Why Did Rahul Dravid Play For Scotland In 2003?
Rahul Dravid played for Scotland back in 2003. (Twitter)
Did you know that Team India's head coach Rahul Dravid, who is widely revered as one of the finest cricketers of his era, had a unique experience playing for the Scotland national cricket team in the English domestic one-day league in 2003?
Discussing a cricketer representing a foreign team instead of their home country is indeed an intriguing topic. It's unlikely that you have come across an instance where an Indian player participated for another nation. Although, throughout the period from 1996 to 2012, he proudly represented India in all three formats, accumulating over 500 appearances for the national team. He did have an 12-match stint with the Scottish team two decades ago.
How did Rahul Dravid play for Scotland?
According to Wisden, a group of Non-Residential Indians (NRIs) who were residing in Scotland raised approximately £45,000 through charity dinners and other events to support Rahul Dravid during his stay at The Grange.
Archives from 2003 when Rahul Dravid represented Scotland. (Twitter)
This came at a time when Dravid was in exceptional form, boasting an impressive average of around 92 in Test matches while representing the Indian cricket team. During his stint with Scotland, Dravid played a total of 12 matches, including 11 one-dayers and one tour game against Pakistan.
Regrettably, his time in Scotland was relatively short-lived, and the team faced considerable challenges, suffering defeats in 11 out of the 12 matches played during the one-day tournament.
In his initial match for the Saltires, Dravid could only score 25 runs, and in the following game against the touring Pakistan side, he was dismissed for a second-ball duck. Nevertheless, the determined cricketer, who had recently tied the knot, made a remarkable comeback during the third match against Somerset, where he showcased his brilliance by scoring an impressive 120 runs from just 97 balls.
Dravid's performance continued to shine as he recorded two centuries and two additional scores of over 50 runs in the 11-game tournament. In total, the right-handed batter accumulated 600 runs at an outstanding average of 66.66.
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