Bengaluru: Former India captain Rahul Dravid has turned down Bangalore University's honorary doctorate, saying he would rather earn it by doing research in sports field.
"Rahul Dravid, while thanking Bangalore University for recognizing him for the honorary degree, has conveyed that he would try to earn a doctorate degree by accomplishing some form of academic in research in the field of sports rather than receiving an honorary degree," BU vice-chancellor B. Thimme Gowda said in a statement here.
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Notably, Dravid did not attend the Gulbarga University's 32nd convocation in 2014, though he was among 12 personalities shortlisted for an honorary doctorate.
This comes a day after Karnataka Governor and Bangalore University chancellor Vajubhai R. Vala approved conferment of an honorary doctorate on Dravid at the university's 52nd annual convocation scheduled to be held on Friday.
The university had recommended three personalities for honorary doctorate, of which the Governor had finalized Dravid, who retired from international cricket in March, 2012.
The university has not revealed the names of the other two.