"They still call me David" - Rahul Dravid recalls valuable life lessons from his formative years

Rahul Dravid after finally scoring a Test ton at Lord's in 2011 [Image- Getty].

Former Indian skipper Rahul Dravid recalled some of the valuable life lessons he learned during the course of his legendary international career in a recent Cred advertisement.

Dravid, who made his international debut against England in 1996, was a run-scoring juggernaut during his formative years. The young Karnataka batter used to rack up runs for fun in youth and domestic cricket, which ultimately paved the way for his entry into the Indian team.

Dravid recalled an instance from his formative years which proved to be a valuable lesson for him. According to the champion cricketer, once a leading daily wrongly wrote his name as 'Rahul David' after he had scored a brilliant ton.

For young Dravid, it was a timely realization that people still don't know him well and that he should keep his feet firmly on the ground. Dravid recalled:

"In those days, they put your photograph and they put your name on the paper when you score a hundred and I was excited. I wake up the next morning and I see they have got my name as Rahul David instead of Rahul Dravid. I had to laugh, had to smile a bit but also a good lesson for me to not get too far ahead of myself and realize that maybe I am not that famous and people don't really know my name at the moment. They still call me 'David' instead of 'Dravid'."

Watch the video here:

People may not have known Dravid at that point in time but in the next 16 years, 'The Wall' ensured he became one of the most celebrated names in the cricketing arena. The name Rahul Dravid has now been immortalized in cricketing folklore.

A special day and a very special memory: Rahul Dravid recalls his 2011 ton at Lord's

Rahul Dravid made his Test debut for India during the 1996 English summer at the 'Home of Cricket’. While his fellow debutant, Sourav Ganguly, managed to smash a ton in his maiden outing, Dravid missed out by five runs.

Fifteen years later, Dravid finally got his name on the Lord’s honours board as he smashed a pristine 103* albeit in a losing effort. For Dravid, it was a valuable lesson that if one keeps working hard towards his/her dream, special things eventually happen. Speaking about his maiden ton at Lords, Dravid said:

"A special day and a very special memory (Test hundred at Lord's in 2011) because I played my first Test match in 1996 at Lord's. But a little bit disappointed that I could not score the extra five runs to get the century. But in 2011, I was finally able to score a hundred. A really nice memory and a really good lesson for me particularly that if you keep working hard and if you keep believing in your dreams, somewhere along the line hopefully they do come true."

#OnThisDay in 1996, Rahul Dravid was dismissed for 95 on his Test debut at Lord's 💔

It took him 15 years, but the great man scored those five extra runs in 2011, adding his name to the @HomeOfCricket Honours Board 💯 https://t.co/Zzblu286eD

Dravid went on to score two more tons during the 2011 England tour and was the lone shining light in an otherwise forgettable campaign for MS Dhoni’s unit. The champion cricketer retired from the game six months later following a poor outing in Australia.