There were times when he was asked to open as a regular Indian opener was dropped or injured.
There were times when he took up the wicket keeping gloves as the Indian team was having a dearthq of wicket-keepers then who could bat down the order.
It was his presence that allowed India to play 7 batsmen in overseas conditions and bat deep in steep run chases. Remember the Natwest Trophy Final?
He was the first who put his name first in the team's cause. Be it sacrificing his favourite No 3 spot to accommodate a youngster or accepting the role of a skipper when the Indian team was under internal turmoil, it was Rahul Dravid who kept his team's interests above all.
Infact Harsha Bhogle once rightly said, "If you asked Rahul Dravid to walk on glass for his team, his only question would be - How many miles?- That just shows you how great a man he is."
A player of immense calibre and temperament having scored above 25000 international runs with century against all major test playing nations, Dravid took up coaching after retirement.
Dravid acted as the Director of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and head coach of the India Under-19 and A teams. It was under his guidance that the grassroot level of Indian cricket was strengthened and India now posts a formidable bench strength with a crop of young players ready to take up the mettle anytime required.
The major highlight in Rahul Dravid's coaching career in 2018, when India went on to became the U-19 World Cup Champions.
Dravid had been an integral part of India A tours and even got a brief taste of coaching the senior team when India toured Srilanka earlier this year.
His appointment as the head coach of the Indian team is till 2023 is highly significant as India will want to rub off their disappointments at ICC events as there are 2 marquee events scheduled in the coming 2 years.
It will be interesting to see how “ The Wall” steps up to the challenge as the Head-Coach of the Indian cricket team.