3 best celebrations by Rahul Dravid
It's not often that you come across Rahul Dravid showing a lot of emotion either on or off the field. "The Wall", as he's fondly called, has developed a reputation for being one of the most collected personalities that the sport has witnessed.
Energetic celebrations are possibly the last thing one can associate with the former batter, whose international career spanned a good part of 16 years. That said, this is cricket after all, and it tends to bring innate passion within a player at some point.
It has been no different with Team India's current head coach either. Not just advertisements, but his emotions have been documented on the cricket pitch. Remember 'that' instance when he flung his Rajasthan Royals (RR) cap in anger?
On that note, here's a look at three of Rahul Dravid's best celebrations over the years, both as a player and coach.
#3 Pumps the air after a fighting hundred at Lord's
The Indian Test team hit an abyss in 2011, when they embarked upon a tour of England. Ranked No. 1 in the world, the visitors were handed a sound 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Andrew Strauss' men, who would go on to claim the top spot in the team rankings.
One man who stood tall amidst the rubble was Rahul Dravid. With three centuries in the series, he was India's best performer by a distance and it all began with a fighting hundred in the series opener at Lord's.
Having come agonizingly close on debut in 1996, India's No. 3 finally reached a three-figure score at the iconic venue. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, a rare sight of Dravid letting out a huge roar and punching the air in delight followed as soon as he got to the landmark.
It was also a throwback to the famous Adelaide Test of 2003-04, where upon scoring the winning runs to secure a historic win for India, Dravid let out a huge roar and punched the air while holding his arms aloft.
#2 Coach Dravid basks in the glory of Rishabh Pant's century
lol Rahul sir 🔥 https://t.co/jTdDrERRe7
The ongoing Edgbaston Test between England and India saw the visitors reeling at 98/5 after being asked to bat first. It was followed by a counter-attack out of the top-drawer as Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja racked up a 222-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Pant raced to a century off just 89 deliveries but a sight that stood out as the cameras panned towards the Indian dressing room was that of head coach Dravid. Joining the players in a standing ovation, the coach jumped out of his seat with his arms aloft and let out a huge roar, before breaking into applause.
He might have hung up his boots from international cricket a decade ago, but his passion for the game sure remains intact alright!
#1 Uncorks the champagne bottle after the Eden Gardens heist
Eden Gardens and Dravid - yup, that Test in 2001. We all know the famous story of how Dravid, unwell heading into the contest, and VVS Laxman, orchestrated one of the great comebacks the sport has seen, don't we?
Here's a flashback of the epic celebration in the Indian camp after the 2001 Kolkata Test win over Australia. Watch out for Dravid's celebration here. The man who was mostly poker faced on the field it is quite amazing to see how much this win meant to him.
Well done DD Sports https://t.co/XcnnvqVJbu
Avoiding defeat after being asked to follow-on and paving the way for a famous victory against Steve Waugh's Australian outfit sure calls for a celebration. It was Dravid himself who led the way in the dressing room, uncorking a bottle of champagne at the end of the day.
A famous video shows the man break into a roar of delight, pouring champagne all over his teammates. An iconic celebration from an iconic player, right there!
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