The great Indian ‘Wall’, a true cricketing genius, Rahul Dravid turned 48 on January 11, 2020. One of India’s great, Dravid was considered as one of the best Test batsmen of his times. An unthinkable resolution and patience behind his skill made him one of the toughest batsmen to bowl to. His indomitable character resonated off the field as well.
Making his debut back in 1996 in an ODI against Sri Lanka, he went on to play 344 ODIs and 164 Test matches for India. He racked up 13,288 Test runs at an average of 52.31. He has 36 tons in Test matches and 63 fifties. His contribution in the ODIs highlights 10, 889 runs which he scored at an average of 39.16. He has 12 centuries and 83 fifties in ODIs.
Dravid was named one of the best five cricketers of the year by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in 2000 and received the Player of the Year and the Test Player of the Year awards at the inaugural ICC awards ceremony in 2004. He became the first non-Australian cricketer to deliver the Bradman Oration in Canberra in 2011.
Dravid has also been honoured with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan award. In July 2018, Dravid became the fifth Indian cricketer to be inducted into ICC Hall of Fame.
Birthday special!
Rahul Dravid, always the team man, donned the keeper’s gloves to help India accommodate an extra batsman at the 2003 Cricket World Cup ?
WATCH all 16 dismissals he effected ? pic.twitter.com/L6piHGjJ1t
— ICC (@ICC) January 11, 2021
Dravid’s best moments in cricket:
- He struck his maiden Test ton 148 vs South Africa at Johannesburg in the 3rd Test in 1997.
- Dravid was the top-scorer at the 1999 World Cup. He finished the World Cup with two centuries, three half-centuries, and 461 runs. His score of 145 against Sri Lanka at Taunton was the second-best score of the tournament behind Sourav Ganguly’s 183.
- His score of 180 in the 2001 Kolkata Test against Australia became a historic fightback story. Along with VVS Laxman (281), Dravid batted the entire fourth day to turn the match on its head which India won on the final day. India broke Australia’s 16 Test wins streak.
- Dravid scored his highest ever Test score of 270 against Pakistan in 2004.
- 233 and 72* vs Australia in the 2nd Test at Adelaide in 2003, was perhaps Dravid’s innings of his life. His 233 and Laxman’s 143 gave India the space to bounce back and win the Test match ultimately.
