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“I was actually observing…”: Rahul Dravid opens up on who shaped his T20 mindset

Poulomi Chakraborty

Dravid hails Yusuf Pathan's T20 brilliance (Source: @ImTanujSingh/x.com, @iamyusufpathan/x.com)Dravid hails Yusuf Pathan's T20 brilliance (Source: @ImTanujSingh/x.com, @iamyusufpathan/x.com)

In the history of Indian cricket, a player like Rahul Dravid is rare. With unwavering grit, he turned every innings into a nightmare for bowlers, earning the world-famous title ‘The Wall’, a name he lived up to with every impeccable shot.

While Rahul Dravid has inspired countless cricketers, he once had his own hero in the shortest format of the game. In a recent interaction, he revealed the name of the batter.

Which batter does Rahul Dravid idolize in T20s?

Whenever India used to play a Test match, and Rahul Dravid used to take the stance, bowlers knew they were in for the toughest challenge of their careers. Standing resolute like a wall, he crafted countless match-winning innings, giving fans unforgettable ‘Dravid Shows’. The batter who dominated the longest format with his own excellence, the T20 format missed his charm.

As the world looks upon Dravid to draw some inspiration in cricket, the former Indian captain found his own inspiration in a youngster. Speaking on a video, Dravid revealed how Yusuf Pathan’s fearless exploits in IPL 2008 left him utterly stunned.

“When I first played the IPL, one of the things I realised, and you know, we didn't have a very great year in the IPL. I was actually observing Yusuf Pathan bat. I remember early on in the tournament, he had played a fantastic innings,” he said.

“He smashed it and scored 50 or so in a very quick time. For the next two or three innings, he played the same way, and he got out. I used to keep watching and think, 'Yusuf is going to play slowly now'. No, he kept playing like that. And then he played another brilliant innings,” he added.

Pathan’s fearless batting shapes Dravid’s T20 mindset

If Test cricket is a test of patience, T20 is a war of power, wit, and courage. While Rahul Dravid ruled the long format with unshakable calm, it was Yusuf Pathan who reshaped his approach to the shortest game. In the recent video, he shared how Pathan’s batting impacted his thought process in the shortest format.

“Through the course of 13-14 innings in the IPL, he might've succeeded only three or four times, but he played three or four really good, impactful innings. It was sort of watching him I actually learned that that is the mindset you need to play T20 cricket with,” he said.

“I had been playing T20 cricket with the same mindset we would play Test cricket with, where you put a big value on your wicket because your team needs to bat 120 overs. In this case, only 11 people need to bat 20 overs,” he added.

Since the beginning, India has produced several all-rounders, but Yusuf Pathan still stands as a generational talent. In the inaugural IPL season, Pathan tore the tournament apart, scoring 435 runs in 15 innings at a blistering strike rate of 179.01, with four fifties, and lifted the IPL trophy with the Rajasthan Royals.