Rajasthan Royals head coach and Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid made a surprise return to the cricket field by playing alongside his younger son Anvay in a KSCA Group I, Division III league match in the Nassur Memorial Shield on Saturday.
Rahul Dravid and his son Anvay were both representing Vijaya Cricket Club (Malur) in a 50-over match against Young Lions Club at the SLS Kreedangana cricket ground in Bengaluru.
The Indian cricket legend came into bat at No. 6 and made an eight-ball 10 in the match before being dismissed by spinner AR Ullas as the father-son duo forged a brief 17-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
The 52-year-old was dismissed in the 48th over while attempting to accelerate the scoring, mistiming a lofted shot towards long-off, where a fielder took the catch.
“We got to know that Rahul sir was playing only when we reached the ground,” AR Ullas told the Times of India. “We were both excited and nervous to play against him. Claiming the wicket of Rahul sir was a dream come true!”
Batting first, wicketkeeper-batter Anvay scored a handy 60-ball 58 and helped Vijaya Cricket Club (Malur) amass 345/7 against Young Lions Club.
Swapnil was the top run-scorer for the club in the match with a 50-ball 107, including 12 fours and four sixes. Vijaya Cricket Club (Malur) eventually won the match by 24 runs.
During Young Lions Club’s chase, Dravid also stayed on the field, positioning himself in the slip, cover and mid-wicket positions throughout the innings. After the match, the cricketing legend interacted with players and posed for photos.
While Dravid’s younger son Anvay dons the wicketkeeping gloves and is handy with the bat, his elder son Samit, who also plays age-group cricket for Karnataka, is a fast bowling all-rounder.
This wasn’t the first time Dravid made a surprise return to the cricket field. Just months after retiring in 2013, he returned to the field for his childhood club Bangalore United Cricket Club in the KSCA Second Division League.
Saturday’s game was Rahul Dravid’s first cricket match in 12 years.
Dravid, who was in Guwahati for Rajasthan Royals' recent Indian Premier League pre-season camp, will be seen in the dugout in the team’s IPL 2025 opener Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on March 23.
