Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid

Source: [1], 9 August 2006

Rahul Sharad Dravid(Kannada:ರಾಹುಲ್‌ ಶರದ್‌ ದ್ರಾವಿಡ್‌) (born 11 January, 1973 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh) is an Indian cricketer, and the current captain of the Indian cricket team. He grew up in Bangalore, Karnataka. Though dropped in his earlier career for being a very slow scorer in One Day Cricket, he is, at present, one of the top-ranked batsmen in world cricket. He started his international cricket career in 1996.

Dravid's style

Beginning with the reputation of being a defensive batsman who should be confined to Test cricket, he was dropped from ODIs as he was slow in making runs. Of late, however, Rahul Dravid has defied early perceptions to become the mainstay of the Indian batting line-up in ODIs as well as in Tests. His nickname of 'The Wall' in Reebok advertisements was treated by ODI fans as a derisory comment about his inability to rotate strike as he tended to hold up one end playing his front foot defence, neither scoring runs nor getting out. The nickname has now become a tribute to his consistency. Dravid has scored 23 centuries in Test cricket at an average of 58.75, including 5 double centuries. In one-dayers though he has an average of 40.16, he is a slow scorer at a strike rate of 70. He is one of the few Indians who average more at away matches than at home, averaging over 10 more runs a match abroad than on Indian pitches. As of 9 August, 2006, Dravid's average in overseas Tests stood at 65.28 as against his overall Test average of 58.75, and his average for away ODI stands at 42.03 as against overall ODI average of 40.20. In matches that India has won, Dravid averages 78.72 in Tests and 53.40 in ODIs.

Dravid's sole Test wicket was that of Ridley Jacobs in the fourth Test against the West Indies during the 2001-2002 series. While he has no pretensions to being a bowler, Dravid often kept wicket for India in ODIs, an 'experiment' that continued for several seasons. He has since delegated the wicket-keeping gloves, first to Parthiv Patel and more recently to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dravid is now purely a batsman, one who has averaged 63.51 in matches played since 1 January, 2000.

Dravid was involved in two of the largest parnerships in ODIs: a 318-run partnership with Sourav Ganguly, the first pair to combine for a 300-run partnership, and then a 331-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar, which is the present world record. He also holds the record for the greatest number of innings since debut before being dismissed for a duck. His highest scores in ODIs and Tests are 153 and 270 respectively. Uniquely, each of his five double centuries in Tests was a higher score than his previous double century (200*, 217, 222, 233, 270).

Also, Dravid is the current world record holder for the highest percentage(%) contribution of runs scored in matches won under a single captain, where the captain has won more than 20 tests. [2] In the 21 Test matches India won under Sourav Ganguly's leadership, Dravid played his part in every single one of those wins, scoring at a record average of 102.84 and piling up an astonishing 2571 runs, with nine hundreds - three of them double-centuries - and ten fifties in 32 innings. He contributed nearly 23% of the total runs scored by India those 21 matches, which is almost one run out of every four runs the team scored.

Rahul Dravid's career performance graph.

He did his Schooling at St. Joseph's Boys High School, Bangalore, and completed his college studies in St. Joseph's College Of Commerce, Bangalore. He was coached by Keki Tarapore, Dravid has played county cricket for Kent and Scotland. He also led Karnataka to the Ranji Trophy, scoring a double century in the process in the final. He made his Test debut against England at Lord's in the 2nd Test match of India's Test tour of England in 1996, and his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Singapore in the Singer Cup tournament in the same year. He was named one of the Wisden cricketers of the year 2000.

In 2004, Dravid was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. On 7 September, 2004, he was awarded the inaugural Player of the year award and the Test player of the year by the International Cricket Council, ICC (associated image below). Dravid's batting average of 95.46 in the past year has made him the only Indian to be in the Test team of the year. On 18th March, 2006, Dravid played his 100th Test against England in Mumbai.

In 2005, a biography of Rahul Dravid written by Devendra Prabhudesai was published, 'The Nice Guy Who Finished First'.

In the 2005 ICC Awards he was the only Indian to be named to the World one-day XI.

Dravid was nicknamed 'Jammy' by schoolmates because his father worked for Kissan, famous for its jams and preserves.

In 2006, it was announced that he would remain captain of the Indian team up to the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

Personal Records

Tests

• Dravid has the highest Test batting average among those who have scored over 8,000 Test runs. (September 2006)
• Scored nearly 23% of the total runs put up by India (with a batting average of 102.84) in the 21 Test matches won under Ganguly's captaincy. This is the highest percentage contribution by any batsman in Test cricket history in matches won under a single captain where the captain has won more than 20 tests.[3]
• Longest streak of consecutive Tests since debut (94)
• Only player to score a century against every Test playing nation away from home (until the ICC decides to add more nations to the list of Test playing nations his record can only be equalled, not broken).
• Involved in highest partnership made away from home for any wicket for India with vice captain Virender Sehwag of 410 runs vs Pakistan at Lahore in 2006 (the highest partnership between a captain and the vice captain).
• He is the fastest to reach 9000 runs in Test cricket. In all he took 176 innings to do this, bettering the previous record set by Brian Lara by 1 innings.
• He has the best career Test average among contemporary batsmen who have played at least 20 innings (58.75 after 104 Tests and 176 innings, just ahead of Ricky Ponting's 58.22 from 105 matches and 175 innings; as of 9th August 2006 Michael Hussey averages 75.93 after 19 innings).
• With scores of 50 or more in 7 consecutive Tests Dravid bettered the previous Indian record of 50+ scores in 6 consecutive Tests for a single batsman. This record was shared by Vijay Hazare, Chandu Borde, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Sadagoppan Ramesh. As of 4/7/06 this streak is unbroken.
• He is currently joint 4th along with Brian Lara among batsmen who have scored most away runs in Tests (5288 as of August 9th 2006). Only Sachin Tendulkar, Allan Border and Vivian Richards have scored more away Test runs.
• Best career average among players who have played 100 or more Tests.
• Best away average among players who have played 50 or more away Tests.
• 9th batsman to score twin hundreds in a test twice, and only the 2nd Indian to do so, after Sunil Gavakar.
• 1st Indian to score 5 double hundreds, each bigger than the previous.

One Dayers

Partnership Records

• The only batsman to have been involved in two ODI partnerships exceeding 300 runs.
• First batsman to be involved in a 300 run partnership along with Sourav Ganguly in the 1999 World Cup match against Sri Lanka at Taunton.
• Involved in the highest partnership in the history of ODI cricket with a 331 run partnership along with Sachin Tendulkar vs New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1999-2000.

World Cup Records

• He was the leading run scorer in the 1999 World Cup with 461 runs.
• Highest score by a wicketkeeper in a World Cup.

Captaincy Records

• The highest winning percentage among all the captains who have captained their sides in at least 5 ODIs. He's won 23, lost 13 and had no result in 1 - this winning percentage of 62.16 displaces Ajay Jadeja's 61.54
• He is tied with Sachin Tendulkar in fourth place for having captained India in the most victorious matches
• Has the highest ODI batting average as captain of 45.58 (as of 4/7/06), among all captains who have captained more than 10 ODIs.

Outstanding Innings

Tests

180 vs Australia at Kolkata, India in 2001
148 vs England at Leeds, UK in 2002
233 and 72* vs Australia at Adelaide, Australia in 2003
270 vs Pakistan at Rawalpindi, Pakistan in 2004
110 and 135 vs Pakistan at Kolkata, India in 2005
81 and 68 vs West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica in 2006

One Dayers

126 vs New Zealand at Taupo, New Zealand, in 1998-99 145 vs Sri Lanka at Taunton, England, in 1999

153 vs New Zealand at Hyderabad, India, in 1999-2000

Captaincy

Achievements

• Under Dravid's captaincy the Indian team tied the previous record of most consecutive One-Day International wins for an Indian team (8).
• During his captaincy the Indian team broke the 14 match West Indies record for most consecutive won matches in One-Day Internationals while chasing a total. For this 17 match run, Dravid was the captain for 15 matches and Sourav Ganguly was the captain for the other two. This streak was broken on 5/20/06, when India lost to the West Indies by one run, at Sabina Park, Jamaica.
• Rahul Dravid led India to a historic test series win, against the West Indies in their home soil in 2006. Since 1971, India had never won a test series in the West Indies. This is also their first prominent series win outside the Indian subcontinent (barring the win against Zimbabwe in 2005) since 1986.

Criticism

• One of Dravid's most debated decisions was taken in March 2004, when he was standing in as captain for an injured Sourav Ganguly. The Indian innings was declared at a point when Sachin Tendulkar was at 194. In Dravid's defence, the media noted at the time that the decision had apparently been made by Ganguly [4], and Ganguly himself later admitted that it had been a mistake, [5] the wording of the statement indicating that it had not been Dravid's call.
• Rahul Dravid has had a mixed record when leading India in Tests. India lost the Karachi Test in 2006, giving Pakistan the series 1-0. In March 2006, India lost the Mumbai Test, giving England its first Test victory in India since 1985, enabling Flintoff's men to draw the series 1-1. While the loss in Karachi could be put down to several Indian batsmen playing badly, the defeat in Mumbai was probably the result of Dravid's inexplicable decision to put England in despite winning the toss. [6]
• The Third Test against England in March 2006 in Mumbai was an unhappy 100th Test match for Dravid as a captain. His decision to bowl first on a flat dry pitch which later deteriorated and ended with an Indian collapse in the run chase was widely criticised, as was his perceive influence on the five bowler strategy. [7] Right from making the wrong decision at the toss, to persisting with the mistaken 5-bowler strategy, to leading an ultra-defensive response to England's target, this has been Dravid's nadir as a leader.
• After India failed to qualify for the Finals of the DLF Cup, Indian skipper Rahul Dravid was criticised for not being an able captain. He has come under flak from former all-rounder Ravi Shastri who said it was time he asserted himself and called the shots instead of coach Greg Chappell. [8]

Teams

International

• India (current)
• ACC Asian XI
• ICC World XI

Indian first-class

• Karnataka (current)

English county

• Kent
• Scotland

Timeline

• 1973 - Born 11 January 1973, in Indore
• 1984 - Attended a summer coaching camp at KSCA's Chinnaswamy Stadium where his talents were spotted by former cricketer turned coach Keki Tarapore (There was another Keki Tarapore [Mumbai, deceased] with whom people confuse this gentleman who also passed on.)
• Scores his first century in an unofficial match for his school team St.Joseph's against St. Anthony's.
• Scores a double hundred for the Karnataka schools team which he smashed against Kerala.
• Selected for the under-15 Karnataka team.
• Stops keeping wickets on advice from Gundappa Vishwanath, Roger Binny, Brijesh Patel and coach Keki Tarapore.
• 1985 - Gets recognised in Bangalore as a prodigy after becoming the first ever to score a century in the Cottonian Shield inter school tournament (Juniors) for St. Josephs High School against Baldwin Boys' High School, in the final.
• 1991 - Ranji debut against Maharashtra.
• 1996 - Double century in Ranji finals, vs. Tamil Nadu.
• 1996 - Test debut at Lords, England after Sanjay Manjrekar was injured and Navjot Singh Sidhu flew back home after a fracas with captain Azharuddin. Makes 95.
• 1997 - Maiden Test hundred (148), vs. South Africa, third Test, Johannesburg.
• 1997 - First one day hundred (107), vs. Pakistan, Independence Cup, Chennai.
• 1999 - Hundred in both innings (190,103) against New Zealand in Hamilton.
• 1999 - Makes 461 runs, including three 50s and two 100s in World Cup.
• 1999 - Signs up with Kent for the 2000 English county season.
• 2001 - Scores 180, while V. V. S. Laxman makes 281, in a fifth-wicket stand of 376 as India defeat Australia at Eden Gardens, ending 16 Test-winning streak by Australia.
• 2004 - Career best 270 against Pakistan, at Rawalpindi.
• 2005 - Succeeds Sourav Ganguly as Test and ODI captain.
• 2005 - The Nice Guy Who Finished First by Devendra Prabhudesai, released by coach Greg Chappell.
• 2006 - Scores first century as captain, at Lahore, vs. Pakistan.

Career highlights

Tests

Test Debut: vs England, Lord's, 1996

• Dravid's best Test batting score of 270 was made against Pakistan, Rawalpindi, 2003-2004
• His best Test bowling figures of 1 for 18 came against West Indies, St. John's, 2001-2002
• He is only the third Indian to score over 8,000 Test runs, following Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
• Rahul Dravid is the fastest batsman in the history of Test cricket to make 9,000 runs. The Indian captain brought up the landmark in his 176th innings playing against West Indies in 2006 and broke the earlier record of Brian Lara

One-day internationals

ODI Debut: vs Sri Lanka, Singapore, 1995-1996

• Dravid's best ODI batting score of 153 was made against New Zealand, Hyderabad, 1999-2000
• His best ODI bowling figures of 2 for 43 came against South Africa, Kochi, 1999-2000

Awards

• 1999 - Ceat Cricketer of the 1999 World Cup
• 2000 - Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2000
• 2004 - Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy
• 2004 - Padma Shri
• 2004 - ICC Player of The Year
• 2004 - ICC Test Player of The Year

Personal life

Rahul Dravid married Vijeta Pendharkar, a surgeon from Nagpur, on Sunday, 4 May, 2003; their son, Samit Rahul Dravid, was born on 11 October, 2005.

Minor Records

ODI

• The first Indian to score a hundred in the Caribbean (105). (The previous record was 90 by Sunil Gavaskar
• He has the highest score by an Indian captain against West Indies (In all countries) (105)
• He has the highest score among any captain in the Caribbean (past and present of all countries)
• He has the record for least number of innings required to score 1000 runs against West Indies by an Indian (26)
  • The only person who has got it in less innings in international cricket is Jacques Kallis (25)
• He is the leading Run scorer against West Indies for India

Test

• Was the first batsman to score 1000 runs in the 2006 calendar year.
• Dravid is the seventh batsman to have both scores be the best in the match in which 40 wickets fell
• With 496 runs Dravid scored the most runs scored by an Indian captain on foreign soil in the 2006 tour of West Indies

External links

• Cricinfo Player Profile : Rahul Dravid
• HowSTAT! statistical profile on Rahul Dravid
• PwC Batsman Rankings