dravid’s definition is confined to cricket but is way more beyond that. On his 46th birthday today, we take a deep dive into his life and list down some lesser known Rahul Dravid facts which you, me and no one can afford to miss.
- Dravid played Hockey before Cricket
Rahul Dravid, the former Indian batsman, played hockey in his school hockey team before mastering the art of batting. He was even chosen to represent Karnataka's junior state team. But he soon realised that hockey was not his game his school coach relegated him from centre-half to right-half position.
- ICC Hall of Fame
The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame recognises the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history. Dravid became the fifth Indian cricketer to be inducted into the coveted list in July 2018.
3. There’s no stopping
Dravid played 94 consecutive Tests since his debut in 1996, without missing a single match. Of this, he played 93 matches for India and one for ICC XI. He missed a Test match for the first time in 2005 at Ahmedabad against Sri Lanka due to gastroenteritis.
4. A commerce graduate
After doing his schooling at St. Joseph's Boys High School, Bangalore, Dravid earned a degree in commerce from St. Joseph's College of Commerce, Bangalore.
5. Sexiest Sports Personality in India
Sans doubt, he is! Dravid was voted as the sexiest sports personality in India in an online survey (2004-05) where he raced ahead of Yuvraj Singh and Sania Mirza.
6. The story behind ‘Jammy’
All know that along with earning different titles for his performance, Dravid is also nicknamed ‘Jammy’. While a few are aware about the story behind this, here it goes, Dravid’s father Sharad Dravid worked for a company that makes jams and preserves. And Hence, Jammy.
7. Bangalore’s ‘Jammy Cup’
Owing to his popularity and the love showered on him there is a local school tournament named after the holistic and selfless batsman. Held in Bangalore, the 'Jammy Cup' is played by school kids and the man-of-the-match gets the title of 'Jammy of the Day.'
8. First non-Australian to speak at Sir Don Bradman Oration
Rahul Dravid, in 2011, became the first non-Australian player and the first Indian cricketer to deliver the speech at Sir Don Bradman Oration in Canberra.
9. World Cup 1999- Top scorer of the tournament
With 461 runs from 8 games, Rahul Dravid became the top scorer of the tournament in the 1999 World Cup.
10. The ‘Century’ King
Dravid is the only Indian to score centuries in four consecutive test match innings.
11. The Record Holder
Dravid holds the world record for being the first (and only) non-wicket keeper to take 200 catches in Test cricket. He has a record of 210 catches.
- New clothes for new Test match
A quora answer reveals that Dravid used to wear one new clothing item for each of his Test match just like Sunil Gavaskar did during his whole career.
- 9th most total international centuries
In the list which is a compilation of total centuries scored by international cricketers, split between different formats of the game, Dravid stands at 9th position scoring 48 total centuries.
14. Dravid played for Scotland too
Not only this is a lesser known fact but also a surprising one! Rahul Dravid not only played for the Indian cricket team but was also a pivotal part of Scotland once. He has played 11 matches for Scotlanders in 2003 and joined them as an overseas player for the National Cricket League in England debuting against Hampshire.
- For the CAUSE
Dravid is associated with the Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) and actively participates in all their initiatives. Also a UNICEF Supporter, he has given a helping hand for AIDS Awareness Campaign.
16. It’s raining biographies
The man of actions - Dravid has two biographies that dig into his life a little more. Named Rahul Dravid – A Biography, written by Vedam Jaishankar and The Nice Guy Who Finished First written by Devendra Prabhudesai.
Also, a collection of articles, testimonials and interviews related to Dravid was released by ESPNcricinfo following his retirement. The book was titled Rahul Dravid: Timeless Steel.
He has no haters and we can vouch for it. Also, if you know something that we don't know about the birthday boy, please mention in the comments section below.
Happy Birthday, The Wall. It is impossible to imagine a world without you.
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