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'When he bowled, you were captivated': Rahul Dravid on facing Pakistan giant; 'One of the most skilful I played against'
Allan Donald, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, James Anderson, Stuart Broad have all had a go at Dravid, but the one bowler the former India captain relished playing against was a legendary bowler from Pakistan.
Rahul Dravid wasn't called The Wall for no reason. The India head coach, who celebrates his 50th birthday today, was not only one of the finest batters produced in the history of Indian cricket but was also one of the toughest to get out. He played in an era where Indian batting was highlighted by Sachin Tendulkar, but still, there are legends out there who played against both but found bowling to Dravid more tedious. Ask Shoaib Akhtar. Imagine steaming in from 50 yards and seeing the 150 kph missile blocked and lying dead on the surface after hitting the middle of the bat… that was Rahul Dravid. He tested patience, roughed up the oppositions' plans and freaked them out. Dravid may not have been the biggest smasher of the ball, but as Matthew Hayden once famously said, "If you want to see aggression on cricket field, look into Rahul Dravid's eyes".
Like every hero needs a villain, a quality batter needs equally great bowlers to stand out as a champion. And for Dravid, there were many. Allan Donald, Glenn McGrath, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shoaib Akhtar, James Anderson, Stuart Broad have all had a go at Dravid, but the one bowler the former India captain relished playing against was the legendary Wasim Akram. Dravid and Akram have been involved in numerous battles over the years, from those days of Sharjah tri-series to 1999 World Cup and Pakistan's famous tour of India the same year, where Wasim foxed Rahul. Akram set Dravid with two inswingers and then had him nick the next outswinger to end his stay at the crease. Akram was purely skill and acknowledging the same, Dravid paid a hearty tribute to his long-time rival.
"Wasim was a real inspiration for fast bowlers all over the world and especially in the subcontinent. His career coincided with the advent of better-quality television production and the growth of TV sets. And his skills reached so many kids who aspired to bowl like him. When he was bowling, you were captivated," Dravid wrote in Akram's biography 'Sultan: A Memoir'.
"Easily one of the most skilful bowlers I have played against. A tough competitor but always had a smile on his face and exuded joy and confidence both on and off the field. Pleasure to have both played against him and interacted with him."
That Dravid was special and knew how to tackle Akram was once mentioned by former Pakistan captain and Wasim's teammate Inzamam Ul-Haq. When Dravid was bursting onto the scene back in 1996, India had played a five-match series against Pakistan in Singapore, The Wall looked at ease against Akram and Waqar Younis. He ended the series with 220 runs with a highest score of 90 and although Dravid didn't score a century, Inzamam knew he had seen before him the beginning of what would become an iconic career.
"We had Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis who were known terrorise the youngsters with their pace and swing. Wasim and Waqar's names were enough for any youngster. But the confidence with which Dravid played them made us believe that he is special," Inzy had said on his YouTube channel in 2021.
