Rahul Dravid’s name is associated with restraint and calm. On the cricket field, Dravid was as composed as one can be in tough conditions against world class bowlers. Dravid, who was nicknamed ‘The Wall’ for his defensive approach that frustrated bowlers more than the modern day big-hitters of the game, is considered as one of the legends of the game. While Dravid is categorised as one of the most hardworking cricketers, he too believed in certain superstitions like many greats of the game.
No new bats
While stepping into the ground, Rahul also put his right foot forward. When he got ready to bat, he used to wear the thigh pad of the back foot first. Also, he never used a new bat at the beginning of any series. On the other hand, at least one item of clothing had to be new for every single Test.
Shadow practice in bedroom
This is something that many cricketers have admitted. While some batters don’t pick up their bats once they are done practicing or with the game, Dravid revealed that he used to lift his bat and shadow practice in front of the mirror whenever he had trouble sleeping. At times, the sound of bat hitting the floor was heard by his teammates which led to him getting teased. After he got married, his wife Vijeta used to think that he has a sleep disorder to play cricket similar to sleepwalking.
Similarly, Australia’s modern day great, Steve Smith has the habit of shadow practicing in his hotel room. The same habit has been picked by his teammate Marnus Labuschagne as well.
Legendary numbers
Dravid, who is called as the gentleman of cricket, has played a total of 164 Tests, 344 ODIs. His international records are phenomenal. The top-order batter has 36 centuries in Tests and 12 in ODIs. He has scored 13,288 runs at an average of 52.32 in the red-ball format and 10,889 runs at an average of 39.16 in the ODI format.
At no.3, the Karnataka batter has 10,524 runs while donning the whites for India. No other batter has more runs at this position in the history of the longest format of the game. He has shared 20-century partnership in Tests with Sachin Tendulkar. Together, the legendary pair has scored 6,920 runs. This is another record which is yet to be broken.
In addition, Dravid holds the record for facing most number of deliveries in Test cricket. The record suits the nickname as he would bat for sessions after sessions making bowlers’ life tough in the middle. In total, he has faced 31,258 balls in Test cricket. No other batter has come close to the record.
