Former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu, while referring to India legend Rahul Dravid’s commitment to the team, once famously said, “Dravid is a player who will walk on broken glass if his team wants him to.”
He was referring to Dravid, who despite being a pure batter, agreed to take up the wicketkeeper’s role under Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy in the early 2000s, to lend more balance to the team.
More than two decades later, Dravid’s commitment remains the same. He was seen attending Rajasthan Royals' IPL pre-season training session in Jaipur, on crutches. The newly appointed RR head coach sustained a leg injury in a local league match.
Dravid was batting for Vijaya Cricket Club against Jayanagar Cricketers in the Karnataka State Cricket Association Group I, Division 2 semifinal for the Sri Nassur Memorial Shield last week, when he injured his left calf muscle. Interestingly, he was playing alongside his 16-year-old son Anvay. Though Dravid managed to score 43 off 66 balls, Vijaya CC lost the match.
RR shared a video of the interaction between the players and their new head coach, where Dravid was seen arriving in a golf cart. His left leg had a medical walking boot on, and despite the injury, the 52-year-old actively participated in the training session.
💗➡️🏡 pic.twitter.com/kdmckJn4bz
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) March 13, 2025
He also spent time with the young stars like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag.
Dravid was named Rajasthan Royals' head coach after his stint as India's head coach from 2022 to 2024, during which India won the T20 World Cup last year. He was part of the Royals camp for long, first as their captain in 2012 and 2013, before taking over as the mentor for two more years.
Dravid then mentored the Delhi Capitals in 2016 till he became the National Cricket Academy head. In 2021, he took over as India's head coach from Ravi Shastri.
At RR, he will reunite with skipper Sanju Samson, who he mentored during his stint with the franchise. Kumar Sangakkara will continue as the Royals' Director of Cricket.
