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Considered one of the greatest cricketers in history, Rahul Dravid is renowned for his calm and composed personality. Rarely seen as aggressive on or off the field, the former national team captain also led India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title as head coach. Besides his composed demeanor, he is famously known as "Mr. Dependable" or "The Wall."
Recently, Ajinkya Rahane, Dravid’s ex-IPL teammate, revealed an incident where the otherwise calm cricketer lost his temper during a heated exchange with former Mumbai Indians pacer Mitchell Johnson in an IPL 2013 match.
Dravid opened the innings for Rajasthan Royals alongside Rahane, and both faced Johnson. The Australian bowler delivered three consecutive dot balls, after which Dravid hit him for an off-drive boundary.
Johnson then confronted Dravid, leading to a tense and aggressive exchange of words. Dravid responded by hitting another boundary in Johnson’s next over, followed by cupping his hands to his ear, seemingly challenging the pacer to continue his sledging.
Rahane wrote on LinkedIn, “Opening with him at Rajasthan Royals was always reassuring. I was finding my footing as an opener, and even in the fast-paced T20 format, Rahul bhai carried himself with remarkable calmness. Yet, during many partnerships we shared, I once saw the not-so-calm side of him when Mitchell Johnson tried to provoke him! I jokingly told him between overs, ‘Rahul bhai, aap dedo isko bindaas, let them see this side of yours,’ and he ended up laughing.”
