BCCI shares special video for birthday boy Rahul Dravid as wishes pour in for 'The Wall'

Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid, who is celebrating his 47th birthday, is witnessing wishes pouring in from all corners. From his old teammates to the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams which Dravid has represented, birthday wishes is coming his way in numbers.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wished one of his most loyal servants in a unique manner. Taking to its official Twitter handle, BCCI posted a video of a special One-Day International (ODI) knock which Dravid had played against New Zealand in 1999.

BCCI wrote, “Wishing The Wall – Rahul Dravid a very Happy Birthday. His exploits in Test cricket are well known but we thought we would relive one of his knocks in ODIs against New Zealand. #HappyBirthdayRahulDravid.”

Wishing The Wall – Rahul Dravid a very Happy Birthday. His exploits in Test cricket are well known but we thought we would relive one of his knocks in ODIs against New Zealand.
#HappyBirthdayRahulDravid 🎂🎂 pic.twitter.com/psUsTPw8Xt

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2020

The innings, which saw Dravid making his highest-ever ODI score, witnessed ‘The Wall’ partnering Sachin Tendulkar for a mammoth partnership of 331 runs. It was the highest ODI partnership at that time and remained so till 2015.

Dravid had made 153, his only 150+ score in ODI cricket, in as many deliveries and smashed the Kiwi bowlers all throughout the innings. His partnership with Tendulkar had helped India put on a total of 376 in their innings. Defending, the Indian bowlers had bundled New Zealand for a paltry total of 202.

Other than BCCI, his former playing mates also took to the social media platform to wish Dravid on his special day. One of Dravid’s favourite batting partners in Test cricket, VVS Laxman posted a picture of him with his ‘good friend’.

Wishing my good friend Rahul Dravid a very special birthday and a wonderful year filled with love,happiness and prosperity. pic.twitter.com/0zx7cmi5S1

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) January 11, 2020

Happy birthday #RahulDravid what a legend 🏏 pic.twitter.com/oMQhVMFbav

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) January 11, 2020

From my understanding, I thought grinding only happens in the kitchen in the Mixer Grinder, but Dravid taught one can grind on the cricket pitch as well. We had it All when we had the Wall !#HappyBirthdayRahulDravid pic.twitter.com/eUVkpTtF8n

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 11, 2020

Inspiration. Role Model. Legend. Wishing the great man , Rahul Dravid a very happy birthday #HappyBirthdayRahulDravid pic.twitter.com/x9fRuZ6so9

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 11, 2020

IPL teams Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru also wished their former player. While RCB called him ‘Namma Rahul Dravid’, Rajasthan super-imposed Dravid’s face in the poster of the famous Bollywood movie ‘Deewar’.

Happy Birthday to Namma Rahul Dravid!
Thank you for inspiring generations of cricket lovers during your playing days, and massive respect for dedicating your 2nd innings to building the next generation of Indian cricketers.
More power to The Wall!#HappyBirthdayDravid #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/xyN8g9kWVT

— Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) January 11, 2020

2️⃣0️⃣ years of pure blockbuster performances!

Happy Birthday, legend 🐐#RahulDravid #HallaBol #RoyalsFamily pic.twitter.com/SxDMyb7YFo

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) January 10, 2020

One of the most decorated Indian batsmen, Dravid is only the second Indian cricketer to have scored more than 10,000 runs in Test and ODI cricket. In 164 Tests, the classy right-hander has amassed a total of 13,288 runs at an average of 52.31 with 36 centuries and 63 half-centuries. Regarded as one of the best slip catchers in the history of the game, Dravid has 210 catches in red-ball cricket.

He also holds an impeccable ODI cricket. In 344 outings in the 50-overs format, Dravid has 10,889 runs at an average of 39.16. In the blue jersey, he notched 12 centuries and 83 50+ scores. He grabbed 196 catches and in his brief period as a wicketkeeper Dravid affected 14 stumpings.

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