Rahul Dravid had a chat with me after he hit me for three consecutive fours: Tino Best

Tino Best, the former West Indies fast bowler, had played only a couple of Tests and four ODIs against India. He was also a part of Sachin Tendulkar’s final international game in 2013 at the Wankhede Stadium. Despite not playing a whole lot against them, the retired speedster has some fond memories, especially with Rahul Dravid, known as ‘The Wall’ of Indian cricket.

Best made his debut for the Caribbeans in 2003 and two years later, he was up against a strong Indian batting line during an ODI series in Sri Lanka. The now 38-year-old has recalled how Dravid motivated him after hitting him for three consecutive fours in the match.

Best stated how Dravid, who got an unbeaten 52, was impressed by his energy. Best also shared a moment of camaraderie with Yuvraj Singh, who was a part of that series as well.

Rahul Dravid and those guys were all nice and polite, says Best

“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 was quoted as saying in 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,” he stated.

Calling Dravid “nice and polite”, Best mentioned that the Indian cricketers had love and respect for the game, something which he admired. “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,” Best added.

Best was known for his sheer pace, yet he didn’t have an illustrious career. In 25 Tests, 26 ODIs and six T20Is, the Barbados-born could manage a combined tally of 97 wickets. He last donned the national jersey against New Zealand in January 2014.