- Nasima Akter
Officials and Players Celebrate Rahul Dravid's 50th Birthday
India legend Rahul Dravid turned 50 on Wednesday (January 11). Several people in the cricket community greeted Team India’s head coach, and the team held a birthday party for him.
Social media was flooded with birthday wishes for the legendary player. Among the many birthday greetings shared on social media, Virat Kohli posted a picture with Dravid on his stories, alongside a birthday message on Instagram. The photo had the message, "Happy Birthday Rahul bhai, best wishes."
Other people who greeted the “Wall” of Indian cricket included players Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, and Shreyas Iyer. Dravid's former team- Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) of the Indian Premier League(IPL), also sent their birthday wishes.
In addition, various IPL franchises including Rajasthan Royals (RR), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) wished the coach a happy birthday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also posted birthday greetings on Twitter and released a video of the coach’s birthday party. The video post had the caption “A special birthday celebration here for #TeamIndia Head Coach Rahul Dravid.”
At the start of the video, it showed the Indian team members reaching a Kolkata hotel by bus. In the end, Dravid was seen cutting a cake while everyone sang Happy Birthday to him.
During the video, there was one hilarious moment that slipped in. While keeper-batter Ishan Kishan was clapping and singing ‘Happy Birthday’, he accidentally hit a wheeled suitcase. The suitcase, which was next to him, then started moving towards the cake table.
KL Rahul was alert enough to spot the moving object and stopped the suitcase before it could dash into the cake stand. Both cricketers then exchanged smiles even as the birthday celebrations continued.
Aside from the cricket community, several cricket fans also shared birthday wishes. One fan posted, "Happy Birthday to " THE GREAT WALL”. One Of the great in the game. Rahul Dravid."
Dravid was appointed as head coach of the Indian men's cricket team on November 03, 2021. Before this, he represented India in 164 Tests, 344 ODIs, and one T20I.
Dravid is regarded as one of the greatest batters to have played the game. With 10,768 runs from 340 ODIs at an average of 39.15, Dravid is fourth among Indian ODI run scorers. In Test matches, Dravid scored 13,625 runs at an average of 52.63 in 163 games. In the IPL, Dravid starred in 89 matches and amassed 2174 runs with 11 half-centuries at an average of 28.23.
He continues to be India’s second-highest run-scorer overall in international cricket to this point. He has also amassed a total of 24,208 runs from 509 international matches across all formats and was renowned for his flawless defence and tremendous patience at the crease. He has 48 centuries under his belt, 36 of which were in Tests.
Dravid concluded his career with 336 catches in total, 210 of which were in Test matches. He was regarded as one of the safest fielders in the slip cordon. In the Test format, it’s the most ever by a fielder. He ranks fourth overall for catches, trailing only Jacques Kallis (338), Ricky Ponting (364), and Mahela Jayawardene (440).
