'Mr. Dependable' Rahul Dravid turns 45, cricket world showers wishes

Suresh Raina, took to Twitter to say:  "Happy birthday, Rahul Bhai. A thorough gentleman who taught us the meaning of commitment and sacrifices. Getting my ODI and Test caps from you will always hold a special place in my heart."

Mohammad Kaif, with whom Dravid played a memorable knock in 2003 World Cup against New Zealand to help India win the match, said: " One of the legends of the game, an inspiration as much off the field as on the field and a man who taught me so much, #HappyBirthdayDravid ."

Dravid scored more than 10000 runs in both Test and ODI formats and the third highest run scorer in the ODI format for India after Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

He is mostly remembered for his patience on the cricket field and the ability to win matches for India from any situations. His knock of 180 runs along with VVS Laxman's 281 against Australia in 2001 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, is still afresh in the minds of cricket lovers.

It is because of his patience and the ability to stay in the wicket for longer periods, Dravid was called "Mr Dependable" or "The Wall" during his playing days.

As a captain, he tasted a bitter result in the 2007 World Cup. Under his captaincy, the Indian team failed to even qualify for the quarter finals in that year of the World Cup. However, as a captain, he was successful in winning series against West Indies, Pakistan, England on the foreign soils.

Though he resigned as the captain in late 2007, Dravid continued to be a rock in the Indian batting order.

Now Dravid is playing the role of the head coach of Under 19 Indian cricket team, which toured to New Zealand to play the Under 19 World Cup.

The Under 19 World Cup is scheduled to begin on Jan 13.

Image: twitter.com/BCCI