Rahul Dravid turns 49: Rare archive photos and interesting facts about 'The Wall'

Former Indian cricketer and current Team India head coach Rahul Dravid celebrates his 49th birthday today. Rahul Dravid has set a high benchmark as a cricket player and as a human being. Here's a glimpse of 'The Wall' through some rare pictures. Pictures/ mid-day archives

Updated On: 2022-01-11 08:50 AM IST

A collage of Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid was born in a Marathi Deshastha Brahmin family in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Later, Dravid's family moved to Bengaluru

Rahul Dravid went to St. Joseph's Boys High School in Bengaluru.

In pic: Rahul Dravid sports the Team India blazer during his younger days.

Rahul Dravid completed his B.Com from St. Joseph's College of Commerce. While pursuing his MBA at St Joseph's College of Business Administration, Dravid was selected to play for the Indian national cricket team.

In pic: Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly during a training session

Rahul Dravid's father Sharad Dravid worked in a company that produced jams and preserves, which is why Dravid got the nickname 'Jammy'. His mother, Pushpa, was a professor of Architecture. Rahul Dravid also has a younger brother named Vijay.

In pic: Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly practising for the New Zealand tour at India camp held at CCI

The wall finds his pillar! On 4 May 2003, Dravid married Vijeta Pendharkar, a surgeon from Nagpur. They have two children, Samit (born 2005) and Anvay (born 2009).

In pic: Rahul Dravid with his wife Vijeta at an ICC awards function.

Brilliant batting technique: Rahul Dravid was known for his sound technique and he achieved success as a batsman, thanks to his application and dedication.

In pic: Rahul Dravid with Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly sharing a light moment at Mohali.

Been there and done that! Rahul Dravid was the first batsman to score a century in all ten Test-playing nations.

In pic: Rahul Dravid with Virender Sehwag at a press conference organised by Britannia at Oberoi Hotel.

Did you know? Dravid's highest knock of 270 runs against Pakistan in Rawalpindi is the longest innings played by an Indian batsman in terms of minutes (740).

1999: World Cup success! Rahul Dravid was the top scorer in the 7th World Cup (1999), scoring 461 runs. He is the only Indian to score two back to back centuries at the World Cup.

More focus on batting; quits captaincy: In 2006, Dravid was named the captain of the Indian team up to the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. However, after the England series Dravid gave up his captaincy citing personal reasons. Anil Kumble replaced him in Test matches. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named the ODI skipper.

In picture: Rahul Dravid poses in a traditional avatar at an event

Among the legends: On November 24, 2011, Rahul Dravid became the second international player to reach 13,000 runs in Test Cricket only after Sachin Tendulkar.

In pic: Rahul Dravid ducking a bouncer during a Test match at Eden Gardens between India vs Pakistan.

Powerful speech in Australia: On December 14, 2011, Rahul Dravid became the first non-Australian cricketer to address at the Bradman Oration in Canberra. He got a standing ovation for his speech

In picture: Rahul Dravid in action playing one of his trademark shot during a match.

In picture: Rahul Dravid acknowledges the crowd at the Motera stadium in Ahmedabad after completing a century

In picture: Rahul Dravid waits for clothing to arrive before the start of a match at Wankhede Stadium.

In picture: Rahul Dravid with the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar during an ODI match.

In picture: Rahul Dravid with former India Coach John Wright.

In picture: Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly exchange notes on batting during the nets in Eden Gardens Cricket Ground in Kolkata.

In picture: Rahul Dravid with Anil Kumble during a function organised by a toothpaste brand in a hotel.

In picture: Rahul Dravid with veteran Indian cricketer, Kapil Dev.

In picture: Rahul Dravid with Harbhajan Singh and VVS Laxman at M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai ahead of a Test against Sri Lanka.

In picture: Rahul Dravid with former Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan at Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

In picture: Rahul Dravid with Inzamam-ul-Haq during the prize distribution ceremony of the second Allianz Cup series Test match between India and Pakistan at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, Pakistan.

In picture: Rahul Dravid with Andrew Flintoff after the toss during an ICC Champions Trophy match between India and England at Sawai Man Singh Cricket Stadium, Jaipur.

In picture: Rahul Dravid greets Michael Clarke when India played Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy 2006 in Mohali.

In picture: Rahul Dravid with VVS Laxman during a training session on the eve of their Irani Trophy encounter against Ranji Trophy winners, Mumbai at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

In picture: Rahul Dravid with Bollywood actor/director Arbaaz Khan at Mumbai Police Gymkhana during a benefit game played between film stars and cricketers.

In picture: Rahul Dravid with Adman Prahlad Kakkar at Mid-Day's 25th-anniversary party at Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai.

'The Wall' gazing at the sky! Team India coach Rahul Dravid's class and composure as a batsman will always stand as a benchmark in the world of cricket for years to come.

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