Rahul Dravid, one of the finest Indian cricket personalities, revealed that his biggest motivation was to earn the respect of teammates like Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and Sourav Ganguly. Speaking on the Haal Chaal Aur Sawaal Podcast with Ashish Kaushik, Dravid recalled his journey of learning, competing, and growing alongside India’s golden generation of cricketers.
Dravid’s admission came while reminiscing about that historic 2001 Eden Gardens Test against Australia. India, following on, saw Dravid and Laxman script one of the greatest partnerships in Test history. The duo added 376 runs for the fifth wicket, occupying an entire day and setting up India’s 171-run win. That victory not only ended Australia’s 16-match winning streak but also sparked a new era in Indian cricket.
Dravid’s Grit During the 2001 Eden Gardens Classic
Rahul Dravid, who scored 180 runs batting at No. 6 instead of his usual No. 3 position, had a point to prove. “I don’t think I was copying them, but certainly learning things from them as well, not only Laxman. It made my game a better game, sharing the dressing room and partnerships of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, VVS and even Gautam Gambhir for a while. You are learning from these guys, watching them prepare, play certain shots and how they go about doing certain things. And you are picking up stuff. You are being challenged and pushed by them,” Dravid said.
Motivation to Earn the Respect of Legends
The legendary batter further highlighted his inner drive to be acknowledged by his teammates. “You want to learn Tendulkar, Laxman and Ganguly’s respect. You want them to say ‘ok, this guy can also play. He deserves to be in this room with me’. You want to earn that, and that comes with performance and doing things. That comes with putting run on the boards and playing in difficult conditions or situations. So that in itself was a motivation. So you pick all of this up from them. And then they understand your game. You have conversations. You are chatting with these guys. So there is no doubt that all of them made me a better player, helped me achieve my potential, and I hope I did a little bit of that for them as well.”
Dravid also admitted that the Fab Four—Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly, and Sehwag—pushed each other to excel. The dressing room environment from 1998 to 2008 was highly competitive, yet healthy, with every individual motivated to perform for the team’s success.
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