Matthew Hayden Praises Rahul Dravid for Winning on the Principles of Cricket and Life

New Delhi: Australian cricketing icon Matthew Hayden had nothing but high praise for India's legendary Rahul Dravid, known for his composure and humility on and off the field. Dravid, often celebrated as one of the nicest guys in the cricketing world, always faced challenges with grace and dignity. His unruffled demeanor earned him the nickname 'Mr. Cool' during his playing days in Indian cricket.

This veteran batter used to be a pillar of strength every time India found themselves in troubled waters, and one such inning came against Australia back in 2001 at Eden Gardens. In that historic Test, it was Dravid and VVS Laxman who stitched up an unbelievable partnership of 376 runs that became vital for India’s miraculous comeback victory. Laxman played an exciting innings of 281 runs, which again was the highest individual score in Tests for an Indian till then. Dravid supported nicely with a masterly 180, underlining his brilliance.

Recently, former India head coach Rahul Dravid was given the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the Ceat Cricket Rating Awards. In this context, the event had invited Matthew Hayden to share his views and tributes about the former Indian captain.

Hayden reminisced about Dravid’s legendary partnership with VVS Laxman at Eden Gardens, highlighting how their remarkable innings disrupted Michael Slater and Australia’s strategies entirely.

“Sadly, from an Australian cricket point of view, it was the incredible partnership that he had up at Eden Gardens. There was nothing more sacred but that partnership with VVS Laxman. We walked onto the bus that day up in Kolkata and there was a fresh box of Cuban cigars and Michael Slater said we’ll be smoking these at the end of the day and we’ll have retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” Hayden said about Dravid during Ceat Cricket Rating Awards.

The 52-year-old also praised Dravid’s character, noting that his actions were always marked by a strong sense of fairness in a game where the temptation to win at any cost is often present.

“Well, you had something to say about that batting all day with VVS Laxman in an extraordinary partnership. Obviously, the one in Adelaide as well was just something else. Under pressure, Australia put everything on the line against Rahul and did it with great grace, great composure, and always a great sense of fairness. In a game, which can tempt you to win at all costs Rahul Dravid won on the principles of cricket and the principles of life,” he concluded.

Recently, Dravid was named head coach of the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, barely weeks since he resigned as national coach following the victory in the T20 World Cup. It will be the 51-year-old’s second stint with the Royals, where he served out his playing career as captain before transitioning to a mentor role in 2014.

Dravid guided the Indian team, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, to their first global title in 11 years by securing victory over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados this June.