For a sport that is also known as the gentlemen’s game, there’s no one more suitable and precise than Rahul Dravid who personifies the spirit of cricket. As tough and dauntless he appeared from outside while batting, Dravid’s exhibition of humility and modesty both on and off the pitch makes him a true legend.
Not many players garner respect and admiration from the opposing team at the level of Dravid.
And former West Indies pacer Tino Best has revealed an amusing anecdote from his playing days when Dravid smashed him for three consecutive fours in 2005. However, the most memorable incident happened when Dravid later came and had an encouraging chat with Best, who was pretty young and inexperienced at that time.
“The first time I played against India was in the Indian Oil Cup in 2005 and I bowled to Rahul Dravid and that was an experience, he hit me for three back to back fours. I remember after the game, we had a nice little discussion,” Best told SportsKeeda in an interview.
“He said, ‘Young man, I love your energy, keep charging in, just because you get hit for fours don’t stop.’ And I thought that was very humble and sweet of him. I’ve always had a lot of love for the Indian cricketers, Yuvraj gave me a bat once and I thought that was so cool of him,” the former fast bowler said.”
Best further explained why he loved bowling to the star-studded Indian squad. He said all these players were so humble despite having millions of followers.
“From my experiences with the Indian cricketers, they were all really nice. Rahul Dravid and those guys were all nice and polite. They didn’t act like they had 1.5 billion people supporting them. Very humble people and that’s something I really admire. They never had any bad energy, bad vibe about them. They always show respect and love for the game,” Best concluded.
