Rahul Dravid turns 44: Cricketers and fans hail 'The Wall' on his birthday

New Delhi, Jan 11: As former India captain Rahul Dravid turned 44, cricketers and fans wished 'The Wall' on his birthday on Wednesday (January 11).

Dravid, who is one of the greatest middle-order classical batsmen of all time, has played 164 Tests and amassed 13,288 runs.

Rahul Dravid turns 44: Virat Kohli to Virender Sehwag, cricketers greet 'The Wall' on his birthday — File photo: Rahul Dravid (left) during a Test match

Before hanging up his boots, Mr Dependable has aggregated 10,889 runs out of 344 ODIs.

Dravid has been second Indian batsman after 'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar in terms of scoring most international runs. The right-handed batsman from Karnataka scored overall 24,208 runs in international cricket, which comprised ODIs and Tests.

Dravid played just one T20 international game for India, against England at Manchester and scored 31.

He was part of the iconic 'Fab-Five' batsmen of Indian cricket, comprising Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and Dravid.

He's the only cricketer to slam centuries against all ten Test playing nations, with 36 centuries under his belt. Dravid achieved this incredible feat against Bangladesh in December 2004 after slamming 160 at Chittagong.

In his career spanning 16 years, Dravid played several incredible knocks and led India to several memorable victories.

He not only excelled as a batsman but also led the Indian side from the front after becoming the captain. Before MS Dhoni, Dravid was widely regarded as 'Captain Cool'.

Here's how cricketers and fans greeted 'The Wall' on his birthday:

He played in the V.
But was the biggest C. Commitment, Class,Consistency,Care. Proud to have played together.
Happy Birthday #RahulDravid . pic.twitter.com/eflnb49V6v
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 11, 2017

Virender Sehwag

This is how Virender Sehwag greeted former team mate Rahul Dravid.

Happy Birthday #RahulDravid .
One of the most selfless, likeable human being ever and the biggest reason to love the name "Rahul" pic.twitter.com/QrS6D8JVxk
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 11, 2017

Mohammed Kaif

Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif wished Rahul Dravid.

Here's wishing a very happy birthday to former #TeamIndia skipper Rahul Dravid #Legend #Dravid pic.twitter.com/Wniqv7cTPc
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2017

BCCI

This is how BCCI wished the legendary India cricketer.

He was one of cricket's greatest batsmen, with 24,208 international runs, the 6th highest of all time. Happy 44th Birthday to Rahul Dravid! pic.twitter.com/Ea3yvN1Qav
— ICC (@ICC) January 11, 2017

ICC

This is how ICC hailed Rahul Dravid on his 44th birthday.

Happy Birthday Rahul Bhai. Thank you for your encouragement & for being a great role model for all the budding cricketers out there 😇
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 11, 2017

Virat Kohli

India captain Virat Kohli greeted Rahul Dravid on his birthday and thanked the latter for his support and encouragements.

Wishing this GENTLEMAN a very happy birthday,I was lucky to have a senior player like him #RahulDravid pic.twitter.com/qtvBrZEoP6
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) January 11, 2017

Irfan Pathan

India cricketer Irfan Pathan greeted 'Gentleman' Rahul Dravid.

Happy Birthday to the Strongest Wall of the country. #RahulDravid #HappyBirthdayDravid
pic.twitter.com/Bt8qWUv5St
— ShRiKant Shenoy ☺ (@shenoyshrikants) January 11, 2017

Fan hails 'The Wall'

A fan shared the scorecard of a match in which Dravid carried the bat.

His legacy goes beyond the words, superlatives and numbers! #HappyBirthdayDravid #RahulDravid pic.twitter.com/9F6QnfYdOk
— Arya Sharan (@NoOffense9) January 10, 2017

Fan quotes Harsha Bhogle on Dravid

This is what senior cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle had to say about Dravid.

Happy birthday cricket great Rahul Dravid. #RahulDravid pic.twitter.com/0nCHF3xYlY
— Shovit Sinha (@imshovit) January 10, 2017

Dravid never believed in superstitions

Dravid played 164 Tests and amassed 13,288 runs but he was hardly seen believing in superstitions.

The year starts. Rahul Dravid comes in pretty early. And then, things are good.
Like in most test matches.
Happy Birthday #RahulDravid
— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) January 11, 2017

Dravid's birthday gives a good start to the year

This is what a cricket enthusiast had to say about Rahul Dravid's birthday.

Wish you a very happy birthday Rahul bhai. Thank you for inspiring all of us not only on the field but off the field as well pic.twitter.com/8683LXSaLS
— ajinkyarahane88 (@ajinkyarahane88) January 11, 2017