"Ask him to walk on water and he will ask how many kilometers"

This Article is dedicated to the most selfless, unsung hero of our country who never got his due until June 29,2024.

His Name is Rahul Dravid. This post might be a bit long but it's long due as well. Before I start, I would like to say that I am a Sachin Fan. Big time.

During the 90s phase, Sachin Tendulkar was a household name who could literally temporarily stop the clock when he was batting. Such was the craze. It is not easy to belong to The Sachin Era and play for India because there would always be a chance to get overshadowed. As a matter of fact, that's what has happened with Dravid. Let us see the numerous occasions which will be a testimony to the fact which I am saying.

Made his debut in 1996. England Series. Ganguly made the debut in the same series. 2nd test Lords. Ganguly Scored 131 and Dravid 95. At the mecca of Cricket, Dravid was devoid of a century on Debut and the deserving appreciation.

Touted as a Test Player with defensive play style, He scored the highest runs across every team in 1999 WC. Ganguly 183 vs SL in WC 99' being the talk of the town where Dravid Scored an unbeaten 145.. But Ganguly beating Kapil Dev's record was all over in Media.

Sachin scored an unbeaten 186* vs NZ in Home ODI series in 99' with the second fiddle yet again/as usual played by Dravid with 153.

2001- Eden Gardens - The Defining Moment of Indian Cricket.. Laxman 281 and Bhajji's 13 wickets .. Dravid's 180 runs scored with ease when he was in Fever..

2003 WC.. Asked to keep wickets to accommodate an additional batsman.. Dravid Said Ok.

2004 Multan Test.. Still Known for 194* Declaration by Dravid rather than the emphatic win

2004 Adelaide - 233 and 72* in a famous victory on Aus Soil .. Anyone else contributing the same would have become an overnight sensation and next big thing for years to come.. That's not the case.. He was also the Inagural ICC Test Player of the year in 2004.

2005-2006.. Led India to Test Series Victories in England after 20 years and in WI after 35 years.. We haven't won a series in England since then.. And unfortunately for Dravid, These events belong to the Chappel Era as well where the priorities were who should be in the squad and who shouldn't

2007 WC .. Lost the WC which ended a very good captaincy stint of Dravid where we became a Successful Chasing Team.. 42 wins off 79 matches.. 53% win ratio vs 55% for Dhoni.. Not so bad is it? Ganguly had 52% win ratio as a Captain

This event brings to an end of an Prolific ODI Career with 10K+ runs.. It's a big deal but not when it's Dravid.

He kept on playing tests till 2012 with a classic display of test batting vs England in England with 3 test centuries where we lost the series 4-0. Due to this, he was recalled to the T20 and ODI side for the same tour. In such situations, everyone will grab this opportunity to play for India again.. What did Dravid Do?? He announced his retirement from ODIs and T20s and played the last matches in white ball cricket and Eventually ended his career with ZERO POINT FIVE ICC Trophy ( 2002 Champions Trophy was shared)

2008 Onwards , IPL became a big deal and many players have got accolades with a huge fan base to win it for their respective franchisee. Lost in 2009 Final as a Captain. Faced numerous failures as coach/mentor for Rajasthan Royals.

Unlike many who might take the commentary assignment, Dravid Smoothly shifted to Grooming Youngsters for the betterment of future of Indian Cricket. Lost 2016 WC Final as Coach again but eventually Won 2018 WC vs Australia. It's important to know the names of the youngsters he groomed during this phase of 3 years. Rishabh Pant, Shubhman Gill,Prithwi Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sunder , Khaleel Ahmad , Avesh Khan to name a few. We all know where they are now ?? Ready to take Indian Cricket Forward..

2022. Took the Responsibility to Coach Indian National Team. Lost T20 WC 2022 in Semis. Lost WTC Final 2023. Won Asia Cup 2023. Lost 2023 WC ODI Finals . And it seems like the coveted ICC trophy will devoid this Unsung Hero for ever. However, Rohit Sharma requested him to continue till 2024 WC T20 with a hope to end his career on a HIGH which Rahul Dravid Deserves more than anyone else.

2024 T20 WC : Winner - India . Coach - Rahul Dravid... Finally after 28 years of starting his career for India, He finally get what he deserves the most, which was long due for him for his selfless service to INDIAN CRICKET for all these years.. Would Cup T20 2024 being hold by Indiaranagar ka Gunda.. What a Script .. What a Legend.. What a cricketer .. What a coach .. Most Importantly .. WHAT A PERSON

Thank you #RahulDravid for your Selfless Contribution to Indian Cricket which will be remembered forever in this LIFETIME. Hopefully now it will be acknowledged as well

Thank You

An Indian Cricket Fan