IND VS ENG Flashback: How A Shoelace Got Rahul Dravid Out At Edgbaston 2011 Test Match

India.com

03-07-2025

In a forgettable series for India during their 2011 tour of England, it was a 38-year-old Rahul Dravid who stood tall amidst the ruins. While the team suffered a crushing 4-0 whitewash, Dravid remained a lone warrior with the bat, showcasing his experience, class and composure. He notched up three centuries in the series, two of which came while opening the innings as a makeshift opener. The veteran also made his T20I debut in that series which was his only appearance in the shortest format for India and delighted fans by hitting three sixes in a row.
Despite his brilliance, Dravid's tour wasn't without bizarre moments. One of the strangest came during the third Test at Edgbaston where England thrashed India by an innings and 242 runs, thanks in large part to Alastair Cook's mammoth 294 and a total of 710/7 declared. During India's effort to resist a heavy defeat, Dravid was dismissed in a way that left even him baffled.\
Bizarre Moment
Facing James Anderson, Dravid appeared to edge the ball to wicketkeeper Matt Prior and began walking back without opting for a DRS review. What followed was a moment of disbelief for fans and the batter himself.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph later, Dravid explained the dismissal:
'My first instinct was that I had not hit it,' he said. 'But there was a loud noise, and I couldn't figure out where it had come from. I knew I hadn't hit the ground, or my pad, or my shoe, so it confused me as to where the noise had come from. But I didn't think I had touched it. So I asked my partner and he said there was a big noise. So I had Simon Taufel, one of the best umpires in the world, ruling me out, my partner saying it was out and I myself had heard the noise. I thought maybe it was just one of those instances where I hadn't felt the edge.'
However, upon returning to the dressing room and watching the replays, the source of the sound became clear—the ball had hit the metallic aglet of his shoelace as it zipped past the bat.
'As soon as I got back to the dressing room I told the guys I had to see the replay. I could never have imagined it was a shoelace.'
Dravid reflected on how critical the timing of the dismissal was, especially since Sachin Tendulkar was at the other end playing confidently.
'It was disappointing because I've been batting well and if I had batted longer with Sachin, who played well in that innings, and if we had seen off Anderson's spell before lunch, we could have at least put up a bigger fight,' he said.
Dravid 2011 Edgbaston moment for Kohli there... Dravid hit the aglet of his shoelace and walked thinking he knicked it off Jimmy..
Both didn't review..#INDvsBANTEST pic.twitter.com/UmLz7VvrSG — Rahul Kumar (@rahulk_1019) September 20, 2024
Former India captain MS Dhoni also recalled the confusion that followed the dismissal:
'He (Dravid) came back in the dressing room confused after being given out. He was convinced that he hadn't hit anything. From the replays it looked like his bat had touched the shoelaces at the same time when the ball went past the bat,' Dhoni stated.
Dhoni believed Dravid could have used the DRS but understood the hesitation:
'It looked like he could have gone for DRS but it was such a situation that he got confused.'
India were bowled out for 244 in their second innings, with Anderson taking four wickets. Despite the disappointing team performance, Dravid ended the series as India's top scorer, amassing 461 runs with three centuries to his name. India is yet to win a Test at Edgbaston with Shubman Gill taking the helm.