Picture of Rahul DravidRahul Dravid Batting style: Right Handed bat Bowling style: Off break Played for: India, Scotland, Asia XI, ICC World XI, Canterbury, India A, India B, India Blue, Indian Inv XI, India Seniors, Kent, MCC, Rest of India, South Zone, Wills XI, Young India, Bangalore, Rajasthan, India Under-19, Karnataka, Marylebone Cricket Club Ex Skipper-Test,ODI | Batsman Picture of India team logo India Born: January 11, 1973, Indore, Madhya Pradesh Profile It’s hard to plot Rahul Dravid on the graph of cricketing greats. There has rarely been a historic Indian win without a vital contribution from ‘The Wall’, yet, playing in the Tendulkar era, his achievements have been eclipsed by the blinding presence of the great ‘Little Master’. One of the three prominent Karnataka cricketers to make their mark in the 90s, along with Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, Dravid seemed like he was born out of a batting manual with a strikingly “textbook” technique. In an age where batsmen were innovating and tweaking the norm as the game evolved, Dravid stuck by the methods that he was blooded with. His earliest Test impact of note following a 95 on debut was against South Africa in 1997, when he backed his maiden century (148) with a half-century to lead India to a rare away draw. A series of impressive knocks strengthened Dravids foundation in the team. Lack of flamboyance was his lone limitation during his formative years. Whilst effective in Tests, it often frustrated fans in limited overs. A metamorphosis took place during the 1999 World Cup, beyond which Dravid’s batting became a marvellous sight to behold in all forms of the game. By 2002, he successfully shed his defensive style and no longer seemed shadowed by the famed Tendulkar-Ganguly opening duo. Since then, the Number 3 batsman carved his own niche as India’s batting anchor. A decade and a half later, he became the only Indian batsman barring Tendulkar never to have been dropped from the Test side since debut. Following the match-fixing controversy, he was appointed deputy to captain Ganguly and the added responsibility egged Dravid to greater consistency. He notably played a vital supporting role to VVS Laxman in India’s historic defeat of an all-conquering Australia in 2001. By 2004, he had scored centuries against every Test-playing nation. Captaincy duty soon arrived but the spotlight repulsed him. It also affected his ODI form and after a poor 2007 World Cup he relinquished the armband to focus on his batting and was consequently dropped from ODIs and left out in the cold for 2 years. Still, his position in the classic format remained untouched, unquestioned. Few could match his Test achievements, which remained consistent as ever, vindicating him even when people around were losing faith. He carried his huge experience in the IPL, where he represented the Bangalore as captain in the first edition, before being bought by the Rajasthan in 2011. He was then named captain-cum-coach-cum mentor of the Royals ahead of the fifth IPL edition in 2012. Despite being a batsman of high calibre, Dravid was not a part of the 2011 World Cup winning squad, but remained an integral cog in the Test set-up. He had a fabulous summer in England that year, notching 3 centuries in 4 Tests. In what was his final visit to the Mecca of Cricket - “Lords”, Dravid registered his name on the Honours board with a memorable ton. His performances in the Test series prompted the selectors to hand him an ODI recall and surprisingly, he received his maiden T20I call-up as well. It was his only T20 International, and even before making his debut, Dravid had already announced his retirement from the format. Later that year, a dismal tour of Australia was followed by one of the most heartbreaking news for his fans and followers, as the strongest pillar of Indian cricket finally hung his boots from all forms of international and domestic first-class cricket. Dravid announced his retirement on 9th March, 2012, bringing down the curtains on one of the most legendary cricketing careers of all time. Fast Facts Rahul Dravid became the first batsman to score a century in every Test playing nation. His record of 93 consecutive Tests for India is the fifth highest overall and the second highest for an Indian behind Sunil Gavaskar. Dravid has featured in 100-run partnerships over 80 times with 18 different teammates, a record highest. With 461 runs, he finished as the top-scorer in the 1999 Cricket World Cup. “Jammy” became the first Indian to score back-to-back centuries in a World Cup. He also became the sixth batsman and the third Indian to cross the 10,000 – run mark in ODIs. Dravid is also the sixth batsman and the third Indian to score 11, 000 Test runs. He holds the record for the most number of catches by any Test player. Dravid was one of the Five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2000, along with being the ICC Test Player and Player of the Year in 2004. He became the first player to reach the 10000-run mark at the No.3 position. Against Statistics Show: Batting Bowling Fielding Captaincy Matches Innings Runs NO Avg. SR 100s 50s HS Test 164 286 13288 32 52.31 42.51 36 63 270 ODI 344 318 10889 40 39.16 71.24 12 83 153 T20 1 1 31 0 31.00 147.61 0 0 31 IPL 89 82 2174 5 28.23 115.51 0 11 75* CLT20 15 14 282 2 23.50 100.71 0 1 71* Career Span: Test: 1996-2012 ODI: 1996-2011 T20: 2011-2011 IPL: 2008-2013 CLT20: 2009-2013 Test Debut: India Vs England at Lords, London - Jun 20, 1996 Last played: India Vs Australia at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide - Jan 24, 2012 ODI Debut: India Vs Sri Lanka at The Padang, Singapore - Apr 03, 1996 Last played: India Vs England at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff - Sep 16, 2011 T20 Debut: India Vs England at Old Trafford, Manchester - Aug 31, 2011 Last played: India Vs England at Old Trafford, Manchester - Aug 31, 2011 IPL Debut: Bangalore Vs Kolkata at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore - Karnataka - Apr 18, 2008 Last played: Rajasthan Vs Mumbai at Eden Gardens, Kolkata - May 24, 2013 CLT20 Debut: Bangalore Vs Cape Cobras at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore - Karnataka - Oct 08, 2009 Last played: Rajasthan Vs Mumbai at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi - Oct 06, 2013
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 11:19:38 +0000
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