[Watch] Much before his 'Indiranagar Ka Gunda' avatar went viral, Rahul Dravid featured in this 'Halla Bol' ad with Rajasthan Royals players
Team India batting legend Rahul Dravid was recently in the limelight as the head coach of the Men in Blue side that won the 2024 T20 World Cup played in the West Indies and United States. It was a fitting farewell for 'The Wall', who had announced before the tournament that he would not renew his contract with the Indian team post the ICC event.
Reports are now coming in that Dravid might return to his former Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals as head coach. The 51-year-old was part of the RR franchise from 2011 to 2013 and is even a former captain of the team. He also donned the role of mentor for a couple of seasons.
His cricketing exploits aside, Dravid stunned a lot of fans a couple of years back when he appeared in a Cred ad as an extremely angry, irritated person, who even resorts to violence. The 'Indiranagar Ka Gunda' avatar in the commercial was in complete contrast to his real-life persona - that of a calm and sober human being.
Interestingly, Dravid was also part of a soft drink commercial during his stint with Rajasthan Royals many years back, again in an uncharacteristic avatar. In that advertisement, he was seen in a pumped-up avatar, encouraging his fellow RR teammates. The Indian legend was the one leading the slogan shouting in the ad campaign, with his team members playing the supporting act.
[Watch the throwback video below]
Before joining Rajasthan Royals, the former India captain represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL from 2008 to 2010.
Rahul Dravid's record for Rajasthan Royals
Dravid represented Rajasthan Royals in 52 matches from 2011 to 2013, scoring 1324 runs at an average of 27.02 and a strike rate of 108.88, with seven half-centuries. He had a best of 66 while representing RR.
Overall, the former right-handed batter featured in 89 matches in the IPL, scoring 2174 runs at an average of 28.23 and a strike rate of 115.52, with 11 half-centuries and a best of 75.
While the 51-year-old played only one T20I for India, he featured in 109 matches during his T20 career. Dravid ended his T20 career with 2586 runs at an average of 27.51 and a strike rate of 113.87, with 13 half-centuries. His last T20 match was for RR against Mumbai Indians in the 2013 Champions League T20 final. The skipper was dismissed for 1 as Rajasthan went down to MI by 33 runs.