Picture Credit: BCCI
Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid is undoubtedly one of the nicest gentlemen that cricket has ever seen. Calm and composed on and off the field, the fans still admire 'The Wall' for playing the game with the right attitude and setting up an example for the youngsters of the country. However, not many people know about the times when Dravid showed his anger and the recently published book ‘Believe: What Life and Cricket Taught Me’ by Suresh Raina and Bharat Sundaresan revealed one incident from 2006.
I honestly haven’t feared anyone more than him: Raina on Dravid
The CSK cricketer claimed that Rahul Dravid was a very intense man as captain. Raina revealed that they would often see Dravid at breakfast on the morning of the match with a very serious expression on his face. "At times, I wondered if I should just ask him to relax a little and smile. But I knew that this was his way of preparing for a game. He was in that zone where no nobody could bother him," stated Raina.
He also added that the 48-year-old was very particular about how the players of the team carried themselves. Raina stated, "Rahul Bhai looked at playing for India as an honour. And he always believed that, as representatives of our country, we should be mindful of what we wear and how we present ourselves." However, the cricketer from UP got in Dravid's radar once where he unintentionally crossed the lines and got scolded by the former Indian skipper.
I was so taken aback and scared: Suresh Raina
The 34-year-old cricketer shared a story from 2006 when India were in Malaysia for a tri-series featuring West Indies and Australia. Raina had gone to a shopping mall and had purchased a stylish t-shirt and was walking back when he bumped into Dravid who did not look pleased with what the left-handed batsman was wearing. Raina revealed that the T-shirt was a branded one and it had ‘FCUK’ written in bold letters right across the middle. He added that he had no idea what it meant or what it could be perceived as.
As soon as Dravid looked at the tshirt, he gave a proper scolding to the youngster and said, "Do you know what you are wearing and walking around in? You are an Indian cricketer. You cannot be out in public with that written on your T-shirt." Raina admitted that he was so taken aback and scared that he immediately went to the restroom, changed into something else and threw that T-shirt in the bin.