Rahul Dravid is remembered as one of the finest ambassadors of cricket. Calm, composed and technically sound, he was a player who symbolises patience and resilience. For 16 years, from 1996 to 2012, he carried India’s batting order with grace, facing the best bowlers in the world without fear. With more than 24,000 international runs in 164 Tests, 344 ODIs and a solitary T20I, he is rightly celebrated as “The Wall”.
In a recent conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel, Rahul Dravid was asked to name the toughest bowlers he faced during his long career. Having encountered some of the greatest fast bowlers and spinners in cricket history, Dravid singled out two men who challenged him more than anyone else — Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath and Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan.
Rahul Dravid explained that he did play against Pakistan’s Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis but by then, both were in the later stages of their careers. He acknowledged their greatness but added that cricketers who played them earlier said that they both were in different league at that time.
Yet when it came to consistency, accuracy and skill, Glenn McGrath stood apart. Rahul Dravid recalled that Glenn McGrath relentlessly targeted his off-stump, used bounce to perfection and displayed incredible fitness that allowed him to maintain the same intensity throughout long spells. Rahul Dravid admitted that he had played faster bowlers than Glenn McGrath but if we talk about consistency and skills, the former Aussie pacer was the toughest pacer he faced.
If Glenn McGrath was the toughest pacer, Muttiah Muralitharan was the spinner who gave Rahul Dravid the hardest time. The Sri Lankan wizard, with his unorthodox action and mastery of spin, made life difficult for even the best batsmen. Rahul Dravid praised Muralitharan’s ability to turn the ball both ways, especially his doosra delivered from round the wicket. He called Muralitharan a phenomenal spinner and also noted the spinner’s stamina and determination, pointing out how he bowled tirelessly in long spells, always probing and never letting batsmen settle.
Glenn McGrath’s career numbers underline his stature — 124 Tests with 563 wickets and 250 ODIs with 381 wickets, making him Australia’s most successful Test pacer and their highest wicket-taker in ODIs. Muralitharan, meanwhile, retired with unmatched records — 800 wickets in Tests, 534 in ODIs and 13 in T20Is, cementing his place as the most successful bowler in the history of the game.
For a batsman of Rahul Dravid’s caliber to single them out speaks volumes about their quality. His reflections not only highlight the challenges he faced but also pay tribute to the extraordinary talents that made cricket in his era so memorable.
