Random Cricket Photos Post 15




Cricketers get their nicknames for a lot of reasons and from a lot of quarters, the most prominent being their teammates. But with Rahul Dravid, the case was slightly different. The right-hander was just a year old at the international level but had shown one particular trait in abundance - patience. And that got him one of the most unusual but possibly the most befitting nickname of 'The Wall'. But it wasn't a teammate that came up with the two words that Dravid would become synonymous with in the next decade and a half.

When the creative team at Leo Burnett were asked to come up with some catchy nicknames for Indian cricketers roped in by Reebok for their ad campaigns, they came up with quite a few names which were splashed across snazzy posters and hoardings featuring those cricketers. Azharuddin became 'The Assassin'. Kumble became 'The Viper'. Now these players were around for some time and it wasn't difficult to give them a nickname based on their careers.

About the new guy, which was Dravid, Nima Namchu who was a part of that team, later recalled, "We studied his attitude and style on field and found that even though he was not one of those who hit fours and sixes, he never crumbled under pressure either."

And that's how they came up with 'The Wall' for him. The Viper and the Assassin never took off but thanks to Dravid's litany of match saving knocks, the Wall stuck on and created a space for himself in the team and respect and admiration among cricket lovers all around the world.

Ps - Props to the camera guy who got him to pose the way he did in these posters.

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