India’s former number three Test batter, Rahul Dravid, is known for his calm demeanor on and off the field. Dravid, however, had celebrated aggressively after he scored a century in the second innings of the iconic 2001 Eden Gardens Test against Australia in 2001.
Dravid was bowled by Shane Warne after scoring only 25 runs while batting at one drop. After Australian captain Steve Waugh decided to enforce the follow-on, Dravid was pushed down to number six in the second essay.
However, the solid batter scored a majestic knock of 180 runs off 353 balls to prove his mettle. The right-hander added a gargantuan alliance of 378 runs with VVS Laxman, who went on to score a magnum opus knock of 281.
After completing his hundred, Dravid took off his helmet and pointed aggressively to the media box at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
“That’s been blown out of proportion a little bit. I think in some ways, there was a lot of pressure on me. You can’t really react to everything people say. I understand that better now because I’m a bit wiser, more mature and have seen a fair bit of life in 25 years. But I genuinely felt that there was a lot of negativity around the team and a lot of criticism, which was a little bit uncalled for at that stage,” said Dravid on TOI.
The former Indian skipper felt the criticism he was getting at the time was rather unfair considering he had gone only three innings without a big score. “Also, some of that criticism directed towards me was a bit unjustified. I’d only gone three innings without scoring runs. I was young and feeling the pressure. As a young man fighting for your place in the side — for your career and the team — you don’t always have the maturity to fully understand the situation.”
Dravid said the celebration was not aimed at anyone, and he was just releasing his frustration after reaching the personal milestone.
“I’m happy enough to admit 25 years later that maybe I did let things get to me, which I should not have. But it wasn’t meant for anyone in particular. It was a relief and a sort of outlet for the pressure I was feeling. Whatever may be my reputation, so to speak, I have always been human.”
India went on to win the Kolkata Test by 171 runs after Harbhajan Singh shone with the ball, taking 13 wickets in the match.
