“The tiger is a wonderful symbol of our ecosystem. We need to protect it,” the Indian cricketer said.

Dravid had flown in to the capital on Tuesday to attend a conference on ecosystems, climate change and national development at the Teen Murti Bhavan. The former India captain listened attentively sitting in the back row.

“As a child I was always in love with forests and wildlife. I came to listen and learn from different experts on climate change and environment protection,” he said.

Environmentalist Bittu Sahgal, who had invited Rahul to the conference, said, “If we want to look into climate change as a serious issue, we would need credible youth icons like Rahul to highlight it,” he said.