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23 Real Life Stories of Rahul Dravid that will leave you awestruck!. Rahul Dravid fondly called as Mr. Dependable, The Wall is one of the best batsmen Cricket has ever seen. It is proven that he is a great player. But how is Rahul Dravid in real life? Read the following stories and you will say that he is a Real Gentleman!
Story 1
Rahul Dravid’s wife Vijeeta Dravid’s words
“If I packed only two sets of informal clothes, he would rotate them through an entire tour if he had to and not think about it. He doesn’t care for gadgets, and barely registers brands – of watches, cologne or cars. But if the weight of his bat as off by a gram, he would notice it in an instant and get the problem fixed”
Story 2
It was June ’05. I was in Bangalore and for some work had to go to a gas agency. Saw a “Santro”, yes a Santro stop outside the agency. Out walk Mr and Mrs Dravid and come inside to apply for a gas connection. No airs, no pretense. Complete the formalities like any aam aadmi. The agency owner says that you should have just called and I would have sent a boy to your place. He obliges the people who were present with a few pictures and walks out. Respect!
Story 3
So this is exactly what happened with a guy from office who was travelling from Bangalore to Delhi via flight in Economy class.
He got a window seat and a person comes and sits on the seat next to his. He looks quite like Dravid, so office guy asked him if he was Rahul Dravid. And got the reply “Yes”. He was amazed to see that Rahul Dravid was travelling in Economy and was wearing a cotton pant and full sleeve shirt. Quite a down to earth guy, right?
But the story doesn’t end here. When people saw him a couple of them started coming to them to ask for autograph and photograph. He politely told everyone that people are still boarding so do not block the passage, instead lets move to the li’l empty area and click the photos. He got photos with everyone who asked him and if a photo was not good he asked for another. Such a responsible and fan loving person he is.
Dravid asked the storyteller his purpose of visit and he told it was for an interview in an IT company. Dravid wished him luck and had a small chat about how did it go. Then he took out an ages old ipod and plugged the earphones and started listening to music. He responded and replied to one and all who came to meet or greet him. He is indeed the best of all the celebrities I have heard stories about.
Brett Lee said it quite right. “If you can’t get along with Dravid, you’re struggling in life “. Awesomest Dravid!!
Story 4
I was outside the Bangalore Airport, when I saw a few BIA employees taking pictures of their group. They were having fun clicking pictures, like normal friends. In that group someone kept their hand on the shoulder of a tall guy. I was standing next to them and didn’t notice anything special, until they all started changing positions, except for the tall guy who was standing patiently. I still didn’t recognize him. When they were finished taking pictures, the guy walked away from them (towards me).
When he was walking in front on me, I realized he was “Rahul Dravid”, wearing a yellow Polo T-Shirt, A simple brown Nike Hat and blue jeans. He had earphones in his ears and was carrying his own luggage. I was awestruck! How could it be him, THE GREAT WALL OF INDIA! Where is all the security, Media, Lower staff etc ? By the time I realized he was actually Rahul Dravid, he was gone. How stupid I was, missing such a great opportunity. But then I did something even more stupid, I called his name from behind,”Hey Rahul!”. To my utter surprise he stopped, removed his earphones and smiled at me. I went towards him, shook hands and talked for a minute or two, till we were interrupted by his driver. It felt like I was meeting an old friend of mine.
Such a humble person 
Story 5
I do not write much on Quora. But the question is very tempting for me. I had a very wonderful experience with Dravid which I will cherish for lifetime. A year back, my friend was seriously ill with Cancer. He was a huge fan of Dravid. So much that whenever he batted he recalled Dravid’s shots and tried to emulate them.
One day a couple of us went to see him in hospital. He was being treated for blood cancer. His condition was critical and chances of recovery were negligible. We used to discuss cricket a lot. Even during his critical condition, when it was extremely difficult for him to utter simple words, he would relish any discussion on cricket. When we were leaving, he expressed a desire to talk to Dravid. We started contacting Dravid from all the possible sources we could. Though we did not hope that we will get any reply from Dravid.
A few days later, one of us got a call from Veejeta, Dravid’s wife. Dravid had gone through our emails. She was definitely touched by our efforts and expressed Dravid’s desire to have a Skype chat. We were unsure if Dravid could make it because of his busy schedule.
But he did. Dravid talked with my friend in the hospital for almost an hour. He apologized for not able to come in person. The smile on my friend’s face was precious. He was beaming with happiness. Not just that, Dravid talked with his parents, his doctors and all other patients in the ward. Dravid made sure that he left my friend and his parents motivated after the conversation. After that hour there was positive vibe in hospital.
We recorded the entire conversation. Unfortunately, my friend could not survive the harshness of cancer. The gesture which Dravid showed definitely made him gather courage for some part of his fight with cancer. When I watch the video I see my friend’s face smiling and content. I feel proud that during his last days we were able to make him smile.
In case you read this, thank you Rahul Dravid!
Story 6
I recently met him at his house to show a product that I had developed. I had always heard about his humility and down to earth nature, I was nervous anyway. I was waiting at his office in his house, he came down in around 5 odd minutes. Just as he came, I stood up and introduced myself,” Hi I am Mirik.” He shook my hand and replied, ” Hi I am Rahul, nice to meet you”. I was awestruck, he introduced himself to me! I could not reply, the man that the whole of India and the cricketing world knows and adores, still introduced himself just like anyone else does. Later on thinking, I myself thought that during my team as the head of the organizing committee of my college festival, when juniors would have come to meet me to discuss something, I would not have introduced myself, assuming that they know me. My respect for him, which was really very high before, went up even more.
Story 7
It was 1998. I was 7 years old.
My mother works at the Sports Authority of India, Headquarters. Back then, she was with the Teams Division, and was dealing with the administration of the Arjuna Awards that year. One evening, as she was really pressurized and soaked in work, she received this call (excerpts below)
Mom: Hello?
Other Guy: Good evening Maam. I wanted to enquire about the Arjuna Awards.
Mom: This is the admin office. Please call the inquiry office.
Other Guy: Sorry to disturb you maam. Actually I am Rahul speaking and I am supposed to receive the….
Mom (irritated): (Interrupting) I am in the middle of a lot of work. Please don’t disturb and call the inquiry office. *hangs up*
Then, as she started working again, she had this feeling that something was not right. She called back.
Mom: Who is this?
Other Guy: Rahul.
Mom: Rahul Dravid?
Other Guy: Yes.
*awkward silence ensued*.
After that, mom apologized and ensured his query got addressed. He was really polite all the while and also apologized to mom for disturbing her at work. Back at home, it took me a week before I forgave her for being rude to my idol.
Story 8
When I was 12 years old, one day my Dad came back from his office and told me that he had an invitation to a party where Rahul Dravid was invited to be the chief guest. For the next whole month, I was more excited than anybody ever could be. He had been my favourite cricketer for years, and this was like a dream come true. When we reached there, we got great seats near to the stage. Actually more of a platform, not really a stage. The organiser (CASTROL), had asked Dravid to conduct a quiz among the complete audience.
He played a gracious host and asked 5 questions to the audience, me answering 1st, 2nd and 3rd and then he offered others chances, asking me to catch up later. I got a signed biography The Nice Guy Who Finished First , a signed bat, and also a bat signed by the whole team. After the photography session, I met him and spoke to him for a short duration.One of the most Humble people you could ever meet! That day shall remain carved in my memory for the years to come.
Story 9
It was during India’s tour of Australia in Dec 2011. Adelaide being a small city, it is very easy to spot cricketers in the CBD area whenever there is a match at Adelaide oval. I and my friends were all excited and we had planned to be around Adelaide CBD after 9 PM with a hope of spotting few cricketers. We did manage to click photographs and get autographs from few cricketers on the first day and hence decided to do the same the next day :D. In my mind I was just hoping that somehow I could just get a glimpse of Rahul Dravid, the man I have respected, adored and admired from the day I have started following cricket. And there he was, crossing the traffic light!! I literally asked my friend to pinch myself before I ran behind him to request for a photograph. With a smile, he acknowledged and posed for a picture and signed the cricket bat. As he was with someone, I thought it won’t be very appropriate if I would ask him for another photograph for my friend who was clicking the pic. But to my surprise, he himself asked if my friend would want a photograph with him as well. I was bowled over by this small sweet gesture. This sweet, small gesture is what makes him a humble soul and the true gentleman of the game.
Story 10
I’ve spoken to him once, over the telephone. My mother and father were at a dinner party where Rahul was also present. I was in class XI that time and was probably on top of HC Verma when my phone rang. Mum was calling and and as soon as I answered her call, she said, very excitedly, that she was sitting near Rahul Dravid. w00t, I went!
So I asked her, half in jest, if she could give the phone to him. She said she will ask him and before I could reply, she was actually asking him. I heard him say ‘Sure! What is his name?’ in the background and my mum say, ‘Aditya’ and the next thing I know is he was on line with me.
It was a short conversation and I was both stunned and star-struck. He was polite and friendly. He inquired about my well-being. He asked me about myself and my interests. He asked me if I watch a lot of cricket. And he wished me the best when I told him I was preparing for IIT-JEE. The impressive thing was, he was initiating all the conversation and I was doing a shoddy job of keeping it going. All I asked him was if the party was fun and if the food was good. He asked far more questions!
To the 17 year old me, talking to one of the legends of Indian cricket, one of the Fab-4, former India captain, the WALL, didn’t feel like I that. He could just be another well meaning, mild mannered person….who just happened to have 10000+ runs.
My sister met him during India’s tour of Australia in 2008. They were playing a tour match against Victoria, in Melbourne, in one of the smaller grounds. Most of the match was washed away due to rain and there was hardly any crowd at the ground. The players, who had nothing to do, were in a friendly mood as well. So my sister got a chance to talk to Rahul. He spoke a bit about travelling on long tours like that one. They exchanged some pleasantries in the end and he left for the dressing room.
So that’s it. To me, he came across as exactly what one might expect from watching his conduct on field and in front of the cameras. Those stories and eulogies which were written post his retirement seem to be just about right in describing him as an thorough gentleman.
Story 11
Team Manager of Rajasthan Royals is my father’s friend. So, with his help i got permission to be with the team and spend a whole day at their practice venue before the start of the 2014 IPL at Dr. D. Y. Patil stadium,Navi Mumbai. Rahul sir was not part of the team now, he was there as the team mentor. I eached there at 2 pm. All the players reached the venue at 2.30 pm. They directly went to dressing room and started getting ready. But as Rahul sir were not part of the team he was siting on the chairs outside (4 chairs away from me) doing something on his iPhone. (from here onwards i didn’t see him doing anything on his cellphone till the practised was going on) All players got ready and we started to move towards the stadium. Rahul sir were accompanied by Paddy Upton. Team was divided and the practice started. Rahul sir were standing some distance behind the wicket keeper. He was constantly watching them play and was giving them necessary inputs. Other players were coming off field often to take rest and chat with other team mates. But he was standing there only from 3.00 pm to 8.30 pm, Unmoved. He kept doing his job. (At 8.00 pm, he was still standing there) No one on the field would have objected if he took a break but he didn’t. I got inspired by seeing his dedication towards the game.Finally, when the practise was over, i was able to take a Pic with him.
He didn’t even speak to me but just by observation i learned many things in those hours. Meanwhile, when the practise was going on, a player in the dug out called the one who was doing some sort of practise off the ground to sit and do some chit chat. The player who was practising replied ” Are Rarhul bhai dekhenge to chillaenge” (If Rahul sir saw this, he will shout at me).
When Rajasthan Royal got out of the play off and we all remember that angry face of Rahul sir, I don’t know why but i could feel his pain just because i saw him working this hard.
Hats off for this player. A true ambassador of the game.
Story 12
I think i was on my first or second date with Parth Pooniwala. We went to this really beautiful,quaint rooftop restaurant in Indira Nagar called Max Cafe. We were sitting on the corner table, sipping tea and talking. After about 10mins, i notice that there is someone familiar on the table next to us. I almost screamed out when i realized, it was Rahul Dravid with his two sons.
He was just sitting there, calmly like it was his home with no celebrity air. He went to the counter, took the menu( He didn’t even bother the waiter) and placed the order. I was shocked by the humility of the man. We thought to take the autograph but then decided otherwise to not disturb the family gathering and quietly left.
Story 13
Here I would like to share with you an incident. One year back I had the chance of meeting, rather seeing him at his new residence. He had lost his father a day back. I wasn’t sure enough whether my friends and I should try meeting him at this very moment because I had been in that situation. I know how it feels when you lose someone who has been your hero, your guide, your inspiration, your mentor since childhood. But since my friends and I were from 4 different states and had travelled more than 1000 kilometers just to meet Rahul Dravid, decided to go and give it a try. After 4-5 hours of long wait we finally saw him.. and there he was standing, hands folded, giving instructions to his driver. He looked sad, pale and could hardly speak. The Man whose one glimpse brought smile on my face, was in dejection. I never wanted to see my idol in that state. I was numb, could not utter a single word and felt like leaving.
My friends apologized for coming at this time and he replied it’s okay!! Deep down I knew that it wasn’t okay. We were being selfish. He stood there for few seconds, waiting for us to say something but looking at his condition we could not say anything. I said Hi sir (which I could only hear!) Then he started to walk back and one of my friends asked for a photo. It was a shocker how can you ask him that at this time but to my surprise he said Ya Sure and pointed us to stand by his sides. Forgetting everything we posed for that pic and then he started walking back as slowly as he could. In the whole process I forgot to ask for an autograph..hope will get it soon..!
And from that Day the Respect for him grew many levels higher than before. Thanks to Vijeeta Mam..without her we could not have come out from there!!
Story 14
I was travelling from Port Blair ( my hometown ) to Bengaluru, somewhere around January 2013…and people who have been on this route, would know that there is no direct flight between the two cities…so I was on transit via Chennai ( this was the time, when they were still using the old domestic terminal )…I was waiting for my flight to be announced and was passing time, fiddling with my NEW Samsung mobile in the TOP FLOOR waiting area…
then suddenly… I glanced up from my mobile, and the guy sitting right in FRONT of me, reading what looked to be a gigantic book, gave me a smile…I DIDN’T EVEN gave him a second look…and started fiddling with my mobile again…
A few minutes later,the guy sitting NEXT to me (later, I found out that he was from Delhi ), poked me all of a sudden..started blabbering…IS THAT RAHUL DRAVID SITTING IN FRONT OF US?????????
I looked up, and to my horror and surprise…it was indeed RAHUL DRAVID…sitting in-front of me and calmly reading a book…that instant, I cursed myself, like A 10 TIMES and started looking for a paper ( or anything ) to take his autograph…unfortunately I couldn’t find any.. then it struck me…that i had a brand new cell in my hand….
I gave the cell to the Delhi guy…RAN towards RAHUL…and asked as POLITELY as I could, for a photograph with one of INDIA’S GREATEST BATSMAN…fortunately…he obliged…
UNFORTUNATELY…in my hurry to take the pic…I HAD FORGOTTEN…to remove the plastic, covering my NEW mobile’s CAMERA…as you can see, RAHUL’S face got a bit blurred…BUT…I guess you can still make-out that it is indeed him.
P.S this is the most liked pic of mine on facebook and for the record…I have never met a more DOWN TO EARTH, POLITE & CALM person in my life.
Story 15
This page has some really amazing answers. My own encounter with Dravid was far less interesting but sweet nonetheless. I met him at the Bangalore Airport on 10 May, 2013. I had gone to pick up a friend of mine who is incidentally the craziest Dravid fan I know personally (Last I checked, she bakes cakes on his birthday). So while I am waiting for her, I overhear these whispers about the possibility of Dravid arriving at the airport.
She comes out and obviously refuses to believe me when I tell her that Dravid was apparently in the vicinity. So we walk to the taxi parking area (near the CCD I think), and while we’re waiting for the driver to come pick us up, I see this lean guy in a grey polo T-shirt and trackpants, carrying a small suitcase, walking quickly in our general direction.
I tell my friend that Dravid was standing behind her, and she literally freezes to the spot the moment she sees him. Dravid notices this and smiles in a shy, self-conscious way. I go up to him, introduce the two of us and tell him that we were fans. As he puts his luggage into an Airport Cab (lucky driver!), he tells us about how he was in Bangalore to spend some time with his family as Rajasthan Royals had a gap of about 7 to 10 days in between games. With that, he smiles again, says bye and speeds away in the cab. Good Guy Rahul Dravid!
Story 16
He was very decent and gentle.Given my madness towards him,the moment I knew that I’d be working in Bangalore for the next 6 months,I decided to somehow go and meet him.And one fine day,I did meet him(thanks to my senior).I gave him a hand-shake,spoke briefly for about 15-20 secs where-in I told him that I was a big fan blah blah,he asked about my college etc and then clicked a photo with him.There were numerous things I had in mind to tell him whenever I met him.But,the moment I saw him,somehow I lost track of things and time(apologies if my ‘poetry’ sucked).One of those things is asking him to check out this very question ‘What is Rahul Dravid like in real life’ on Quora and look at what people feel about him.Someone meets him here-after please do the honors.He’ll be a very happy man I suppose.Let me put up my photo for I’ve literally shown this photo to everyone I could meet on the day I met him.
Story 17
This was back in 2010 when I was driving my scooter with my wife as pillion near M.G Road in Bangalore. I stopped near a traffic signal and noticed an Audi Q4 stopped in front of me. Admiring the vehicle, I moved closer to it and to my surprise, found Rahul Dravid behind the wheel. I took a moment to confirm it was actually him and told my wife. He was looking in the opposite direction. I had read about his humbleness, simplicity, he drives a Maruti 800, Santro etc. on different forums and blogs. After seeing his Audi, I started wondering that he may not be that simple and humble any more. Not sure of whether he would acknowledge me, I moved closer to the passenger side of his car and made some hand gestures.
He noticed me and rolled down the window glass. I waved at him (I realized later that it was more like a “salute” than a “wave” :-))and said “Hi”. He smiled, responded and asked me “How are you doing?”. By now, the signal had turned green and we had to move. I was delighted and this incident made my day. I treasure this moment till now.
Story 18
If theres something which i could cherish about after 20 years , this incident would stand among the top three for sure .
I participated in a contest on Face Book which was conducted by the Rajasthan Royals team of which the prize was a chance to talk to the wall himself . Maybe my stars were shining the brightes on that day
I was among the lucky winners and had a chance to talk to RSD on the phone , this was how the dream chat went
Story 19
I get a call from nowhere and somebody says am talkin from xyz studio in mumbai and we have a secial guest to talk to u , Then the voice comes ” Hi Abhinav , How are you ?? ” I was like OMG ” Are you really You ? ” He says : Yes I am I , He undersands the situation and starts askin abt my college and all to ease me up , then cam e my 2 questions which i always wanted to ask him , Here they were :
Me: Sir , What is that inspires you to be what you are now , both professionally and personally ?? ( I was like , this guy seems nothing less than perfect after listening to his answer )
Dravid : Playing for India was the greatest inspiration of my life and once in the team , i knew i had a billion expectations to fulfill , This was the greatest inspiration and will be in the future too
Me : Sir, Batting unlike the 90’s has now become more of a power related thing and u see the basics of batting almost changing their shape with the time , Is this good and Whats your comment ?? ( I play for my university , so had this question in my mind )
Dravid : Just sheer power without technique nor sheer technique without power would do , So even to hit a monstrous hit out of the ground you need technique , So its just a myth that cricket is becoming a power game.
Then it ended there that way , but will remain with me for the rest of my life , HAIL THE WALL
Story 20
My wife and her family were just getting into a Mumbai restaurant when they ran into Rahul with his friends on the way out after finishing his meal. It was a fleeting moment and yet an autograph had to be taken. Having no piece of paper immediately available with them, somebody had a brainwave and offered him a rupee note to sign on. After reading all the wonderful things people have been saying in this thread about him, I’m beginning to think that it was perhaps the only occasion when Rahul Dravid has refused somebody an autograph. He politely told them he cannot sign on a currency note.
Story 21
While I do not know Rahul Dravid personally, I had the absolute pleasure of having a chance encounter with the legend at a Bangalore movie theater. The only downside was that I was quite young when I did meet him so my recollection is not as good as I would like it to be. He was very casually dressed in tracks and had come there with a friend. Most people didn’t even realize it was him for quite a while, I guess simply because most people never thought a cricketer of his talent and fame would be so simple. He was quite unaware of the furore he had caused at the theater. Finally when people did realize it was Rahul Dravid they started lining up to take his autograph. He obliged everyone very pleasantly and even paused to take a picture with a lucky family which was carrying a camera (smart phones hadn’t arrived yet :P). He even stood in the line to get the tickets, kept chatting animatedly with his friend and went inside. While this may be a very small experience, it was enough to demonstrate the humility and humbleness he carried around. It is no surprise that to this date he remains the same simple, decent and extremely well respected human being that he is. The crowd at the theater clearly caught a good show that day.
Story 22
This happened few years back, when me and cousin brother were travelling in car and we were on Rahul Dravid’s house street. We didn’t pay much attention to that as we used to pass by that street very often. But that day, a car was parked on left side of the street and as we approached that car, suddenly someone opened the door. My brother was driving and for our luck there was no vehicle coming from opposite side, so he suddenly took right to save our car from hitting that car. We stopped the car there itself and got down to take class of that man(you know what I mean). And for our surprise it was RD itself. He suddenly confessed to us.He asked us Sorry and said that he didn’t think to look into mirror for any vehicles from behind. He was very polite and went inside the gate.We got down with the intention of scolding but ended up with huge smile on our faces.
Story 23
It was my (and my sister’s ) privilege to meet Dravid during the New Zealand tour of India (1999-2000). We got the chance to attend an after match dinner held in Guwahati. We were kids and as usual most of the players were amused to see two of us running around (:)). But Rahul Dravid and Jadeja were complete gentleman. Dravid treated us like he would do any other person answered all our questions with sincerity and won the lifetime admiration of us.A perfect Gentleman both on and off the field.
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