Not many people would know what he has undergone to get here, barring the people close to him - his pressures and how much effort it required.

- Sachin Tendulkar

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He is the iron man of Indian cricket whose strength of character shines through in every move he makes on the field.

- Sunil Gavaskar

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To me Rahul Dravid is the perfect cricketer. His technique is so good that he can be at ease on any sort of wicket and in any sort of conditions. His temperament and discipline allow him to adapt to different situations without discomfort.

- Virender Sehwag

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There are three people who have made the biggest impact on Indian cricket -- Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid.

- Bishen Singh Bedi

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He is truly the mainstay of the Indian batting.

- Kapil Dev

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It's a great contribution by any player to Indian cricket.

Looking at Rahul's career and the way he'd started off is tremendous. He's showed tremendous commitment and discipline. The way he sets an example on the field for all the boys (is admirable). It's a great feeling to share the dressing room with him.

- Yuvraj Singh

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The best thing to have happened to him is that he is now the captain of the side. It has toughened him up and shown us another side of his which was hidden. That is because being captain means taking tough decisions. I wish him all very well.

- Ravi Shastri

He averages 58 and you don't do that if you are not as good as he is. We have to preserve and get past the big bat of his.

- Andrew Flintoff

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On the field there is plenty of opportunity for fans to watch the Indian captain; they don't call him 'The Wall' without good reason. There was a time when Dravid seemed too obsessed with technique and in those periods he would forget the main object of the exercise was to score runs.

When he was demoted to number six he didn't sulk or become bitter, he first played a significant contributing role in the series turning partnership with WS Laxman.

Since that turning point in his career in 2001 he has been in a ding-dong battle with Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting to be recognised as the best batter of the period.

- Ian Chappell

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Dravid is quiet, soft-spoken and a wonderful human being, but he does have a tough edge and is a strong personality.

To become captain is a great honour; a great challenge. It's probably one of the toughest jobs in cricket. India is lucky you have one of the toughest [in Dravid].

Rahul is getting better as a skipper. He does the hard work and gets the respect of the boys for it. I really believe that at the end of his time as captain, he is going to be considered by many people to have been one of the best captains India has had.

- Greg Chappell

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I think Rahul is a great player, he's played a 100 Test matches, averages 58, and so many hundreds. He books himself in for bed and breakfast every single time he goes out to bat.

It's fantastic to be on the same park as him, and that's how I do it in terms of I like to watch players I respect, watch players who I feel privileged to be on the same field as. And I've seen how Rahul goes about his innings and that's something I want to get myself involved with.

- Kevin Pietersen