Earlier this week, MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina hung their boots. Tributes flew from all over the world, cricketers from different countries, and fans on Twitter.
This week on Twitter Special, we did a #FirstMemory reflecting on our first memory of MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina respectively.
Here are some of the responses we have received so far. Enjoy the ride and comment below on your own #FirstMemory of Dhoni and Raina.
“My first memory of MS DHONI which i can recall very fondly is…that Innings against Sri Lanka at Jaipur…I remember after returning from school…”
“I saw the scorecard of the Sri Lanka batting..it read as 298 runs after 50 overs…those days it was a massive total.. Everyone had the hopes that Sachin & Sehwag duo can change the things for India..As Indian Innings got underway..Sachin was dismissed in the very first over..”
“By Vaas after scoring 2 runs…it couldn’t have a been worse start than this…then walks MS DHONI in at number 3..We have seen what he can do against Pak at Vizag..but can he deliver under immense pressure in a massive run Chase…he started his Innings in blazing fashion..”
“Hitting Vaas over extra cover for 2 massive sixes…i was Literally amazed how easily he’s hitting those out of the park..then it was all MS show from there on…Smashed Farvez Maharoof for four just straight over the Umpires head…that was brute power..I tell you..”
“He was hitting sixes with ease…bashed Upul Chandana all over the ground…hitting 10 sixes in an Innings those days were massive massive achievement..when he hit that winning six against Dilshan…whole India knew…this man is special.. he’s not afraid of the runs.”
“No pressure during run-chase..calm cool & composed…and he’s having the brute power..on his day he can murder any bowling line-up..from that day..I always wanted to see MS bat..as the time passed..his legacy continued to grow..and now as he has bid aideu to this game..”
“Only one thing I can say is…there can’t be another MS DHONI..the void will be always there…”He was once a generation player”
“my first fond memory of msd was during the Pakistan series when Pervez Musharraf who was Pak president appreciated him and told him to keep the hairstyle. For Raina its not a particular match but his fielding stood out very early”
4. Vandit
“It was about a month later [of Dhoni’s 183], when we visited India, and my grandparents had saved some newspaper cuttings from that ODI series. I went through all of the newspapers, and this Dhoni innings stood out (India won that series 6-1 so it was hard for one thing in particular to stand-out).
“I remember adding up the number of runs he made from boundaries and realising he made as many runs from sixes as from fours (unheard of at the time). But I only thought of him as a wicketkeeper batsman and would never have imagined the impact he would eventually have with his captaincy.”
“Coming on to Raina…his first memory which i can recall is his match Winning Innings against England at Faridabad in 2006… India were chasing 230 odd runs and We were at 92/5..then MS & Raina joined in the Middle…MS played the supporting role to Raina in that game…”
“Very fluently Raina took the attack to the English bowlers…on his day Raina was a pure match winner in the shorter formats..and that was his day..that day he announced to the World Cricket that a guy from UP is going to be a hero in the future…he made 81* in that game…”
“And took India to a victory in that tough run Chase…till 2008..his place in the side was not fixed..after that Asia Cup in 2008..where he tonked then second fastest hundred by an Indian against Hong Kong..he was a permanent member in the side…”
“That was my #FirstMemory of those two legends..hope you enjoyed reading this…Thanks mate…”
@ImRaina “I remember the day when you scored your first century (2008), I was 7 years old ……when u got out I write your name in my hand and keep telling everyone that Raina hits a hundred #firstmemory. Thanks for the millions of memories u gave us to celebrate.” #rainaretires
That is all from this week! Share your own #FirstMemory or #BrokenDreams in the comments below! And as always, share with your friends, subscribe, and follow us on Twitter!
Few batsmen score over 10000 runs with an average above 50 in ODI cricket. Fewer still contribute 444 dismissals as wicket-keeper. Hardly anyone can be credited with captaining teams to World Cup victories in T20s and ODIs, No.1 Test ranking, and multiple IPL championships. [1]
MS Dhoni did all three.
After Martin Guptill’s run-out of Dhoni that effectively ended India’s World Cup dreams in 2019, Dhoni’s retirement was on everyone’s mind. Will he? Won’t he?
A year on down in times of COVID-19, MS Dhoni delivered the news in classic MS Dhoni style—in a subdued Instagram post. Shortly thereafter, his partner in crime, Suresh Raina, joined in retirement on Twitter.
Thala and Chinna Thala, or leader and juinor leader, as they are known in Chennai, MS Dhoni and SK Raina were synonymous with the Indian 2011 world cup winning team and numerous CSK victories. We look back at the illustrious careers of this dynamic duo, Dhoni and Raina—the stalwarts of Indian cricket team over the past decade and a half.
The Stats
Raina and Dhoni both hailed from small towns in Ghaziabad and Ranchi respectively. Their rapid rise to international cricket is an inspirational story with hardwork and overcoming obstacles. In Dhoni’s case, the story captured by the late-Sushant Singh Rajput in M.S. Dhoni – The Untold Story.
Both Dhoni and Raina were multi-dimensional cricketers. While the Indian team revolved around Dhoni’s finishing ability, wicket-keeping skills, and captain cool nature, it was Raina’s fielding and off-spin that provided the team balance. Here are brief snippets of their statistics:
ODI: 5615 runs, 35.51 average, best of 116*, strike rate 93.5, 36 wickets
T20I: 1605 runs, 29.18 average, best of 101, strike rate of 134.67, 13 wickets
Test: 768 runs, 26.48 average, best of 120, 13 wickets
Although the numbers do not convey everything, Dhoni’s 50+ average and 84 not-outs reveals why he was considered the best finisher of the generation. As long as Mahi is there at the end, India was still in the game.
While Dhoni was India’s finisher, Suresh Raina was India’s insurance policy. If the top-order needed support, Raina was there. Jitters in the middle order? Raina was there. Need to score quick runs and accelerate? Raina was there. His consistently high strike rates reflect how good he was at reading situations and executing accordingly.
The legendary trio of Yuvi-Mahi-Raina rescued India on numerous occasions from dire situations.
My First Memory
My first memory of MS Dhoni in international cricket that caught my eye…did not actually involve watching Dhoni at all. I was on a road trip when an India-Sri Lanka ODI match was taking place.
We were listening to the commentary on a patchy radio station and checking the scores via paid text messages with spotty networks (yep, those days). The new kid on the block was promoted to No.3. Next thing you knew, he started to hit it out of the park.
He scored some runs, and then some more. The network disappeared and came back again. More sixes, more fours. Network out, back again. Eventually, with boundaries galore, India successfully chased 299 (which in 2005 was a huge score). Dhoni 183 not out.
Similarly, my first Suresh Raina memory did not actually involve his batting. Or his bowling. Or his catching. It was the one and only time I have ever seen a wicket by obstructing the field to Inzamam Ul-Haq.
That incident caught my eye. Like Mohammad Kaif, another captain from Uttar Pradesh before him, Suresh Raina was a marvelous fielder at backward point.
The Championships
MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina were pillars of India’s ascent to the top between 2007 and 2013. An era that started with MSD captaining a bunch of unknown youngsters to the 2007 World T20 finals (although Raina was not in that team) and extending till the 2016 T20 world cup.
Victories at the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup at home, 2013 Champions Trophy along with semi-finalists at the 2015 ODI and 2016 T20 world cups. Not a bad record, I would say.
Even though Suresh Raina made his name in ODI cricket, he had an impact in each format. With a century on Test debut in Sri Lanka and a century in the 2010 World T20, he was the first Indian to score centuries in all three formats.
The Highlights
There are several records and victories associated with these two, but what highlights of Dhoni and Raina will I remember the most? I will remember:
MSD’s glovework was second to none. Whether it is lightning-fast stumpings, between the legs-run out, the DRS calls, or that last ball run-out in the T20 World Cup, he redefined wicket-keeping.
The trademark helicopter shots, that 91* in the World-Cup final, finishing off with a six for a fun. And finally, out of nowhere, in a middle of the test series in 2014, the retirement in Australia.
And Raina? For me, personally, I will remember his hoicks over mid-wicket and his absurd 87 off 25 in IPL 2014 Qualifiers. The best IPL innings of all time in my opinion. Regardless,
The beauty of a great Suresh Raina innings is you remember the impact, not the score.
More often then not, Raina was unbeaten at the end. Raina’s 34*(28) and 36*(39) in the quarter-finals and semi-finals chases were just as important as Gambhir’s 97 or Dhoni’s 91 in the final.
The Legacy
But every good thing has to come to an end, right? Dhoni’s distinguished career had to end anti-climatically with a run-out. Raina, marred by injury issues, retired at the age of 33, only playing 3 ODIs after the age of 29, when batsmen are usually at the prime.
Their legacy though would be determined by their partnership. MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina remind me of the movie, Ratatouille. Okay, let me explain.
Both of them, were great cricketers in their own right. Together, though, they were like cheese and strawberry.
Combined together, something really special was created.
As dependable finishers in the middle-order, one of the best runners-in-between the wickets, wicket-keeper and off-spin bowling partners, or as captain and #3 batsman at CSK as Thala and Chinna Thala, it was their partnerships together that made this journey memorable.
It is only fitting that they retire from international cricket together. Let us sit back nicely and watch them in the IPL while we can for a few more days.
The Videos:
To conclude, here is are some nice videos by the ICC and Cricket Australia on Dhoni and Raina:
What were your favorite Dhoni and Raina memories? Comment below, share, and subscribe! If you like to read more about cricketing heroes, check out our tribute to Rahul Dravid.
We all dreamt of playing sports as kids—whether it was cricket, football, basketball, or tennis. Bat in hand, the sun shining & wind blowing, crowd roaring. You know the feeling.
But then…life happens. We can all relate.
Five years ago, I asked a simple question on Twitter: “What was your broken cricket dream?”
Since then, replies have kept coming in. Stories of talent that never got a chance. Coaches who looked the other way. Family duties that took priority, and injuries that refused to heal. Some stories might be hilarious. Others cut deep.
This is a space for them. For the dreamers who almost made it. For the ones who never got their shot.
Who knows, maybe by sharing these stories and looking back, some deep down wounds can be healed. We can find a little closure or at least remind each other that we weren’t alone.
In any case, sit back, enjoy, and comment below on your broken dreams stories!
“Made 3rd grade as an 18-year old, despite a shortened season due to a stress fracture in my foot. So, was looking forward to the next season, until a badly torn hamstring and regular injuries resulted in me having to stop playing.” #BrokenDreams
“It was during the first year in college. After training hard for 6 months, didn’t get picked in the squad due to politics and favoritism.” #Brokendreams
“Didn’t realize my love for basketball until later in high school. Missed playing on team and missed watching so much of 2000s Lakers/Spurs/Celtics. Missed out on prime AI, Kobe, KG, Tim, Shaq, Yao, Nash, and T-Mac.”#Brokendreams
6. M. Borrie
“My broken dream in cricket, can’t bat, bowl, or field! Just sticking to the spectator seat for the summer of cricket! NZ playing continue to play great cricket. Test matches, ODIs, T20s – now good at all of them!”
“Giving up a team and club I loved to work in the mines so I could afford to pay for my education. By the time I came back to the game, my youthful talents were gone.”
8. Michael Higgitt
“As along in the tooth player now. Remember back in 1984 batting in a league match and racing along to 73 with many overs to spare then the opposition opening bowler bowled be a bouncer which got big on me and I holed out to midwicket. That was my best score never got a ton in many years playing. That ball haunts me to this day. Ha ha.”
“…watching that Hamphire team that came to visit us in 76 or 77 and being in awe of how good of the likes of Richards, Greenidge and Marshall and the even the lesser mortals were – then figured out that this 10 yr old wasn’t likely to play cricket for a living after all …I’m still trying to figure out what I am going to do when I grow up nearly 50 years later.”
9. Elliot Roberts
“98 and getting out to worst ball of the innings.”
10. Phil Hayes
“Too many to mention. One particularly galling moment was being put on to bowl, and watching my captain drop the easiest catch in cricketing history. Then he took me of!!!”
11. Jamie Gibbons
“I took 8 wickets. It was only after the match someone pointed out to me that the 2 I didn’t get were both dropped off my bowling. Another dropped catch a year or two later cost me a second hat-trick in 3 weeks. I hate fielders, usually second slip in my case.”
12. Anwar Rizwi
“After a few successful seasons at club level as a leg spinning all rounder I had aspirations to move up to county level. Had trials with a county 2nd XI and the coach said I had a suspect bowling action. Aside from the disappointment of not getting through the trials it had a massive knock on effect on my confidence and I was never the same bowler again.”
“For me it was being selected for the county first team, then the game being rained off without a ball being bowled, and not selected again…“
14. Mark Bury
“Too many to mention, I probably need a mentor or a senior player or coach in my days in grade cricket, but still playing and enjoying it in my 60s.”
“Ironically enough, now I am 62 years of age, and I open the batting for a different county’s disabled cricketing team – the Berkshire Stags. Strange considering I always used to be a bowler rather than a batsman.”
15. Ubaid Shaikh
“Losing the semi to Australia in 1987. I started taking interest back then at a tender age. I cried like anything.”
16. Tony Amos
“1995 I was Snaresbrook 2nd XI Captain. My best season with the bat but we ultimately lost out on the league title by one point to Ilford Catholics. Tough to take.“
17. Neil Matthews
“Many years ago when I realised that I’d never be a fast bowler. Opening bowler for my club, got to play at a reasonable league level, always trained hard, and could be quite sharp at times. A 16 year old lad joined our club, no coaching, ambled in to bowl and was at least a yard quicker than me without looking like he was trying! Beautiful natural action, that ‘whip’ in his wrist. I often look back and think if he’d had my work ethic (I desperately wanted to be quick) or I’d had his talent/fast twitch muscle fibres one of us could have gone further. But that we it for me, I realised at that moment that you can’t put in what god left out!”
18. Craig Lawn
“Run out for 99 after only one fielder appealed. My so called teammate thought it would be funny to give me out.”
19. Dan Trace
“Tapped my bat in an innings where I was seeing the ball like a beach ball, coming off a season where I’d averaged 50+ (regional cricket, so nothing special but good for me) the previous season, but had injured myself in the off season (badly, but not surgery badly). I tapped my bat and my shoulder dislocated again, it literally fell out of the joint.
That was the end of me basically being any sort if influential cricketer at any level. Took 4 years to get back into it and was never the same, but enjoyed a few more seasons before focusing on other pursuits “
20. Scott Strain
“Waiting for my first Ashes in Sydney. Being caught up in traffic and arriving at my seat in the SCG half an hour late to find England 23-5. Day ruined before it started!”
21. Alistair Robson
“Losing the semifinal in Barclays national school tournament, 1980’s, after becoming area and regional winners. A certain Gary Palmer, son of umpire Ken, did for us. I’m quite proud he didn’t get me out, but that’s partly because I was bowled by a grass cutter for 4 at the other end. Still, great memories.”
22. Cameron Hall
“Churchie 3rds 1982 v Toowoomba Grammar. Probably field 2 or 3 on the top of the mountain. To win for the blue & grey, Catch goes up and down at cow corner. Long trip back to oaklands parade!!”
23. Steve Carrington
“Given out lbw last ball of the innings after batting for 30 overs to save match. Padding up to a poor ball which was pitching a good ft outside leg stump. Even their keeper admitted it wasn’t out.”
24. Jamie Mcdonald
“When I realised at 30 that my knees were hurting so bad after every match, I couldn’t play anymore.”
25. Nickolas Marko Cindric
“48 no against the sheep violators at Wangary, boys failed to notify me,as I wailed my mates suburb SS Jumbo like a thrashing machine, been demoted by the skipper to number 9, had to flex the levers.”
26. Steve Rogerson
“Going to Old Trafford in 1983 to watch England v India in the World Cup semi final. I was 13 and we got hammered.”
27. Andrew Wilkinson
“Day 5 of the Ashes at Old Trafford in 2023, and my 58th birthday. England hot favourites to win and a very good chance we would have then gone onto win the Ashes. In true Manchester fashion, it rained all day!”
And Luke sums it up perfectly.
27. Luke Grogan
“For many, there’s a million heartbreaks in cricket at different times.
It only lasts a short time. Then the next season, you’re straight back on that pitch; ground or with your clubmates – getting geared up for another crack!
A negative moment in cricket never breaks you. It just puts you on the back foot, to reassess where you’re at – and move forward.”
Gaurav Trivedi: “…cricket over the weekends is something that gives me sanity and keeps me away from breaking down under difficult situations. Cricket is love.”
If you have such stories you want to share, send them in!
I hope you had a laugh or even a tear drop. Maybe we all could not become professional sports players. Maybe just a random cricket blogger or a fan (me). Or chose another profession-engineer and artists, or doctors and musicians, or started our own business.
But that is completely okay! We should not have regrets.
Everyone has his or her own journey, and we should appreciate life just as it is. Just look back, smile, and enjoy the small moments.
Anyway, send in your stories, and we will publish it on your next iteration of Twitter Specials: Broken Dreams. Follow us on twitter, please subscribe below to our blog, and share along!
If you like this content and want to support the author, please consider buying Power Play: 10 Life Lessons from the Sport of Cricket: Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21.
Who do you think is the most stylish batsman of the century? Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting, or the Fab 5?
Let’s have some fun today. Instead of just picking 11 today, we will pick an entire squad of 15 members with 7 reserves, similar to the guidelines for the COVID-19 bio-security bubble age.
Today’s Twist – Most Stylish Batsman:
Pick a squad of 22 members, where each player plays the best of a certain shot. The constraint is that you can only pick 1 player per shot. Who would you pick for the best cover drive, the best square cut, etc.? Note, we only pick players from the past 25 years for the current iteration.*
The Catch:
Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli was all over twitter this past week, but who do you think plays the best cover drive? For someone like Sachin Tendulkar who has all the shots in the game, if you were to only pick one, which shot would it be?
Almost all shots are linked next to a video, so have fun watching some of our favorite shots!
Which players would you pick? Which is your favorite video?
Who is the most stylish batsman in your opinion? Comment below with some of your favorite videos, share, and don’t forget to subscribe!
Well, that is it for right now. Stay tuned for more coming up later this week!
Sources: Youtube (Videos), cricket.com.au
*The article has been edited to only include the players of the recent past for the current iteration. We will do a sequel to this article considering players from earlier eras in our future iterations.
At the 2019 Cricket World Cup (CWC) held in England, all 10 teams played against each other. In the 29th match at Manchester, New Zealand faced the mighty West Indies. Until that point of the tournament, West Indies had won 1, lost 3, and 1 no-result. New Zealand, on the other hand, were unbeaten with 4 wins and 1 no-result. With each team having 4 games in hand, the tournament was still wide open.
The Moment:
Chasing 291, West Indies collapsed to 164-7.
Comes in Carlos Brathwaite. Remember his name? Braithwaite and the tail launches a remarkable comeback. Twists and turns, wickets fall, spectators at the edge of their seats.
Brathwaite hits 3 consecutive sixes in the 48th over. Brathwaite scores his maiden ODI century. Brathwaite can do no wrong.
Brathwaite’s dream is alive. One wicket left, West Indies need 6 off 7 balls, Brathwaite on strike. Surely, it is their game now…
What Actually Happened:
The dynamic duo of Brathwaite and commentator, Ian Bishop, from that 2016 T20 World Cup final are back together. Jimmy Neesham runs it and bowls a short ball, Brathwaite heaves, and Trent Boult is near the boundary. (Yes, the same Trent Boult who would later do this in the Final). All you can see is the ball in the blue sky.
Ball comes down. Gravity happens. Boult catches it. West indies 286-10. New Zealand win with an over to spare.
Ian Bishop exclaims, “New Zealand win! The dream is diminished for Carlos Brathwaite here in Manchester!”
This is the turning point of the tournament. New Zealand go to the top the table. They qualify for the semi finals due to net run-rate despite losing 3 against Pakistan, England, and Australia. West Indies lose momentum and would eventually crash out at 9th place.
Carlos Brathwaite: The Dream Is Diminished
Just Imagine:
If Carlos Brathwaite had managed to hit the ball a yard further, or if Boult had lost his balance, what would have happened?
48.6 – Neesham to Brathwait, SIX!
Has he done it? Yes! Boult tips the ball over the boundary at long on for six. West Indies wins.
The Consequence:
West Indies wins, joins the middle-muddle in the Points Table, and sprints to the semi-finals. New Zealand lose momentum and fail to qualify for the semi-finals.
It is England vs West Indies in the finals. Stokes batting vs Brathwaite bowling final over—a reversal of fortunes from 2016. Stokes attempts to take his revenge. 15 needed from 6.
49.1 – Six, 49.2 – Six. He wants to finish with 3 sixes and complete the revenge.
49.3 – OUT! One shot too many. Still 3 needed from 3.
49.4 – 1, 49.5 – 0, 49.6 – Run OUT!
West Indies win by one run! West Indies have won by the barest of margins. By the barest of all margins.
Brathwaite’s dream is realized. Carlos Brathwaite is the Man of the Match. He is hailed as the best all-rounder of the century. Stokes is dropped from the England squad. Eoin Morgan plays out the rest of his career for Ireland.
Jofra Archer returns to the Barbados. He spearheads the West Indies attack.
West Indies returns to its glory days.
YouTube Link:
From Remember the Name to Diminished Dream
Inspired by Conversations with Vandit Trivedi and ESPNCricinfo’s Alternate Universe series.
Rahul Dravid, the Wall as he is affectionately known, has been my cricketing hero—my role model for as long as I can remember.
My favorite memory of the great Indian legend—Rahul Dravid, was when he carried his bat in England at The Oval. In that series, when all the chips were down, he fought for the team until the very end.
At the end of his career, it was a reminder of what he stood for. Today I discuss my favorite Rahul Dravid memories and what he taught me.
My First Memory of Rahul Dravid
My first memory of watching cricket was Dravid’s roar and fist celebration in that famous 2003 Adelaide victory with a trademark square cut to Stuart MacGill after scoring 233 and 72*. Early next year, the 2004 ODI series versus Pakistan sealed my love for cricket and my awe for the dashing wicket-keeper batsman with sunglasses, as his image was in those days.
Before we get into the philosophy, let us get the stats out of the way.
164 Test Matches and 344 ODIs, 48 international centuries, a 17 year international career, over 10,000 runs in each format
Holds the world record for the most number of catches in Test matches
Most balls played in a Test career (31,258)
Indian Team captain (Led them to first Test victory in South Africa along with series victories in West Indies and England. Also was the captain during India’s 2007 World Cup).
Holds the Test record for most number of runs in a partnerships (6921 with Sachin Tendulkar)
With VVS Laxman, Dravid shared a 376-run partnership (2001) & 303-run partnership (2003), both vs Australia
Dravid in England
In England, his record even more stellar:
Dravid’s first international match was a Test match in Lord’s against England, where he made 95, missing his century by just five runs (He would eventually get on the Lord’s Honours Boards fifteen years later in 2011).
Twice Man of the Series (with 3 tons each) – 2002 and 2011
Test series win as a captain – 2007
On the other end of the spectrum in limited overs cricket:
After Dravid retired as a player, he tried commentary and coaching. Well, the commentary stint did not last that long. As a coach, Dravid took over as a player-mentor with the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2014 and later with the Delhi Daredevils.
The Under-19 & NCA Stint
National recognition in the coaching setup came when Dravid was selected as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and the Under-19/A Teams. This is where Rahul Dravid had the most success as a coach. Training the next generation of Indian cricketers, helping them technically & mentally, and giving them confidence was what India needed at the time. Additionally, setting up A tours paid India dividends with the future overseas Test victories.
The rise of Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw & the contributions of Shardul Thakur & Washington Thakur in the historic Gabba Test could be traced back to this stint.
After India crashed from defeat in the first round of the 2021 T20 World Cup, Dravid was handed over the reins as the coach of the national side. Rohit Sharma replaced Virat Kohli as captain.
During the year, several players were given opportunities, a change of mindset was promised and even delivered. However, inconsistency in selection, multiple captains, overkill of cricket, injuries, & inability to play modern-day T20 cricket meant India crashed out in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal against England.
So, how can we judge Dravid’s coaching career so far? Not great, not bad, somewhere in the middle. Sort of like his captaincy career.
The Legacy
Numbers aside, it was how he carried himself on and off the field that shone through. Whether it was the ability to contribute to victories in tough overseas conditions, the consistency throughout his career, or the adaptability to suit the needs of the team, Dravid was always there. Opening the batting, donning the gloves to accommodate an extra batsman, stepping away for the youngsters in the 2007 T20 World Cup, and even bowling handy off-spin, he was a perfect team player.
Navjot Singh Sidhu summarized it perfectly, “Rahul Dravid is a player who would walk on broken glass if his team asks him to.”
Even in tough phases of his career, examples of perseverance and resilience were aplenty, like his 40-ball stay for a single against Australia. During days of batting collapses, or in the case of the 2011 tour of England- an entire series of collapses, we could depend on him. Grinding opposition bowlers down, building partnerships after partnerships, and staying in the game were his forte. For the highlight reels, his innings may not be the most flamboyant, but probably the most essential. As they say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
Off the field, mentoring youngsters in the U-19, India A, or the IPL, delivering the Don Bradman Oration lecture, being an example of Fair Play as Rajasthan Royals’ captain, and avoiding controversies, Dravid’s genuine and graceful demeanor complemented his skills on the ground.
The combination of perseverance and resilience, determination and discipline, as well as humility and team-before-self attitude — that is what Rahul Dravid has taught me.
What We Can Learn from Rahul Dravid?
Challenges will come throughout life, but as long as we have the determination to face and overcome the obstacles, things will be get better. Giving up is not an option, but improving is. We should always strive for excellence without sacrificing morals. Even if we do succeed in achieving our goals once or twice, that is not enough. Being consistent with the process, adapting with time, repeating the good and learning from the bad, that is what matters. In the long run, the results do not matter as much as the journey. Finally, regardless if we are a member of a company, a leadership group, a sports team, or a band, interests of the team always outweigh individual glory.
These lessons can be applied to any aspect of life, not just cricket, and that for me is why Rahul Dravid is my cricketing role model.
I will leave you with some of my favorite quotes on Rahul Dravid:
“If you really want to see aggression, look into Dravid’s eyes”—Matthew Hayden
“The wolf who lived for the pack” — Harsha Bhogle
“If you can’t get along with Dravid, you’re struggling in life”—Brett Lee
Rahul Dravid – Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rahul Dravid?
Rahul Dravid was an Indian cricketer and is Team India’s current men’s head coach. From 1996-2013, he was India’s top batters. He is arguably India’s Best #3 batter, scored in numerous important overseas victories, and served as India’s captain.
What is the middle name of Rahul Dravid?
Rahul Dravid’s middle name is Sharad. His full name is Rahul Sharad Dravid.
When did Rahul Dravid retire?
Rahul Dravid announced his retirement from international cricket in 2013. He retired from T20Is and ODIs in the horror series against England in 2011. He continued to play Test cricket, but retired after the tour of Australia in the next year. Finally, Rahul Dravid retired from T20 league after Champions League 2014, when he captained the Rajasthan Royals.
Why is Rahul Dravid called the Wall?
Rahul Dravid is called the ‘Wall’ due to his ability to survive tough sessions for long periods. Dravid has been the architect of several of India’s key overseas victories – Headingly 2002, Adelaide 2013, Rawalpindi 2004, Kingston 2006, and the disastrous England tour of 2011 (where India lost 0-4). Overall, Rahul Dravid faced 31,258 balls in Test cricket, more than any cricketer in history.
How many balls did Rahul Dravid play in international cricket?
Rahul Dravid played a mammoth total of 46,591 balls in international cricket (31,285 Test, 15,285 ODI, and 21 T20I)
Which IPL teams did Rahul Dravid play for?
Rahul Dravid played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2008-2010 and the Rajasthan Royals from 2011-2014.
Did Rahul Dravid play for Scotland?
Yes, Rahul Dravid represented Scotland as an overseas player. He played for Scotland in the national Cricket League against teams like Hampshire, Scotland, Lancashire, etc.
What are Rahul Dravid’s nicknames?
Dravid has had a couple of nicknames, The Wall and Jammy.
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