Rahul Sharad Dravid is an Indian cricket coach and the former captain of the Indian National teamand is presently the head coach of the Indian national team. Dravid scored 2477 runsin international cricket. He goes by Mr. Dependable in casual conversation and is frequently called The Wall. He played a key role in the Indian national cricket team's 2002 ICC Champions Trophy victory.Before his appointment to the senior men’s national team, Dravid was the Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy and the head coach of the India Under 19 and India A teams. Under his training, the India 19 team finished as Runners Up at the 2016 U-19 Cricket World Cup and won the 2018 Under 19 Cricket World Cup. Under his coaching, the Indian Cricket team finished as runners-up at the 2023 Cricket World Cup and 2023 ICC World Test Championship final and were semi-finalists at the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Dravid started playing cricket at the age of 12 and represented Karnataka at various youth levels. In 1991, while he was still in college, he made his Ranji Trophy debut, impressing selectors with his consistent performances. This led to his international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka in 1996, followed by a Test debut against England at Lord's, where he scored 95 runs.

Although Dravid initially struggled in ODIs, he found success in Test cricket, scoring heavily in series against South Africa and the West Indies. Dravid debuted in the World Cup against South Africa, scoring a half-century. He emerged as the top scorer of the tournament, despite India's losses.

In 1998, he was honoured with the Arjuna Award for his remarkable achievements in cricket. Post-World Cup, he was in the Singapore Challenge and DMC Cup, leading the international runs chart for the 1999 cricket season.

One significant moment was his innings with Laxman at Eden Gardens, leading India to victory after being forced to follow on. He continued to perform in subsequent tours to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka but faced shoulder problems towards the end of the South African tour, affecting his performance in the home series against England and Zimbabwe.

In 2002, India secured their first victory in a one-day final after a string of defeats in the tour of England.

He scored his highest individual score of 270 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2004. Dravid held the record for the most catches taken by a player (non-wicket-keeper) in Test cricket, at 210. He faced 31,258 balls, the largest number of balls faced by any player in Test cricket, and spent 44,152 minutes at the crease, the highest time spent on the crease by any player. In 2004, he was conferred with the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award.

In 2011, Dravid made headlines with his unexpected return to the ODI team for a series in England. Following the series, he announced his retirement from ODI cricket, culminating with his last ODI innings against England in Cardiff. Rahul Dravid played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2008, 2009, and 2010, later joining the Rajasthan Royals. Under his captaincy, the team reached the finals of the Champions League T20 in 2013 and the IPL playoffs the same year, Retiring from Test and domestic cricket in 2012 and from Twenty20 cricket after the 2013 Champions League Twenty20.

He received the Padma Bhushan in 2013, which is India's third highest civilian award and Dravid further continued his association with cricket, taking on mentoring roles and eventually becoming the head coach of India's U-19 and India A teams. Under his guidance, India's U-19 team achieved significant success, winning the 2018 U-19 Cricket World Cup. Dravid's dedication to nurturing future talents extended to his role as Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy, where he played a pivotal role in enhancing player fitness and rehabilitation programs.

In November 2021, Dravid's illustrious career came full circle as he was appointed head coach of the Indian national cricket team. Under his coaching, the Indian team finished as the semi-finalists at the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup and were runners-up at the 2023 Cricket World Cup and 2023 ICC World Test Championship final.

Dravid boasts 36 Test centuries and an average of 52.31, including five double centuries, while averaging 39.16 in ODIs with a strike rate of 71.23. Notably, his Test average abroad surpasses his home average. Dravid holds records for the greatest number of innings played before being dismissed for a duck. He remains one of the top run-scorers in Test cricket.

Career Stats: Tests: 164 matches, 13,288 runs, Average: 52.31, Highest Score: 270, 100s: 36, 50s: 63 ODIs: 344 matches, 10,889 runs, Average: 39.16, Highest Score: 153, 100s: 12, 50s: 83