Happy Birthday Rahul Dravid: A look at some interesting facts about India head coach

If cricket is considered to be the ‘gentlemen’s game’, former India cricketer Rahul Dravid, for sure, does justice to the moniker. A perfect combination of composure, class and technique, Dravid has undoubtedly defined an entire era of Indian cricket. He made his debut for India in an ODI against Sri Lanka in 1996. Though he failed to produce anything special in that game, it was just the beginning of his long journey in the sport. Finally, the Indore boy donned the whites in a high-voltage Test against England at the iconic Lord’s where the world witnessed “The Wall” of cricket for the first time. It took exactly 267 balls for the English bowlers to break it. However, Dravid headed to the pavilion with much disappointment as the right-handed batter fell just 5 runs short of his maiden century. Soon he established himself as India’s “Mr Dependable”. Dravid, now the head coach of the Men in Blue, celebrates his 50th birthday today. Let’s mark this special occasion with some interesting yet lesser-known facts about the former cricketer:

• Born on 11 January 1973, Dravid grew up in a Marathi Brahmin family. His father Sharad Dravid used to work in a Kissan jam factory. Thus, Dravid was fond of having jam for which he was later nicknamed “Jammy.” Later, he joined hands with Kissan and starred in an advertisement that gained immense popularity in early 2000. A local school tournament in Bengaluru was also named after him. The player of each match during the “Jammy Cup” takes home the title- “Jammy of the Day.”
• Always being recognised as a Test specialist, Dravid left no stone unturned as he demonstrated his skill in the limited-over format later in his career. In a 1999 ODI against New Zealand, he played an exceptional knock of 153 runs, laced with 15 boundaries and 2 sixes.
• Four years later on 15 November 2003, Dravid met the Kiwis in another 50-over battle during a tri-series, TVS Cup. In that game, the wicketkeeper-batter came out all guns blazing and reached his fifty in just 22 deliveries. It is still the second-fastest half-century scored by an Indian batter, after ex-cricketer Ajit Agarkar. Throughout his career, Dravid appeared in 334 ODIs and amassed a total of 10,889 runs becoming the fourth-highest ODI run-getter for India.
• With a hundred against West Indies in a 2002 Test, Dravid became the only Indian batter to record a century in four consecutive Test innings. Earlier, he had smashed three tons during the England tour.
• Dravid bid adieu to the sport on the same day when he played his first-ever T20 International in 2011 against England at Manchester’s Old Trafford. He concluded the innings with 31 runs and announced his retirement just after the match. This is the only instance where a cricketer’s debut and retirement fall on the same date- 31 August.
• Dravid received a special honour in December 2012 when the Bradman Oration was bestowed upon him at the War Memorial in Canberra. He is still the non-Australian cricketer to have received the coveted award. At this ceremony, cricketers from all across the globe celebrate the reputable career of Australia great Don Bradman.
• In 2014, Dravid kicked off his coaching career as a mentor of IPL side Rajasthan Royals, the team in which he played as a skipper earlier. He was also assigned as the mentor of Delhi Daredevils for the 2016 and 2017 IPL seasons. Then, he was appointed as the coach of the Indian U19 side. Under his guidance, India U19 lifted the World Cup in 2018. Additionally, a number of promising cricketers like Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw came to light during his tenure. In 2021, he took charge of the senior team and still continues in that role.

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