CRICKET
‘Your selflessness, humility, and dedication have left an indelible mark’ – Cricket fraternity and fans wish Rahul Dravid on his 51st birthday
India head coach Rahul Dravid has turned 51 years old. He was born on January 11, 1973, in Madhya Pradesh. However, he grew up in Bangalore and played his domestic cricket in the capital of Karnataka. In 1996, Dravid replaced Sanjay Manjrekar in the Test team and made his debut. The former didn’t look back and scored 96 runs. After this, Manjrekar never played for India again.
On the other hand, the Bangalore player played 164 Tests from 1996 to 2012. During this, he amassed 13288 runs averaging 52.71 including 36 Test hundreds. Talking about his ODI career, he has played 344 runs and has 10889 runs during his stint between 1996 and 2011. Dravid has played only one T20I and retired three hours after his debut in 2011. Apart from playing for India, he has played for Scotland too.
Talking about his stint in County Cricket, he has played for Kent and played for Canterbury in New Zealand. Apart from international cricket, the former wicketkeeper was one of those legends who played in the IPL. He started his career with his home-based franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and ended with 2008-winners, Rajasthan Royals from 2011 to 2013. He also coached RR and Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals).
Rahul Dravid has coached India Colts and senior teams
In late 2015, Dravid joined the India U19 team as the head coach, led by Ishan Kishan at the time, and Rishabh Pant, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, etc in the team. The team reached the final, losing to the West Indies. Two years later, the team won their fourth-ever U19 title, beating Australia in the final.
Before COVID-19 peaked across the globe, the team reached the final before losing to Bangladesh. In 2021, Dravid replaced Ravi Shastri as coach in the senior team. During his stint, the team reached the semis of the T20 World Cup 2022 and the final of the ODI World Cup 2023.
This is how Twitter reacted
Rahul Dravid is the only man who has spent a month of his life batting in Test cricket. He stayed on the crease for 44152 minutes which is equal to 30 days. Happy Birthday to the legend of our game.
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) January 11, 2024
Happy Birthday to the cricketing maestro, Rahul Dravid! A stalwart of the game, your journey has been a testament to skill, patience, and unwavering commitment. Your selflessness, humility, and dedication have left an indelible mark, not just on the field, but as a role model… pic.twitter.com/ekKfYzOQ13
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) January 11, 2024
Happy birthday, Rahul Dravid…!!!
One of the greatest ever to grace the game – the wall of Indian team. Throwback to Dravid’s 40 consecutive dots in Australia, the crowd erupted in joy after the first single. pic.twitter.com/QfYckVo1wX
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 11, 2024
– 13288 runs in Tests.
– 10889 runs in ODIs.
– 48 International hundreds.
– First Indian captain to win a Test in South Africa.
– The man behind the success of India A system.Happy birthday wishes to the wall of Indian cricket, Rahul Dravid ⭐ pic.twitter.com/lqGbiwBY4z
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 11, 2024
I won’t be surprised if searching synoyms for solidity, reliability or perfection shows pictures of Rahul Dravid.
Happy birthday Coach! pic.twitter.com/BLrCzUCuLE— DK (@DineshKarthik) January 11, 2024
31258 – Most Balls Faced In Test Cricket
44153 – Most Minutes Spent at Crease in TestHappy Birthday Rahul Dravid
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) January 11, 2024
Meticulous, modest, dependable… the words that define him are endless, just like his innings 🔥
Happy Birthday to 🇮🇳’s greatest wall, Rahul Dravid 💙 pic.twitter.com/P0QQWpfujK
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) January 11, 2024
ಹುಟ್ಟು ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು! 🎂❤️
Captain. Legend. Coach. 🫡🇮🇳
Wishing a very Happy Birthday to Indian Cricket’s finest, RCB’s first leader, and current #TeamIndia head coach, Rahul Dravid! 🥳🎉#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB pic.twitter.com/hxFHEiAFGJ
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) January 11, 2024
The 13,288 runs don’t tell you the real story. Nor do the 36 test hundreds.
31,258 balls & 44,152 exhausting bruising grinding minutes at the crease, nobody has spent as much time or played as many balls in the history of test cricket.
HBD Rahul Dravid, 51 today.— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) January 11, 2024
Indian fans since 1996: 𝙃𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙖𝙨 𝙅𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙞! 🧱
Birthday wishes to the think tank of #TeamIndia, Rahul Dravid! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/jQubKiEDXB
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) January 11, 2024