Rahul Dravid recently celebrated his birthday by remembering the old days he contributed to the Indian team. We have seen his talent not only through bats but also behind the wickets through the gloves. But the legend believed that wicketkeeping was not his cup of tea, but he took up that challenge to gain the place in the team.
There was a time when team India was finding reliable hands who can also be trusted by the bowlers. Then Rahul Dravid took up the charge of wicketkeeper, kept in 73 ODIs before MS Dhoni came to the role.
I was never a natural wicket-keeper – Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid, who is currently the head of cricket in the National Cricket Academy (NCA), said it was hard for him to be a keeper because he was not a professional. He shares the story of how he started his journey as the wicket-keeper.
“I was never a natural wicket-keeper. It was challenging, it was never easy,” Dravid said in a reply to a fan’s query on Facebook.
“I started wicketkeeping in school. Once, I went to the inter-school selections. There was no wicketkeeper. So, I thought the best way to get into the school team was to put my hand up as a wicketkeeper because I used to catch cricket balls a little bit in my neighbourhood,” Dravid was quoted as saying in India Today.
He took 71 catches and inflicted 13 stumpings as an ODI wicketkeeper. He also had the privilege of keeping in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in the African continent. However, Rahul Dravid said that he was happy to contribute to the team in any way possible.
“I enjoyed the contribution that I was able to make for the team with something that wasn’t my main proficiency,” the veteran added.
Dravid scored 13288, 10889 and 31 runs in 164 Tests, 344 ODIs and one T20I respectively. He dedicated more than 15 years of his life (from 1996 to 2012) for the Indian national cricket team where he notched 48 centuries and 146 half-centuries.