*INTRODUCTION:
*Rahul- means "able, efficient" in Sanskrit. The earliest meaning found in the Upanishads is "conqueror of all miseries." Doubtlessly, Mr. Dravid fully lives up to his name.
Born on 11 January 1973 in Indore(Madhya Pradesh) and brought up in Indiranagar, Bangalore, he is a true capricorn who is practical, sure-footed, energetically conservative and strong willed. For him, hardships are the path to fulfillment and happiness. Rahul Dravid, a Karnatakan of Maharashtrian brahmin origin, is an affable human being, born to Sharad Dravid and Pushpa Dravid(Professor of Architecture in College). He has a brother named Vijay Dravid who has done his engineering and plays cricket too. Dravid’s father worked for Kissan, a company known for jams and preserves and thus he earned the nickname Jammy from his teammates at St. Joseph’s, Bangalore. Rahul Dravid has a degree in commerce from St Joseph’s College of Commerce.
TID-BITS:(Professional Life)
Major teams- India, Scotland, ACC Asian XI, ICC World XI, Karnataka, Kent
Nickname- The Wall, Mr. Dependable, Jammy
Batting style- Right-hand bat
Bowling style- Right-arm offbreak
Fielding position- Occasional wicketkeeper
Test Debut- England v India at Lord’s(Jun 20-24, 1996)
ODI Debut- India v Sri Lanka at Singapore(Apr 3, 1996)
His Coach- Former cricketer Keki Tarapore
Top Score- Tests- 270(in 2004- against Pakistan, at Rawalpindi),
ODI’s- 153(against New Zealand, Hyderabad, 1999-2000)
*TID-BITS:(Personal Life)
*Wife: Vijeta Pendharkar, a surgeon from Nagpur
Married on: 4 May 2003
Son: Samit Dravid(Samit means’composed’)
Child born on: 11 October 2005
Name of his house: "Srishti"
First Unofficial Century: vs St Anthony’s when he was 10 years old
Memorable matches: Debut at Lords and 148 at Johannesburg(3rd Test)
Worst Match: Third Test against West Indies at Barbados
Cricketing Heroes: G.R. Viswanath, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil dev & Martin Crowe
Greatest Influences: My coach Keki Tarapore and my parents
Current Players admired: Tendulkar, Azharuddin, J.Srinath & S.Waugh
Favorite Grounds: Lord’s and Chinnaswamy Stadium(Bangalore)
Hobbies: Reading, Listening to music.
Favorite Singers: Sting, Chris de Burgh, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar
Favorite Movies: Braveheart, Ghost
Favorite Author: Richard Bach
Favorite Books: Thrillers and philosophical stuff
Favorite Actors: Tom Cruise, Aamir Khan
Favorite Actresses: Manisha Koirala, Demi Moore, Michelle Pfieffer(especially in "Up Close and Personal")
Other sportspersons admired: Pete Sampras, Prakash Padukone and V.Anand.
Favorite Drink: Mango Milkshake, Pepsi
Past time: Listening to old Hindi songs(really likes Kishore Kumar)
Favorite channels: Discovery
Favorite Colour: Blue
Favorite cartoon characters: Superman
Culinary Tastes: Prefer Indian food, especially home-cooked.(Mom’s cooking)
Favorite Holiday Places: Any forest resort.
Favorite Hotel: Sandton Sun in Johannesburg.
Favourite Restaurant: Shezaan, Karavalli, Paradise Island
Favorite Music: Slow Rock(Phil Collins and Sting)
Favorite Songs: Unchained Melody-Air Supply
I believe I can l fly-R. Kelly(Space Jam)
Could you be loved-Bob Marley
Greatest love of all-Whitney Houston
O Sanam-Lucky Ali
Afreen-Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Because you loved me-Celine Dion(OST- Up close & Personal)
Goals: Likes to keep them to himself.
Most Embarrasing Moment: When he got out in a junior match and started crying in the dressing room and his friends were laughing at him.
Dream Woman: Unfortunately, he doesn’t remember what he dreams .
Nightmare: Get up and forget to play Cricket!
How in the Wildest of dreams he’d like to spend a Day/Night: Scoring a hundred and celebrating with friends.
Future Career: Something to do with cricket
View about fans: He says fans are great as long as they don’t trouble his family and privacy.
Motto in Life: Be a good human being.
Hates: Nothing in particular
Most Prized Possession: His India Cap.
*AWARDS:
*1999 - Ceat Cricketer of the 1999 World Cup
2000 - Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2000
2004 - Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy
2004 - Padma Shri
2004 - ICC Player of The Year
2004 - ICC Test Player of The Year
*CONCLUSION:
*With a strong technique, he has been the backbone for the Indian cricket team. Infact the selectors are never in two minds, when it comes to including Dravid in the team; also owing to the fact that Dravid is the captain of the Indian cricket team. He is a strong leader who firmly believes that the team should be motivated by the very fact that they are representing their country. He has a massive fan following which is inevitable.
According to me, he is the cutest, coolest, hottest, smartest, sexiest person on Earth(alongwith Mr. Shahrukh Khan)! I believe that Dravid is absolutely Perrrrfect(with a capital P)! He is a perfect son, perfect brother, perfect sportsperson, perfect captain, perfect husband, perfect father, perfect leader, perfect role model, perfect friend and a perfect human being! As you can see, I am crazily in love with this impeccable and immaculate man.
In the end, I would just say one thing: Worship him!
-HAIL THE LEGEND-