8 Cricketers Who Owe Rahul Dravid For Their Career Transformation

Amazing cricketers such as Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Steve Smith, and others have grabbed our minds and won numerous matches in the profession. But there are a few handfuls who have stood unconditionally for the entire squad, and Rahul Dravid is one of them.

Dravid’s talents, athleticism, and leadership are unrivalled. He is known as ‘The Wall’ and ‘Wolf.’ Dravid, who came from a modest family, experienced several hurdles during his career, which he met with sportsmanship and outstanding achievements. Throughout his career, he demonstrated why he deserved to be the cricket team captain by being ‘Mr. Dependable.’

He is now the head coach of the Indian Cricket team. But do you know why initially declined this post? It was when he was given the position of national cricket coach, that Rahul Dravid initially declined, claiming he had “unfinished business” with the U-19 squad.

That’s the kind of dedication we tend to associate with his character. Dravid has an uncanny ability to locate those who want his assistance the most. Here’s a list of players or coaches who have publicly stated that Dravid helped them resurrect their careers. Have a look at them:

1. Pravin Tambe

Pravin Tambe, the player who is making the most headlines right now, should certainly be first on the list because Rahul Dravid practically single-handedly ensured his spot in the Rajasthan Royals squad in 2013. Dravid sensed potential in the then 41-year-old cricketer, whose life tale is now a film.

Not to take anything away from Pravin, but Dravid not only fought for his inclusion, but he also used his memorable speech to tell his narrative to millions of people, which is featured in Pravin’s biopic.

2. Younis Khan

Younis Khan, a valuable member of the Pakistan cricket squad, has also stated that Dravid is responsible for his improvement. The Indian legend taught him many vital batting lessons, cementing his status as the team’s number third hitter. Younis said in an interview regarding the same thing:

“Dravid was a top-class professional and one of the greats of the modern era and I learnt from him.”

Younis, like Rahul, has been named Pakistan’s U-19 coach.

3. John Wright

From 2000 to 2005, John served as India’s coach, and he credits Dravid for greatly assisting him throughout that period. He mentioned in an interview, saying,

“I owe a lot to Rahul. He helped me a great deal during my tenure as coach of India (2000 to 2005). I worked with him at Kent as well as in India where he was the backbone of our batting, particularly overseas. We had a number of great players, but a lot of victories were built around his contributions.”

4. Cheteshwar Pujara

Pujara has been equated to Dravid on several occasions, so this isn’t surprising. In 2020, the batter said that Dravid informed him that taking time off from cricket is beneficial to a player’s fitness and mental health. Pujara believes he can’t put into words how he feels about Dravid in a single sentence. He said,

“He helped me understand the importance of switching off from cricket. I had the same thought, more or less, but when I spoke to him, it gave me a lot of clarity about it and I was sure of what I needed to do.”

5. Priyam Garg

Rahul Dravid’s advice improved his batting, especially in foreign places like England and South Africa, according to the former Indian U-19 captain. Dravid was the coach of the 2018 World Cup-winning U-19 squad. He maintained the role for a long time before moving on to become India’s A coach and then the national coach. As Priyam said,

“When I went with him to England and South Africa, he shared his experience with me, which helped me a lot. He explained to me how to deal with the conditions, how to bat on those wickets, tackle the bowlers and deal with the various challenges. It really helped my batting a lot on those surfaces.”

6. Kevin Pietersen

When Kevin Pietersen was battling with his performance in 2010, he sought counsel from Rahul Dravid. Dravid, being the wonderful man that he is, sent the English batsman a two-page e-mail detailing how he may enhance his game against spin bowling. The following is an extract from the email:

“One good practice is to bat against Swann and Monty without pads or with just knee pads (maybe not a day before a game!). When you have no pads it will force you, sometimes painfully, to get the bat forward of the pads and will force you to watch the ball.”

On several occasions, Pietersen has shown his thanks to Dravid for his kindness.

Hey @englandcricket, print this and give it to Sibley & Crawley.
They can call me to discuss it at length if they want…!
👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/qBmArq211s

— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) January 23, 2021

7. KL Rahul

KL recently served as India’s stand-in Test captain, which was quite a return for the batsman, who had been battling with bad form in 2018. He recently thought about the situation and expressed his gratitude to Dravid for his assistance in getting him back on track.

8. Khaleel Ahmad

Khaleel was called up to the national squad for the first time in 2018, and the first cricketer he praised was his U-19 coach Rahul Dravid. Khaleel’s words were as follows:

“I cannot thank him enough. When I started off at the U-19 level, I would be nervous to start with and would often make silly mistakes in the process. But under his guidance, I gained confidence and I can confidently say that he has had a big role in my growth as a cricketer. The best part with Dravid sir is that he gives you that freedom to go out and express yourself. He would tell me that the best way to learn is in the middle and one should never shy away from trying new things. He has had a huge impact on how my career shaped up.”

Also read: 15 Times Rahul Dravid Proved That He Is A Gentleman To The Core