Retiring Stuart Broad is a special cricketer: Rahul Dravid

India head coach Rahul Dravid has described the retiring England fast bowler Stuart Broad as a “special cricketer”, whose great partnership with James Anderson will be remembered for ages.

The 37-year-old Broad on Saturday announced that he will retire from international cricket after the conclusion of the ongoing final Ashes Test against Australia at The Kia Oval in London.

“He (Broad) has been a terrific bowler, he has been a great. His partnership with Jimmy Anderson will always be remembered,” Dravid said after India lost to West Indies by six wickets in the second ODI here.

“Anderson and Broad the whole decade they played for England, they have really put in some fantastic performances,” said the batting legend and former India captain. “To take 600 wickets and to play the number of Test matches he has takes a special kind of cricketer,” he added.

Broad has been a key member of the England Test side since making his debut against Sri Lanka in December 2007. He will retire with 167 caps, and is the second highest Test wicket-taker after Anderson among pacers.

He had taken 600 wickets before the ongoing final Ashes Test. The right-arm seamer, who made his first-class debut for Leicestershire in 2005 and later moved to Nottinghamshire, has played 121 ODIs and 56 T20 Internationals, picking up 178 and 65 wickets respectively.

Dravid congratulated Broad on a wonderful career. “My best wishes to him and congratulations on a fantastic career. I hope he gets to finish it off in the best possible way he wants to,” he said.

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