Bangalore, Jan. 25: Former India cricket captain Rahul Dravid has politely declined to accept an honorary doctorate from Bangalore University, saying he wanted to "earn" the degree, according to a statement from the varsity's vice-chancellor.

The doctorate was to have been awarded on Friday.

The statement from VC B. Thimme Gowda said Dravid had "conveyed that he would try and earn a doctorate degree by accomplishing some form of academic research in the field of sport".

In 2014, too, Dravid, a commerce graduate, had declined a similar doctorate offered by Gulbarga University.