Rahul Dravid was as important to Indian side as Sachin Tendulkar: Steve Waugh

Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh appreciated former Indian wicket keeper batsman Rahul Dravid as a great player who deserves the same level of respect and appreciation which Sachin Tendulkar receives in International circuit. Dravid who is often known as The Wall of Indian cricket has amassed 13,288 runs in 164 Test matches he has played during his playing tenure. He has also scored 10,889 runs in 344 ODI for India.

Speaking about Former Indian captain, Waugh stated that Dravid was the most important member of Indian cricket team and someone who glue the whole Indian team together and would always help them survive testing times by scoring runs at crucial stages. He termed Dravid as World Class player who can score against any bowler on a given day.

“He was unflappable, fierce concentration; there was no point in trying to ruffle his feathers because you couldn’t do it. He was the glue who held them all together and the one banker they had in the side. I knew he was going to score runs, I knew he could occupy the crease and he could repel quality bowling which quality players can do.

If he stepped up the gear he could play shots as good as anyone, he was a world-class player and equally hard to overcome as Tendulkar was,” Waugh praised Dravid while speaking in an interview with Cricket Australia.

Further in the interaction, he also labelled Dravid stunning knock of 180 runs against Australia in 2000-01 in Kolkata was his best knock till date under tough circumstances. His partnership with VVS Laxman is still regarded as one of the best batting by an Indian pair against mighty Australia.

“His concentration and defense was impregnable when he wants to be and he had that fierce competitive attitude too, the big games really excited him, that’s when he played his best. Once he got in, it was so hard. Obviously, the most famous (innings of Dravid) is the Kolkata win, he and Laxman batted all day. Pretty much turned the Test around. That was an unwinnable Test match.”

“He was as important to the Indian side as was Sachin Tendulkar. Those guys formed the heart of what was probably India’s best batting lineup,” Steve Waugh concluded.