Published 15:43 IST, June 29th 2020
Irfan Pathan reveals who was the most under-rated cricketer in the world
Veteran all-rounder Irfan Pathan has revealed that former Indian skipper and batting legend Rahul Dravid was the most under-rated cricketer
Irfan Pathan has come forward and said that Rahul Dravid is the most under-rated cricketer. Dravid is one of the few batsmen to have scored over 10,000 runs in both Test and One Day International Cricket.
'Most under-rated cricketer': Irfan Pathan
“Most, most, most underrated cricketer in the world. Dravid was 100 percent a great captain. He was very clear on whatever he wanted from the team", said Irfan during an Instagram live video chat show ‘Beyond the Field'.
“Every captain has their way. There are captains who think 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", the veteran all-rounder added.
Sourav Ganguly's captaincy ended in 2005 after his fallout with former Australian cricketer/captain-turned coach Greg Chappell. Dravid who was Ganguly's deputy till that point in time succeeded him in 2005 and captained the national team till 2007. Under his tenure, Team India beat Pakistan 4-1 in away ODI series in early 2006, registered their first-ever Test series win against West Indies on Caribbean soil after a long wait of 35 years, won a Test series in England the following year and registered 17 consecutive wins while chasing in One-Day International cricket.
The lowest point in his captaincy career happened when the Men In Blue had suffered a humiliating group-stage exit in World Cup 2007 after losing their opening match against the then minnows Bangladesh and a must-win encounter against the eventual runners-up Sri Lanka. He relinquished captaincy after a bilateral series against England later that year. Mahendra Singh Dhoni succeeded him as the Indian limited-overs captain while spin legend Anil Kumble was appointed as the Test skipper till his retirement in late 2008.
The champion batsman announced his retirement from international cricket in March 2012 and continued playing franchise cricket for another year before calling it a day in October 2013.
Updated 15:43 IST, June 29th 2020