Happy Birthday Rahul Dravid, you've been the UnWall of Indian cricket too
Celebrating the Wall's 42nd birthday with four of his run-blitzes, a far cry from the kind of batting he is known for.
It's champion Rahul Dravid’s 42nd birthday today, January 11. And while the Wall may have forged his reputation with steely displays of "you-can't-get-my-wicket" that have often pulled India out of tricky situations, he has another side to his batting which sometimes goes unnoticed.
For when Dravid wanted, he could give the ball a hit that ensured it stayed hit.
And if you thought that we’re only talking about the slambang Indian Premier League, take a look at the video above. In 2003, Dravid smashed a 22-ball half century against New Zealand in an One Day International, complete with a remarkable six over extra cover and even a cute paddle sweep.
It may sound crazy, but this is the record for the second-fastest fifty by an Indian in an ODI (a record he shares with Virender Sehwag and Kapil Dev).
For all the talk of being a Test match specialist, Dravid could always go into fifth gear. As Allan Donald, among the fiercest bowlers in the world then, found out when Dravid slammed him over mid-wicket for this six in a 1997 ODI match.
And, of course, Dravid occupies a special place in ODI history – he played a part in two of the biggest ever partnerships in this form of the game. And both of them were at an amazing pace. In the 1999 World Cup, Dravid teamed up with Sourav Ganguly to take the Sri Lankan bowling attack to the cleaners at Taunton. Ganguly made the headlines with a massive 183, but Dravid played his own part with a 129-ball 145.
Five months later, Dravid made history again, but this time with Sachin Tendulkar. Against New Zealand at Hyderabad, the duo put on a 331-run partnership, a world record that was topped only recently recently. This time, Tendulkar scored 186 while Dravid made a run-a-ball 153.
