1 week Ago
Matthew Hayden lauded Rahul Dravid’s grace and integrity, reflecting on his pivotal innings with VVS Laxman at Eden Gardens, while Dravid prepares for his second stint as head coach of the Rajasthan Royals after leading India to a T20 World Cup victory. Published: September 8, 2024 9:00 AM IST By Edited by The legendary Australian opener Matthew Hayden went in high praise for India’s Rahul Dravid: Whatever came on his way, he faced it with graciousness and dignity. Normally recognized as a good guy among cricketers, Dravid was one of those very few who never lost their cool on the field.
He was eminently called ‘Mr. Cool’ in Indian cricket when he played. This veteran batter used to be a pillar of strength every time India found themselves in troubled waters, and one such inning came against Australia back in 2001 at Eden Gardens.
In that historic Test, it was Dravid and VVS Laxman who stitched up an unbelievable partnership of 376 runs that became vital for India’s miraculous comeback victory. Laxman played an exciting innings of 281 runs, which again was the highest individual score in Tests for an Indian till then. Dravid supported nicely with a masterly 180, underlining his brilliance.
Recently, former India head coach Rahul Dravid was given the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards. In this context, the event had invited Matthew Hayden to share his views and tributes about the former Indian captain. Hayden reminisced about Dravid’s legendary partnership with VVS Laxman at Eden Gardens, highlighting how their remarkable innings disrupted Michael Slater and Australia’s strategies entirely.
“Sadly, from an Australian cricket point of view, it was the incredible partnership that he had up at Eden Gardens. There was nothing more sacred but that partnership with VVS Laxman. We walked onto the bus that day up in Kolkata and there was a fresh box of Cuban cigars and Michael Slater said we’ll be smoking these at the end of the day and we’ll have retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” Hayden said about Dravid during Ceat Cricket Rating Awards.
The 52-year-old also praised Dravid’s character, noting that his actions were always marked by a strong sense of fairness in a game where the temptation to win at any cost is often present. “Well, you had something to say about that batting all day with VVS Laxman in an extraordinary partnership. Obviously, the one in Adelaide as well was just something else.
Under pressure, Australia put everything on the line against Rahul and did it with great grace, great composure, and always a great sense of fairness. In a game, which can tempt you to win at all costs Rahul Dravid won on the principles of cricket and the principles of life,” he concluded. Recently, Dravid was named head coach of the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, barely weeks since he resigned as national coach following the victory in the T20 World Cup.
It will be the 51-year-old’s second stint with the Royals, where he served out his playing career as captain before transitioning to a mentor role in 2014. Dravid guided the Indian team, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, to their first global title in 11 years by securing victory over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados this June. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on or follow us on and .
Read more on Latest on . Topics.
