My favorite one was on why Dravid ended up being called "The Wall" He has received many accolades on how technical he is in his defenses and how he watches the ball to the last second. However, even though keeping wickets and opening the innings were the two things he detested, he put the team first and did both for a long period of time.
How the cricket community started calling him "The Wall" is because of the resilience he has shown in innings like the 270 against Pakistan in 2004. He stood there for 740 minutes (>12 hours) and made the Pakistani bowling attack look like mere amateurs! Who can forget the 148 in
the 1997 test match against South Africa where India was all set to lose and Dravid single handedly forged the winning route. Till date, I vividly remember the 2nd test of Border-Gavaskar trophy 2001 at Edens. The Australian team had won 16 tests in a row! India was forced to follow on and then came two of the most dependable cricketers India has ever known - VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid. Now, even though this match was remembered more for Laxman than for Dravid, it was Dravid's majestic 180 in the 2nd innings that had provided the much needed anchor for the Indian innings. He held the line. He watched the deliveries. Carefully placed his shots. The Aussies bowlers were seen getting frustrated with his defense. It was impregnable. So much to say that he ended up giving his wicket to a run out!
the 1997 test match against South Africa where India was all set to lose and Dravid single handedly forged the winning route. Till date, I vividly remember the 2nd test of Border-Gavaskar trophy 2001 at Edens. The Australian team had won 16 tests in a row! India was forced to follow on and then came two of the most dependable cricketers India has ever known - VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid. Now, even though this match was remembered more for Laxman than for Dravid, it was Dravid's majestic 180 in the 2nd innings that had provided the much needed anchor for the Indian innings. He held the line. He watched the deliveries. Carefully placed his shots. The Aussies bowlers were seen getting frustrated with his defense. It was impregnable. So much to say that he ended up giving his wicket to a run out!
There are other innings which can be quoted here but I think if he was given "The Wall" as his nickname - he truly deserved it. Just as a wall shelters us and protects us, Indian cricket truly shined when he was in the team. Harsha Bhogle aptly called him "the wolf who lives for the pack". Here are a few quotes to showcase the magnanimity of the "The Wall"
source :- quora.com
