New Delhi, Rahul Dravid, a stickler for timekeeping, once arrived unusually late for a reading session at a bookstore in Bengaluru. But Dravid sat in the back row with other guests throughout the event without any problem.
He politely declined the organizers' request to move up the row. Dravid never really wanted the front seat or the glare of the world. It's just not his area.
But on Saturday, regardless of the result, India's head coach will have to be in the sights of the cricket world when his team takes on South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The 51-year-old already has a prelude: the host broadcasters are promoting the #DoItForDravid trend on social media.
But he is the least Rahul Dravid you can imagine.
For Dravid, winning the World Cup is not a moment of personal glory, but he would certainly extend it to the team effort and Rohit Sharma's inspired leadership.
The man himself made it clear and his words reflected his sagacity.
"I just want to play good cricket and yes, doing it for someone is totally against who I am as a person and what I believe in. So I don't want to talk about it or discuss it," Dravid told Star Sports. .
He was emphatic while remembering the spirit he followed so diligently over the years.
"I don't really believe in 'Do it for someone.' I love that quote about someone asking someone else, 'Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?' and he says 'I want to climb Mount Everest because it's there.'
"I want to win this World Cup because it is there. It is not for anyone, it is not for anyone, it is there just to win," Dravid said.
Bookmark these phrases as study material for endearing simplicity and altruism.
If further validation is needed, there was a case more than a decade ago.
Dravid was in superb form during India's tour to England in 2011, emerging as their top scorer even as the visitors sank without a trace in the Tests.
The question of retirement hung squarely over his head, but the Bengaluru man scoffed at it, saying his focus was on the year-end trip to Australia, a country where he did a lot of traveling.
But Dravid was quick to rule out any personal motivation behind his desire to travel to Australia.
"We need to win the series in Australia. Personally, I thought I owed it to the team," he said then.
That's his zone.
Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman were able to immerse themselves in their incandescent shots with the comfort that Dravid was there to absorb the blows and pressure.
Twelve years later, Dravid finds himself in a similar situation and is not complaining.
If India lift the World Cup at Kensington Oval, much of the credit will go to Rohit and his charges, and if they don't, bricks will fly in Dravid's direction as well.
Beset by jubilant team members and fans or a lonely road back to Dravid, rest assured, he will treat both with equanimity.
He politely declined the organizers' request to move up the row. Dravid never really wanted the front seat or the glare of the world. It's just not his area.
But on Saturday, regardless of the result, India's head coach will have to be in the sights of the cricket world when his team takes on South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The 51-year-old already has a prelude: the host broadcasters are promoting the #DoItForDravid trend on social media.
But he is the least Rahul Dravid you can imagine.
For Dravid, winning the World Cup is not a moment of personal glory, but he would certainly extend it to the team effort and Rohit Sharma's inspired leadership.
The man himself made it clear and his words reflected his sagacity.
"I just want to play good cricket and yes, doing it for someone is totally against who I am as a person and what I believe in. So I don't want to talk about it or discuss it," Dravid told Star Sports. .
He was emphatic while remembering the spirit he followed so diligently over the years.
"I don't really believe in 'Do it for someone.' I love that quote about someone asking someone else, 'Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?' and he says 'I want to climb Mount Everest because it's there.'
"I want to win this World Cup because it is there. It is not for anyone, it is not for anyone, it is there just to win," Dravid said.
Bookmark these phrases as study material for endearing simplicity and altruism.
If further validation is needed, there was a case more than a decade ago.
Dravid was in superb form during India's tour to England in 2011, emerging as their top scorer even as the visitors sank without a trace in the Tests.
The question of retirement hung squarely over his head, but the Bengaluru man scoffed at it, saying his focus was on the year-end trip to Australia, a country where he did a lot of traveling.
But Dravid was quick to rule out any personal motivation behind his desire to travel to Australia.
"We need to win the series in Australia. Personally, I thought I owed it to the team," he said then.
That's his zone.
Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman were able to immerse themselves in their incandescent shots with the comfort that Dravid was there to absorb the blows and pressure.
Twelve years later, Dravid finds himself in a similar situation and is not complaining.
If India lift the World Cup at Kensington Oval, much of the credit will go to Rohit and his charges, and if they don't, bricks will fly in Dravid's direction as well.
Beset by jubilant team members and fans or a lonely road back to Dravid, rest assured, he will treat both with equanimity.
