Haven’t seen a better player in life than Dravid: Swann

He might have dismissed Rahul Dravid in Test cricket, but for former England spinner Graeme Swann, Dravid was the best player he had seen. In fact, having played against the former India skipper in county cricket, Swann said that he felt like a rookie in front of The Wall.

Dravid played for Kent under John Wright’s coaching and had a good season with the county side.

“Rahul Dravid was a big one for me. I bowled against him in Kent, and he was unbelievable. I have never seen a better player in my life. He would never get out in a county game, and that’s Rahul Dravid, one of the best in the world, and he made me feel like an 11-year-old spinner,” Swann told a Sky Sport podcast.

“I got him out, admittedly it was a great ball, but it would not have got Rahul Dravid out usually.”

Dravid was one of the few batsmen who proved their mettle across formats and scored heavily in both home and overseas conditions.

He enjoyed a stellar international career for India spanning over a decade. He was a vital cog of the Indian team in both Tests and ODIs and amassed over 24000 international runs.

Swann had recently also spoken about his equation with former England skipper Kevin Pietersen and how the two openly disliked each other, but also respected the manner in which the other played.

“We are a team that got to No. 1 in the world, and in a team there are always going to be individuals. Ninety-nine per cent of that side were all in it for the team. With Kevin Pietersen, we had a situation where he had been captain before and didn’t much like establishment and rules. We were actually very similar in that way, and we actually got on — me and KP — professionally better than most people because we very honest with but openly disliked each other. But wanted each other in the team,” he said in a podcast.

Commenting on why he wanted KP in the team, Swann said: “I wanted KP in the team because he was scoring a lot of runs and playing really well, and simply he was one of the best batsmen in the world.”

Meanwhile, Karun Nair hails the impact of Rahul Dravid on his career. India’s second man to hit triple century also believes that batting with KL Rahul brings out the best in him. Karun played under Dravid in two Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises -- Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils. Dravid was mentor at both franchises when Karun rose to national prominence.

“I think he (Rahul Dravid) has played a big role in me becoming the cricketer that I am today, because he was the one who gave me the opportunity in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals. For a legend like him to show so much faith and trust in a domestic cricketer like me, was really satisfying, it was a wake-up call to tell me, that I do belong in the IPL.I can play in the IPL. It was really encouraging, and a confidence boost for me, to get an opportunity under him,” he said in a YouTube interview on Cow Corner Chronicles.

Agencies