Malinga asks Sangakkara to pick player 'to bat for his life'; RR coach names India legend

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara revealed his all-time favourite batsman on Thursday. After being asked to choose a player to "bat for his life," Sangakkara told former teammate Lasith Malinga that his favourite batsman was Rahul Dravid. Sangakkara stated there's a reason Dravid was known as "The Wall," and that he was "unbelievable" in that capacity. Sangakkara was asked the question by Malinga during a Q/A session organised by Rajasthan Royals. 

"Rahul Dravid, he’s unbelievable in that role. The Wall, there is a reason for that name”, Sangakkara said while answering the question. 

Rahul Dravid is considered one of the greatest batters to have ever played the game of cricket. Dravid, who represented India from 1996 to 2012, played 164 Tests and 344 One-Day Internationals. Dravid scored 13,288 runs in Test cricket and 10,889 runs in the 50-over format at averages of 52.31 and 39.16, respectively. As of 2022, Dravid remains the fourth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket after Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, and Jacques Kallis.  

Dravid is currently the head coach of the Indian Men's National Cricket Team. He was appointed to the role in November 2021 after Ravi Shastri's contract expired. 

Sangakkara and Malinga are both presently employed by the Rajasthan Royals in different capacities. While Sangakkara is the Men in Pink's Director of Cricket, Malinga is the team's new fast-bowling coach. Malinga was named the bowling coach of the Rajasthan Royals before the start of the current edition of the Indian Premier League. Sangakkara, on the other hand, has been the head of cricket for Rajasthan since 2021.  

Rajasthan Royals in 2022

As far as Rajasthan's performance in IPL 2022 is concerned, the Sanju Samson-led side qualified for the playoffs on Friday after beating Chennai Super Kings in their final game of the league stage. Rajasthan are currently ranked second in the points table and will have two bites at the cherry. Rajasthan are slated to play the first qualifier against Gujarat Titans on May 24 and if the side fails to win the game, they will have another opportunity to make it to the final by getting to play the winner of the eliminator between third and fourth-placed teams. 

Image: Twitter/@rajasthanroyals