Former Indian bowler Irfan Pathan talked about Rahul Dravid the captain.
Team India has had many successful captains in the past. Kapil Dev put India on the cricket map with the historic triumph in 1983 World Cup, when the side stunned defending champions West Indies in the final. India gained significant success under the captaincy of Mohammad Azharuddin and reached the final of the World Cup for the only second time under Ganguly.
MS Dhoni, of course, became the first captain in history to lift all the three ICC trophies (World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy). However, Rahul Dravid's name is scarcely mentioned when talking about successful captains in the side's history.
Dravid's stint as captain may have been marred with a poor outing in the 2007 World Cup when India were ousted in the group stage. However, it was also under his captaincy when India registered a brilliant Test series victory in England in the same year. He captained India in 72 ODIs, winning 42. In Tests, he led the side in 25 matches, losing only six. Under his captaincy, India registered a record 17-straight wins in ODIs, too.
Now, former Indian bowler Irfan Pathan has talked about Dravid - the captain, insisting that he was "100 per cent a great captain."
“Dravid was 100 per cent a great captain. He was very clear on whatever he wanted from the team,” Pathan said in an Instagram conversation show 'Beyond the Field' with ESPNCricinfo.
“Every captain has their way - there are captains who thinks differently, and Rahul Dravid was also one captain who thought differently, but he was very clear in his communication. He would tell ‘this is your role and you have to work accordingly’." (ALSO READ: Dhoni sports new look, takes to organic farming)
Pathan further said that Dravid was always readily available whenever the team members needed to talk to him.
“He wanted you to do everything. He has played cricket like that as well. He has donned the wicketkeeper’s gloves, he was ready to open, he was ready to bat at no. 3. People would says he is not a great ODI cricketer, but he has scored 10,000+ runs in 50 overs cricket as well. He was such a great team’s player. His style of captaincy was also for the team," said Pathan.
“Whenever there was a problem, he was always there. Sometimes it gets difficult to communicate with a captain, because they are always surrounded by things. But Dravid was one such captain, that you can even approach him at 2 am at night with a problem. A captain’s role is to keep communication with all the players, and he did that,” Pathan further said.
