Whenever the topic of the world’s best batsmen is discussed then Rahul Dravid’s name usually crops up.

Turning 44 today, Dravid wasn’t an explosive cricketer with the bat but did make a positive impact with big scores. Hailed as ‘The Wall’, he enjoyed a stellar 15-year international career, scoring 48 centuries in all formats.

In 2002, he struck four consecutive Test hundreds, including 148 against England for a rare overseas victory. Against Australia in 2004, he batted 835 minutes, scoring 233 and an unbeaten 72, steering India to a famous second Test win.

As captain, he led the team to their first triumph in South Africa andtheir first series success on English soil in 21 years. He remains the fourth highest run-scorer (13,288) and is only the second Indian to score more than 10,000 runs in Tests and ODIs.

Other notable sport star birthdays:

1978: Emile Heskey, former forward for Liverpool and England. Winner of the 2001 FA Cup (39).

1987: Jamie Vardy, English footballer who won last season’s Premier League with Leicester (30).

1990: Ryan Griffin, American football tight end for the Houston Texans (27).

1992: Dani Carvajal, footballer who plays as a right-back for Real Madrid and Spain national team (25).