What are some mind-blowing facts about Rahul Dravid?

 I had initially written this article in the comments section in Mr. Gaurav Guha’s answer . I received a few personal messages telling that this would be better as an answer rather than as a comment.

I was one of the fortunate few to have witnessed this low-key match played at the HAL sports club. It was a gloomy day. 20th October 2013 to be specific. Being a hard core Rahul Dravid fan, it was a surreal experience for me to witness this match.

I got to know that Dravid is playing in a club match from the WhatsApp status of a friend of mine who was a professional scorer in the Karnataka State Cricket Association ( KSCA) and was the official scorer of this match. At that time I was in my GATE coaching classes in Indira Nagar. Immediately my friend Srinidhi and i rushed to the ground to witness the great man play in possibly his last competitive cricket match.

This day was a special day in my life because of the following reasons:

1. This match was probably Rahul Dravid’s last match in whites ( he had retired from Test cricket just recently)
2. No unwanted attention, just low-key pure cricket.
3. No tickets :) could see Rahul Dravid from just 3 feet distance

In a way I was a bit unfortunate because I could not witness the great man’s batting ( he had retired after scoring a marvellous ton) by the time I reached and his team was fielding after declaring the innings. So I could see him in the slips. The best part was that he was correcting the young batsmen of the opposite team when they made any mistakes with shot selection.

The best thing happened after the match. Rahul and his guys walked to the pavillion. He was as calm and composed as ever. Not a hint of arrogance. He was playing with boys half his age. Both the team members gathered around him while Rahul was packing his kit. I remember that he adviced a young spinner how to stick on to a line and not bowl a loose delivery, and also other batsmen about temperament.

One thing that touched my heart was when he enquired about the fielder who was rushed to the hospital after sustaining an on-field injury. He took out a brand new SG bat from his kit and told one of the boys to keep it in the injured player’s kit.

Last but not the least, he happily obliged the fans, including me, waiting for autographs and photographs with him.I managed to get an autograph from Mr. Dravid, and that’s a prized possession for someone who had been an ardent fan of his.

This man is an epitome of simplicity even in real life, trust me.

Thank you.

Image was taken by me while he was busy talking to the players.