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ToggleRahul Dravid’s extraordinary skills and unwavering resilience have etched his name into the illustrious annals of sporting history. Endearingly nicknamed ‘The Wall of Cricket’ Dravid’s unyielding determination and flawless technique transformed him into an immovable force on the pitch.
From his humble beginnings as a promising young talent to his captaincy, leading the Indian cricket team to numerous glorious victories, Dravid’s awe-inspiring journey serves as a profound testament to his unrelenting passion, exceptional composure in high-pressure situations, and unshakeable dedication to the game he holds dear.
Embark with us on an enthralling expedition into the remarkable life of this cricketing legend, delving into the triumphs, obstacles overcome, and the indelible mark left by Rahul Dravid upon the world of cricket. For those who grew up in the 1990s, watching him bat was an absolute delight.
With his prolific run-scoring on the field and his understated, modest and humble personality off the field, Rahul Dravid is more than a legend. He is the real proponent of the ‘Gentleman’s Game’. His genuine smile and stylish shots can are irreplicable. Here is story of the Great Wall of Cricket – Rahul Dravid.
About Rahul Dravid
| Full Name | Rahul Dravid |
| Role | Batsman, Part-time wicket-keeper |
| Place of Birth | Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80m) |
| Rahul Dravid Age | 50 years (11 January 1973) |
| Nickname | The Wall, The Great Wall, Jammy, Mr. Dependable |
| Rahul Dravid Wife | Vijeta Pendharkar |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right arm off break |
| International Runs (ODI) | 10,899 (344) |
| International Runs (Test) | 13,288 (164) |
| FC Runs | 23794 (298) |
| Head Coaching info |
|
| Major Teams Played For | India, Scottish Saltires, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals |
Early life
Rahul at his early life (Source: Divya Marathi)
On January 11, 1973 Maharashtrian parents Sharad Dravid and Pushpa Dravid in Indore, Madhya Pradesh were blessed with a baby boy. His mother Pushpa was a professor of architecture at the Bangalore University. Rahul Dravid studied at St Joseph's Boys' High School in Bengaluru. He completed his graduation in Commerce from St. Joseph's College of Commerce, Bengaluru.
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Love for cricket
Image Source: crickettoday
Rahul's father Sharad was a cricket fan and used to take his two sons to watch cricket matches. That is where Rahul started bringing interest of playing cricket. At the age of 12, Dravid started his cricketing career. At just 15, he represented the Karnataka state team. He was a regular starter for Karnataka at under-17 and under-19 level. Dravid was spotted by the former cricketer Keki Tarapore while he was coaching at a summer camp in the Chinnaswamy Stadium. From here, Dravid never looked back and his love for cricket turned into passion.
Domestic career
Image Source- BBC
Rahul made his debut in the Ranji Trophy in 1991 where he made 82 against Maharashtra. He made his first ton in the Ranji Trophy against Bengal and as a result, he was selected in the South Zone team for Duleep Trophy. Dravid grabbed attention of selectors when he played for India A against England A in 1994-95.
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International cricket
Image Source- MensXP
The domestic performance of Dravid forced Indian officials to select him in the international team. He made his debut in ODIs against Sri Lanka in April 1996. In the same year, Dravid made his debut against England in white jersey. His average was 62.33.
In 1996/1997, Dravid topped the international Test chart score by scoring 852 runs in 12 matches. At the end of 1997/1998, he made fifteen fifties in the 22 test matches.
In 2003 World Cup, he was deputy to Sourav Ganguly. In the same season, the performance of Dravid was excellent where he made three double centuries against Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia. Who can ever forget his innings and long run partnership with VVS Laxman in Australia? Throughout his career, he was extraordinary in Test but he impressed the world in a shorter format too. Dravid was top scorer in the 1999 World Cup (1999), bagging 461 runs.
Rahul Dravid Career Stats
- Batting & Fielding
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 164 | 286 | 32 | 13288 | 270 | 52.31 | 31258 | 42.51 | 36 | 63 | 1654 | 21 | 210 | 0 |
| ODI | 344 | 318 | 40 | 10889 | 153 | 39.16 | 15285 | 71.23 | 12 | 83 | 950 | 42 | 196 | 14 |
| T20I | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 31 | 31.00 | 21 | 147.61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| FC | 298 | 497 | 67 | 23794 | 270 | 55.33 | – | – | 68 | 117 | – | – | 353 | 1 |
| List A | 449 | 416 | 55 | 15271 | 153 | 42.30 | – | – | 21 | 112 | – | – | 233 | 17 |
| T20 | 109 | 101 | 7 | 2586 | 75* | 27.51 | 2271 | 113.87 | 0 | 13 | 311 | 34 | 23 | 0 |
- Bowling
| FORMAT | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 164 | 5 | 120 | 39 | 1 | 1/18 | 1/18 | 39.00 | 1.95 | 120.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ODI | 344 | 8 | 186 | 170 | 4 | 2/43 | 2/43 | 42.50 | 5.48 | 46.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20I | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| FC | 298 | – | 617 | 273 | 5 | 2/16 | – | 54.60 | 2.65 | 123.4 | – | 0 | 0 |
| List A | 449 | – | 477 | 421 | 4 | 2/43 | 2/43 | 105.25 | 5.29 | 119.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20 | 109 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
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Rahul Dravid in IPL
Image Source- India Tv News
Who said, Rahul Dravid couldn't impressed in a shorter format of the game? He was the icon player of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchisee of Bengaluru. Do you remember? He was the highest run scorer for the club in 2008 IPL. Later he played for the Rajasthan Royals. Dravid played total 89 games in the IPL and scored 2174 runs with an average of 28.23 and strike rate of 115.52. He has scored 11 half centuries in the IPL.
IPL Stats
- Batting & Fielding Stats
| YEAR | MAT | NO | RUNS | HS | AVG | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4S | 6S | CT | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 89 | 5 | 2174 | 75* | 28.23 | 1882 | 115.52 | 0 | 11 | 269 | 28 | 18 | 0 |
| 2013 | 18 | 1 | 471 | 65 | 29.43 | 425 | 110.82 | 0 | 4 | 64 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 2012 | 16 | 0 | 462 | 58 | 28.87 | 412 | 112.13 | 0 | 2 | 63 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| 2011 | 12 | 1 | 343 | 66 | 31.18 | 314 | 109.23 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010 | 16 | 2 | 256 | 52 | 28.44 | 199 | 128.64 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 2009 | 13 | 0 | 271 | 66 | 22.58 | 234 | 115.81 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 14 | 1 | 371 | 75* | 28.53 | 298 | 124.49 | 0 | 2 | 35 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
- Bowling
| YEAR | MAT | BALLS | RUNS | WKTS | BBM | AVE | ECON | SR | 4W | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 89 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 |
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Post Retirement
Image Source- The Indian Express
After retirement, Rahul Dravid became the coach of the India U-19 and India A teams. He not only gave the training to the young guns but also polished them. Players like Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill are some of the 'shishyas' of this 'Maha Guru'. The under 19 cricket team who won the World Cup was mentored by Rahul Dravid. Before coaching, he was seen as a commentator at various cricketing events.
In July 2019, after serving as coach for the junior teams for four years, Rahul Dravid assumed the position of Head of Cricket at the esteemed National Cricket Academy (NCA). His responsibilities encompassed a wide range of cricket-related activities, including mentoring, coaching, training, and inspiring players, coaches, and support staff associated with the NCA. During his tenure as NCA’s head, Dravid garnered praise for his efforts in bolstering the senior team and implementing effective fitness and rehabilitation programs for players. This earned him recognition for his significant contributions in improving the overall structure and performance standards of the team.
In November 2021, Rahul Dravid’s exceptional expertise and leadership were acknowledged once again, as he was appointed as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team.
Rahul Dravid recently led India to a World Cup 2024 victory as head coach, but he never won one in any format as a player.
Lesser Known Facts
Image: X
- His father, Sharad Dravid, worked in a company that made jams. That is the reason from where later Rahul got his nickname 'Jimmy'.
- Only handful people know that there is a local cricket tournament at the school level named after him. The 'Jammy Cup' is held in Bengaluru and the man-of-the-match gets the trophy of 'Jammy of the Day.'
- Dravid played hockey before he took to cricket.
- At 13, he started to cry after he got out because he valued his wicket so much.
- When India had a long lay-off in 2003, Dravid used that time to play for Scotland in the summer.
- When Rahul was born, India and England were playing in Chennai and his father was listening on the radio.
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Family
Image: Javatpoint
Rahul Dravid was born on 11 January 1973, to Sharad Dravid and Pushpa Dravid. Although was born in Madhya Pradesh, Rahul's family later shifted to Bangalore, where he did his schooling and graduation.
Rahul is married to Vijeta Pendharkar in 2003. Vijeta is a doctor by profession. Both their fathers knew each other for over 35 years. They became friends and over the years it grew strong. Their parents later fixed their marriage in Nagpur, the hometown of Pendharkar.
Rahul Dravid Net Worth
According to reports, Dravid’s net worth is estimated to be around $40 million, which is approximately Rs. 320 crores in Indian currency. Dravid owns multiple brands of automobile namely Mercedes Benz, BMW, Hyundai, etc. He resides in a house located at Indira Nagar, Bengaluru. Some of the brands he’s endorsed over the years include Reebok, Pepsi, Kissan, Castrol, Hutch, Karnataka Tourism, Max Life, Bank of Baroda, Citizen, Skyline Construction, Sansui, Gillette, and Samsung.
Awards
- Arjuna Award recipient for achievements in cricket (1998)
- CEAT International Cricketer of the World Cup (1999)
- Dravid was one of the five cricketers selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year (2000)
- ICC Cricketer of the year - the Highest award in the ICC listings (2004)
- Padma Shri - India’s fourth highest civilian award (2004)
- ICC Test Player of The Year (2004)
- Captain of the ICC’s Test Team (2006)
- NDTV Indian of the Year’s Lifetime Achievement Award with Dev Anand (2011)
- Don Bradman Award with Glenn McGrath (2012)
- Padma Bhushan - India’s third highest civilian award (2013)
- Wisden India’s Highest Impact Test Batsman (2015)
- ICC Hall of Fame (2018)
FAQs
- When is Rahul Dravid’s birthday?
11 January 1973
- Why did Rahul Dravid play for Scotland?
Rahul Dravid, the former captain of India, played 12 National Cricket League (NCL) games for Scotland following the 2003 ODI World Cup.
- Rahul Dravid is from which state?
Madhya Pradesh, India.
- How much is Rahul Dravid’s salary?
Rahul Dravid, the former head coach of the Indian cricket team, was paid almost ₹12 crore annually.
- Will Rahul Dravid continue as coach?
Rahul Dravid is scheduled to return to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) as head coach ahead of the 2025 IPL season.