‘I Am Going To Bat 5 Hours To Get A Hundred’: Former India Cricketer On Rahul Dravid's Mindset

If patient and resilient batting had a definition then Rahul Dravid is the closest example of it. Dravid, with his impeccable timing and a solid defensive batting approach, was one of the finest players ever to grace the field. On Dravid’s 50th birthday, former India cricketer Hemang Badani opened up on his attitude off the field. Badani revealed that Dravid would go on to bat for hours during the Chennai League. Badani pointed out that the current India coach used to come over to Chennai from Bengaluru to take part in the competition. Dravid’s relentless batting was not restricted to competitive cricket only. Badani disclosed that Dravid even requested the bowlers in the nets to keep challenging him.

“He said Hemang, it’s quite simple for me. I take a night train. In those days there were no aircraft and they were very expensive. I take the night train. I travel for 6-6.5 hours. I am not gonna travel that much and go back 6.5 hours to bat for 3 hours. I am going to bat 5 hours to get a hundred. And it’s as simple as that for me. If I am travelling so much and playing the game, I better make sure that I am in there for 5 hours,” Badani revealed in a video shared by the Indian Premier League franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad.

“A story overheard in our dressing room that will make you love birthday boy Rahul Dravid a bit more,” read the caption of the post.

Rahul Dravid, popularly known as The Wall for his solid defensive batting approach, possessed the fine art of dealing with lethal bowlers with ease almost anywhere in the world. In international cricket, Dravid made his debut in April 1996. The former India captain announced his retirement in 2012. Dravid had ended his ODI career with more than 10,000 runs under his belt. In Tests, he is the only cricketer to notch four consecutive tons.

After retirement, Dravid focussed on coaching. He was named Team India head coach in November 2021.

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