Dravid the cool records

Rahul Dravid

India

Player profile

Full name Rahul Sharad Dravid
Born January 11, 1973, Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Current age 34 years 270 days
Major teams India, Scotland, ACC Asian XI, ICC World XI, Karnataka, Kent
Nickname The Wall
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Fielding position Occasional wicketkeeper
Education St. Joseph's Boys' High School

Batting and fielding averages Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 112 191 23 9492 270 56.50 22383 42.40 24 48 1182 14 153 0
ODIs 331 306 40 10578 153 39.76 14848 71.24 12 81 930 40 190 14
First-class 228 374 54 18240 270 57.00 49 95 268 1
List A 432 400 55 14664 153 42.50 20 108 224 17
Twenty20 2 2 0 55 54 27.50 43 127.90 0 1 9 0 0 0

Bowling averages Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 112 5 120 39 1 1/18 1/18 39.00 1.95 120.0 0 0 0
ODIs 331 8 186 170 4 2/43 2/43 42.50 5.48 46.5 0 0 0
First-class 228 617 273 5 2/16 54.60 2.65 123.4 0 0
List A 432 477 421 4 2/43 2/43 105.25 5.29 119.2 0 0 0
Twenty20 2 - - - - - - - - - - - -

Career statistics Statistics Statsguru Tests | Statsguru ODIs
Test debut England v India at Lord's, Jun 20-24, 1996 scorecard
Last Test England v India at The Oval, Aug 9-13, 2007 scorecard
ODI debut India v Sri Lanka at Singapore, Apr 3, 1996 scorecard
Last ODI India v Australia at Chandigarh, Oct 8, 2007 scorecard
First-class debut 1990/91
Last First-class England v India at The Oval, Aug 9-13, 2007 scorecard
List A debut 1992/93
Last List A India v Australia at Chandigarh, Oct 8, 2007 scorecard
Twenty20 debut Karnataka v Gujarat at Mumbai (BS), Apr 17, 2007 scorecard
Last Twenty20 Karnataka v Orissa at Mumbai, Apr 18, 2007 scorecard

Notes
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2000
ICC Test Player of the Year 2004
ICC Player of the Year 2004

Profile

Rahul Dravid, a cricketer who seamlessly blends an old-world classicism with a new-age professionalism, is the best No. 3 batsman to play for India - and might even be considered one of the best ever by the time his career is done. He already averages around 60 at that position, more than any regular No. 3 batsman in the game's history, barring Don Bradman. Unusually for an Indian batsman, he also averages more overseas - around 60, again - than at home. But impressive as his statistics are, they cannot represent the extent of his importance to India, or the beauty of his batsmanship.

When Dravid began playing Test cricket, he was quickly stereotyped as a technically correct player capable of stonewalling against the best attacks - his early nickname was 'The Wall' - but of little else. As the years went by, though, Dravid, a sincere batsman who brought humility and a deep intelligence to his study of the game, grew in stature, finally reaching full blossom under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy. As a New India emerged, so did a new Dravid: first, he put on the wicketkeeping gloves in one-dayers, and transformed himself into an astute finisher in the middle-order; then, he strung together a series of awe-inspiring performances in Test matches, as India crept closer and closer to their quest of an overseas series win.

Dravid's golden phase began, arguably, in Kolkata 2001, with a supporting act, when he made 180 to supplement VVS Laxman's classic effort of 281 against Australia. But from then on, Dravid became India's most valuable player, saving them Tests at Port Elizabeth, Georgetown and Trent Bridge, winning them Tests at Headlingley, Adelaide, Kandy and Rawalpindi. At one point during this run, he carved up four centuries in successive innings, and hit four double-centuries in the space of 15 Tests, including in historic away-wins at Adelaide and Rawalpindi. As India finished off the 2004 Pakistan tour on a winning note, on the back of Dravid's epic 270, his average crept past Sachin Tendulkar's - and it seemed no aberration.

Dravid's amazing run was no triumph of substance over style, though, for he has plenty of both. A classical strokeplayer who plays every shot in the book, he often outscores team-mates like Tendulkar and Laxman in the course of partnerships with them, and while his pulling and cover-driving is especially breathtaking, he has every other shot in the book as well. He is both an artist and a craftsman, repeatedly constructing innings that stand out not merely for the beauty of their execution, but for the context in which they come. By the time he entered his 30s, Dravid was already in the pantheon of great Indian batsmen, alongside Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar.

In October 2005, he was appointed captain the one-day side, began with a thumping 6-1 hammering of Sri Lanka in a home series, and was soon given responsibility of the Test side as well, taking over from the controversy-shrouded Sourav Ganguly. While his captaincy stint started encouragingly with ODI victories against Pakistan and England, it soon nosedived with an embarrassing defeat against Bangladesh which led to an early exit from the 2007 World Cup. As a Test team, though, India had plenty to celebrate under Dravid, winning their first Test in South Africa and achieving two historic away series wins in the West Indies and England. Dravid stepped down from the captaincy after the 2007 England tour.
Amit Varma September 2007

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