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Rahul Dravid GALLERY.
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee (R) presents the Padma Bhushan award to former Indian Cricket captain Rahul Dravid during the presentation of the 'Padma Awards 2013' at The Presidential Palace in New Delhi on April 5, 2013. Indian President Mukherjee presented two Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 42 Padma Shree awards to personalities from different professional backgrounds for their contribution to the nation. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee (
Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) Rahul Dravid speaks to the media after his team's loss to the Sussex Sharks during the Emirates Twenty20 cricket match in Dubai March 22, 2013. Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) Rah
Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) Rahul Dravid plays a shot against the Sussex Sharks during their Emirates Twenty20 cricket match in Dubai March 22, 2013. REUTERS/Nikhil Monteiro (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: SPORT CRICKET) TEMPLATE OUT. Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) Rah
Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) Rahul Dravid walks back after being dismissed during their Emirates Twenty20 cricket match against the Sussex Sharks in Dubai March 22, 2012. Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) Rah
Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) Rahul Dravid plays a shot against the Sussex Sharks during their Emirates Twenty20 cricket match in Dubai March 22, 2012. Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC) Rah
Indian Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan (C) and former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid (R) launch the grand opening ceremony of the Toyota University Cricket Championship (TUCC) first match of the season in Mumbai on February 23, 2013. Indian Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Kh
Indian Bollywood film actor Shah Rukh Khan (L) and former Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid attend a press conference on the occasion of the Toyota University Cricket Championship (TUCC) first match of the season in Mumbai on February 23, 2013. Indian Bollywood film actor Shah Ru
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 14: Rahul Dravid speaks during the Sir Don Bradman Oration at the Australian War Memorial on December 14, 2011 in Canberra, Australia. CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 14:
strongJaipur: /strongFormer India captain Rahul Dravid believes that women's cricket still has a long way to go but the BCCI is doing a great job by hosting the World Cup for them and said that cricket facilities had improved across the country. Women's cricket still has a long way to go. The BCCI is doing its bit and encouraging women's cricket in all states. It's a challenge, not easy to bring more girls in cricket. But the development is in process and Indian cricket fraternity is encouraging girls to take cricket, said Dravid after the launch of the book on late former India captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi at the Jaipur Literature Festival here today. India is hosting the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, which is a proud moment for us and it is getting good attention. Competition at all levels in women's cricket has improved a lot and we have a very good team and legendary players, added Dravid. [caption id=attachment_603146 align=alignleft width=380 strongJaipur: /strongFormer India c
strongNew Delhi:/strong Batting great Rahul Dravid and Olympic bronze medallist M C Mary Kom were today named for the prestigious Padma Bhushan Awards, the third highest civilian honour, while six other sports persons figured in the list of Padma Shri awardees. 40-year-old Dravid, one of India's finest batsmen who scored close to 25,000 international runs before announcing his retirement early last year, was chosen for the coveted Padma Bhushan recognition, adding another feather to his already glittering cap. [caption id=attachment_602650 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi:/strong Batting gre
emstrongOn the occasion of Rahul Dravid's 40th birthday, we're republishing an old Tom Alter article originally published on 23 June, 2011. Enjoy./strong/em Like John Wayne in his later films, or maybe the whole team of 'The Misfits, Rahul Dravid fought a lone battle - scarred and wounded, but full of such pride - the angles were not quite there, awkward jabs and quick shuffles abounding - the face under the helmet rounder now, smoother in its fullness, the cheekbones receding into the eyes now - and he is still Rahul Dravid - the Shashi Kapoor to Tendulkar's Amitabh - or, more accurately, the Vinod Khanna - in the second innings of the First Test (what poetry in that phrase), he played the way only a champion can play, only a master, only a true Test batsman - his body leaning one way, his bat the other - a sudden heave over long-on - and finally the ugly swipe which brought the innings to a close. And as I write, the Windies are attacking, and we have a match on our hands - a Test match. But back to Dravid - ten years ago, he was the best in the world at the Test level - fluid, calm, a rock - then the bat began to come down from the slips, the feet became motionless, there were dabs and darts outside that 'wall' of an off-stump- Captaincy followed, with remarkable victories, in faraway places such as the Windies and England... [caption id=attachment_30027 align=alignleft width=380 emstrongOn the occasion of Rahul Dr
Former India captain Rahul Dravid was scathing in his criticism after India's abject surrender in the Kolkata Test, questioning the skill, ability and talent of the players who are representing the country. People talk about attitude and say (the players) don't care because there is too much money in the Indian Premier League. That's one side of things but the main thing is their lack of skill and ability, which is more worrying for me. It raises questions as to the talent and quality of players coming through, Dravid told 'BBC Test Match Special'. One of the challenges India face is that our domestic cricket is not of the quality to allow players to seamlessly move into international cricket. There is a lot of anger among the cricket-crazy Indian fans and the veteran of 164 Tests and 13,288 runs feels that it is absolutely justified. [caption id=attachment_552044 align=alignleft width=380 Former India captain Rahul Dravid w
Rahul Dravid is the consummate diplomat; very rarely will he say something against the players unless he really means it. So it was interesting to watch him pass judgement on Zaheer Khan's performance after the end of the Kolkata Test. I've noticed that usually by the end of a long series, Zaheer is usually not running in and bowling as quickly he can. And that is the difference. We saw Virat Kolhi get out to Steve Finn and there was some reverse swing. But the difference was the pace that Finn was bowling at. The drop in Zaheer's pace isn't much but at this level it's about a few kilometres. If Zaheer had bowled to Virat, I am sure he would have managed to play it. Now, Dravid isn't a hard man but that was just about as harsh as he will ever get. His conclusions were vindicated by the selectors who went ahead and dropped the senior pacemen after a haul of 4 wickets in 3 matches at an average of 53.25 in the current series against England. Now, the selection committee meeting started at 11:30 and went on for a couple of hours. So it was clearly not an easy decision to drop Zaheer ahead of the crucial Nagpur Test but they obviously felt he wasn't doing a good enough job to keep his spot in the team. And for a change, they had the guts to take the decision. [caption id=attachment_551197 align=alignleft width=380 Rahul Dravid is the consummate dipl
Rahul Dravid, usually straight-faced and very serious about his business, seemed to break away from the monotony of his personality and imitate Sachin Tendulkar. [caption id=attachment_537131 align=alignleft width=380 Rahul Dravid, usually straight-face
Former India skipper Rahul Dravid believes there is a href=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/current/video_audio/592193.htmlnothing wrong/a with turning tracks. I have no problem with tracks in India turning. And I felt that the Motera track did turn. Maybe, there wasn't as much bounce as the Indians would have liked. Yes, there will always be turn on sub-continent wickets but I'd like to see wickets that have some bounce and pace as well, said Dravid. Former India coach a href=http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/rarely-is-the-expedient-way-the-best-way/article4116426.eceGreg Chappell/a feels that for India winning at home is no great challenge but the he had hoped that the response to the poor touring record would have been more creative than to deny England practice against spin bowling in the lead-up match and then confront them with spin on a dust bowl. [caption id=attachment_530485 align=alignleft width=380 Former India skipper Rahul Dravid b
Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid received the GQ Legend award during the 'GQ Men of the Year Awards 2012' ceremony in Mumbai on September 30, 2012. Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid recei
Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahul Dravid are two very different batsman. Their approach to batting is similar, but that's where the similarity ends and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. India must not make the mistake of building Pujara into the next Dravid - simply because rather than be the next 'anyone', he can do well enough as himself. By comparing him to any player - past or present, you are burdening him with expectations that are not entirely of his making. Success or failure must be a route that he takes entirely on his own. Anything else will be unfair on a young batsman who has shown himself capable of ensuring that India's cricketing fortunes don't dip too dramatically. [caption id=attachment_428055 align=alignleft width=380 Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahul Dravid
Former India captain Rahul Dravid on Tuesday hoped that Sachin Tendulkar would continue to shoulder responsibility in his and VVS Laxman's absence during the upcoming India-New Zealand series beginning on August 23 in Hyderabad. Sachin has been burdened with responsibility and has been carrying it on his shoulders for the last 16 years. I hope he will continue to do it (in the India-New Zealand series), he told reporters on the sidelines of a function here. On Laxman's retirement, Dravid said the stylish Hyderabad batsman has been a great cricketer for India and it was a privilege and an honour to have played with him. [caption id=attachment_425432 align=alignleft width=380 Former India captain Rahul Dravid o
Watching Rahul Dravid speak about cricket is always a joy. It not only shows how much he knows about the game but also how much he loves it. And now that he has retired, he even smiles a little more. The former Indian skipper, who is also the second highest run-getter in Test cricket, was in Mumbai to release a book 'Timeless Steel', which is a collection of stories about Dravid's amazing career. Excerpts from the interaction between Dravid, Sanjay Manjrekar and Harsha Bhogle. strongOn his obsession with technique/strong There are many who would say that. But look at it this way, I wasn't ever the best striker of the ball or the most talented player in any team. Even in school, while others would strike the ball well, I would struggle. So that was something I had to work very hard at. So yes, to a certain extent I was obsessed but I also felt that I needed to be that way - I was desperate to succeed. But then again, there were points when I felt I went overboard or some senior would come and tell me that I need to smile a little - Srinath and Anil did that a lot. So that was a red flag point for me. But in much the same way - the red flag for a talented stroke-player was that at time, he could become maybe just too casual. strongOn being 'less' talented/strong I guess talent in cricket has been judged in different ways. For us talent always meant someone who could play pretty shots and make it look easy. That was the definition. It was never about determination or mental strength or more such categories. For example, I remember playing a match against Vinod Kambli, who was one of the cleanest strikers of the ball I had ever seen, at Baroda. First ball of the innings, Anil Kumble was bowling and Kambli waltzed down and hit him for six. Baroda, in those days, had a stone wall and I remember watching the ball bounce back into the ground and thinking to myself, 'Wow.' That was talent. But then again, when it came to determination or mental strength, Sachin probably had a lot more in those categories than Kambli. I would probably say that I was probably a little blessed in those categories as well. [caption id=attachment_367408 align=alignleft width=380 Watching Rahul Dravid speak about c
Rahul Dravid enjoyed mentoring the Royals and might be open to a future of coaching. Reuters Rahul Dravid enjoyed mentoring the
KUALA LUMUR, MALAYSIA - JUNE 27: Indian cricket player, Rahul Dravid (R) and former Australian cricket player, David Boon (L) talk to ICC members during the ICC Members' Seminar convened during the ICC Annual Conference held at the Shangri-La Hotel on June 27, 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. KUALA LUMUR, MALAYSIA - JUNE 27: I
KUALA LUMUR, MALAYSIA - JUNE 27: Indian cricket player, Rahul Dravid attends a clinic with local young cricket players as part of the 2012 ICC Annual Conference at Kinrara Oval on June 27, 2012 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. KUALA LUMUR, MALAYSIA - JUNE 27: I
Former Indian cricket team skipper Rahul Dravid explains about temperament in the game of cricket to Malaysian U-16 cricketers during a training clinic in Kuala Lumpur on June 27, 2012. Former Indian cricket team skipper
Former Indian cricket team skipper Rahul Dravid (R) shows batting techniques to the Malaysian U-16 cricketers during a training clinic in Kuala Lumpur on June 27, 2012. Former Indian cricket team skipper
Former Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid (R) speaks to Malaysian U-16 cricketers during a cricket clinic in Kuala Lumpur June 27, 2012. Former Indian cricket captain Rahul
Rahul Dravid entering the hotel, The Lalit, Mumbai on Tuesday and being greeted by hotel staff. Rahul Dravid entering the hotel, Th
Rajasthan Royals Rahul Dravid poses with a cup during the IPL Twenty20 cricket final match, between Chennai Super Kings and Kokatta Knight Riders at The M.A.Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 27, 2012. Rajasthan Royals Rahul Dravid poses