The iconic former Indian cricket captain and Karnataka batsman Rahul Dravid turned 45 today. Probably, the last batsman of the classic mould, Dravid scored 13288 runs in 164 Tests at an outstanding average of 52.31 with the help of a whopping 36 centuries and 63 fifties. Wait! That is not all! Along with this, he also scored an amazing 10,889 runs from 344 ODIs at an average of 39.16 with the help of 12 centuries and 83 fifties – remember, he was a specialist Test batsman and yet managed to establish himself in India's ODI team! He was a constant figure at number 3 for India in the late 90s and through the first decade of 21st century. On Rahul Dravid's 45th birthday, here is a look at 10 quotes that define him: -
Rahul Dravid was known as 'The Wall' and 'Mr Dependable' by the fans. He was later given the nickname 'Jammy'.
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Strange as it may sound, Rahul Dravid got that name because his father used to work at a Kissan jam factory and he later appeared in an advertisement for the same brand.
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Rahul Dravid is the only non-Australian cricketer who was given the Bradman Oration in 2012.
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Even though Rahul Dravid is known for his exploits in Test cricket, he holds the record for the 2nd fastest half-century for India in ODIs.
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Very few people know that Rahul Dravid actually holds the record of facing the most number of deliveries in Test cricket. In 286 Test innings, Dravid has played 31,258 balls.
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One of the safest slip fielders of all-time, Rahul Dravid also holds the record of most number of catches (210) in Test matches by a non-wicket keeping player.
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Rahul Dravid is the only player in modern cricket to score four consecutive hundreds in four Test innings.
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Rahul Dravid was one of the few players to do well away from India. In 1999 World Cup held in England, Dravid was the highest run-scorer with 461 runs.
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Rahul Dravid's overall average in World Cup matches is 61.42, marginally second to Vivian Richard's average of 63.31, which remains the best average in World Cup.
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On March 9 in 2012, Rahul Dravid bid adieu to Test cricket, leaving a huge void in Indian batting order that has arguably, been filled by Cheteshwar Pujara now.