Former India skipper Rahul Dravid
Batting great Rahul Dravid let a taxi go to talk to me, said former Pakistan cricketer Yasir Arafat as he recalled meeting the ex-India skipper on a trip to England back in 2014.
Dravid was at Lord's to ring the bell for the second Test between India and England. Arafat, who became a T20 specialist in the latter stages of his career and played for multiple counties in England, spotted the legendary batsman and called out to him.
“Rahul Dravid had come to Lord’s to do commentary for a match. After the game, he was leaving the stadium. He hailed a taxi and was going to sit in the car when I shouted ‘Rahul Bhai’ from a distance," remembered Arafat while speaking on the Sports Yaari YouTube channel.
“He heard my voice and asked the driver to go; he left the cab to talk to me. I have not played much cricket for Pakistan. Still, Rahul spoke to me for 10-15 minutes. He asked me about my cricket and my family. I felt really good,” he added.
Arafat's international career may have not panned out as expected, but he's been a regular in county cricket, plying his trade for teams like Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, and Somerset. Incidentally, Arafat had replaced Dravid as Scotland's overseas player in 2004.
The 39-year-old also opened his account in Test cricket with Dravid's wicket, which he labelled as the 'most prized one' of his career. He went on to represent Pakistan in 3 Tests, 11 ODIs, and 13 T20 Internationals.
"Taking Rahul Dravid's wicket to open my account in Test cricket was a big achievement for me. I can say Rahul Dravid's wicket is the most prized one of my career," Arafat further said in the interview.
