Mention “The Wall” and images of ace cricketer Rahul Dravid comes up. Known for his integrity, professionalism in whatever he embarks on and a cheery disposition, he is admired by youngsters and the old, alike. Last week, the former India captain made headlines when he rejected Bangalore University’s honorary doctorate, and said he would rather earn it by accomplishing some form of academic research in sports.
B. Thimme Gowda, Vice Chancellor of the University was all praise for Dravid and said, “He is a graduate of our university and he conveyed this message with all humility.”
Early years
Rahul was born on January 11, 1973, in Indore. However, his family relocated to Bangalore and he did his schooling at St. Joseph’s Boys High School, and graduated with a degree in commerce from St. Joseph’s College of Commerce. It was while he was pursuing MBA from St. Joseph’s College of Business Administration that he was selected to the national cricket team.
Dravid made his international debut on April 3, 1996, in an ODI against Sri Lanka. However, he initially struggled to make a mark in the ODI format. It was in test cricket that he carved a niche for himself.
Throughout his cricketing career, The Wall, has been known for his technique. Initially, he was known as a defensive batsman and was confined to Test cricket. But, he was dropped from the ODI squad in 1996 during the Sharjah Cup series due to a low strike rate. He worked hard to improve his ODI scores and earned himself the ICC Player of the Year Award in 2004. He has scored 36 centuries in Test cricket which included five double centuries. In one-dayers, he has an average of 39.49, and a strike rate of 71.22. He is one of the few Indians whose Test average is better when away from home, averaging almost five runs more in foreign pitches. He announced his retirement from ODI in September 2011 and from international and first-class cricket in March 2012.
Known for his hard work, dedication, team spirit and humility, Rahul is admired by many. His calm demeanour belied the ferocity with which he would bat when his team required him to do so. In fact, Shane Warne once said, “Rahul Dravid being known as ‘The Wall’ is pretty much spot on. ‘The fortress’ could also describe Rahul because once Dravid was set, you needed the bowling equivalent of a dozen cannons firing all at once to blast him down.”
