5 best off-the-field Rahul Dravid moments
Rahul Dravid has carried a reputation for being one of the more soft-spoken individuals that the sport of cricket has seen. That isn't to say that he shies away from enjoying and expressing himself alright.
A video posted by Shikhar Dhawan on the Indian team's arrival in the West Indies saw a number of players walking out and saying "hey" to the camera. The video also saw head coach Dravid do the same, sending fans into glee and excitement.
While 'The Wall' was known to be quiet on the field, he has provided a lot of witty and fun moments off the field. His sense of humor is pretty understated in that regard and he's given glimpses of the same on multiple occasions in times gone by.
In this listicle, we take a look at five of Dravid's best off-field moments.
#5 "Luckily those standards don't apply to selecting your chief guests"
Dravid was invited to be the chief guest at the Convocation ceremony of the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Goa, in 2013. While addressing the gathering, there was a moment where he sent the audience into a roar of laughter and applause.
He said:
"I've been told that the minimum marks required to come to BITS is 75 percent in maths and physics. Luckily those standards don't apply to selecting your chief guests."
If marks were to be assigned for his wit and humor, 'The Wall' would score 100 percent, wouldn't he?
#4 When Dravid sledged Ganguly in the commentary box
There's a pretty famous clipping of Dravid and his long-term teammate Sourav Ganguly indulging in some banter while calling the Trent Bridge Test between England and India in 2014.
Referring to the visitors' win at the same venue in 2007 under Dravid's leadership, a statistic of the number of overs bowled by Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar popped up. With Ganguly having sent down fewer overs for better returns, a playful banter ensued with his former skipper.
"If Ganguly didn't get tired after five to six overs I would have bowled him much longer spells."
This was Dravid's hilarious justification for not bowling Ganguly as much as Tendulkar, sending fellow commentator Harsha Bhogle into a fit of laughter. The duo of 'Dada' and 'Jammy' are good friends on and off the field and this vindicates the same.
#3 "Will you remove the jeetbo part?"
The third edition of the Indian Premier League concluded with an awards function that saw Bollywood superstar and co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Shahrukh Khan, co-host the event.
'King Khan' shared the stage with Ganguly and Dravid for some fun, even reciting the KKR theme song along with the former. As both sang the famous 'Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo' tune, the then Royal Challengers Bangalore batter cheekily said:
"Will you remove the jeetbo part?"
This sent the audience into a roar as he took a friendly dig at KKR's struggles in qualifying for the knockouts in the first three editions of the IPL.
#2 "Mai daalega"
Speaking at a book launch, Dravid cited an incident that showed why Sachin Tendulkar was just born to be a cricketer. He narrated an instance of South Zone's lack of a spinner during one of their first-class matches in Chennai, prompting Tendulkar to volunteer for the extra spinner's role.
What stood out though was India's former No. 3 mimicking his batting partner's voice as he wore a cheeky grin and said:
"Mai daalega"
As expected, the audience burst out laughing, even prompting Harsha Bhogle to say that the quote will be out on the web within the next hour. This was yet another instance of his nonchalant and spontaneous humor coming to the fore off the cricket field.
#1 "Indiranagar ka goonda hu main"
You read that in Dravid's voice, didn't you? It's a phrase that will be associated with him for as long as one can possibly imagine.
Indiranagar ka gunda hu mein ... 🤣
This cred ad featuring Rahul Dravid too funny man 🤣😹 https://t.co/GP2l2btrh8
In a never seen before avatar, the current Indian head coach showcased his acting skills in a famous advertisement last year. He's seen displaying anger issues, even breaking the side view mirror of a car in the same.
The advertisement went viral within minutes, with fans around the world scarcely believing the sight of the man in an angry avatar. A humorous moment like no other, he sure has a future on the silver screen, doesn't he?
Also read: 5 dance moves of Virat Kohli you shouldn't miss.