The Wall Of Indian Cricket....

Rahul Dravid

India

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

Full name Rahul Sharad Dravid
Born January 11, 1973, Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Current age 33 years 266 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. Josephs High School

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, Rawalpindi and Jamaica. 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. After two disappointing defeats to Pakistan and England, Dravid masterminded a historic series win in the West Indies, the first since 1970-71. What else could he achieve? Anything.

Batting and fielding averages

class	mat	inns	no	runs	hs	ave	bf	sr	100	50	4s	6s	ct	st
Tests	104	176	22	9049	270	58.75	21422	42.24	23	46	1120	13	146	0
ODIs	297	276	35	9576	153	39.73	13598	70.42	12	71	835	29	177	14
First-class	217	354	50	17572	270	57.80			48	90			261	1
List A	397	369	50	13619	153	42.69			20	98			211	17

Bowling averages

class	mat	balls	runs	wkts	bbi	bbm	ave	econ	sr	4	5	10
Tests	104	120	39	1	1/18	1/18	39.00	1.95	120.00	0	0	0
ODIs	297	186	170	4	2/43	2/43	42.50	5.48	46.50	0	0	0
First-class	217	617	273	5	2/16		54.60	2.65	123.40		0	0
List A	397	477	421	4	2/43	2/43	105.25	5.29	119.25	0	0	0

Career statistics
Statsguru Tests filter | Statsguru One-Day Internationals filter
Test debut	England v India at Lord's - Jun 20-24, 1996
Last Test	West Indies v India at Kingston - Jun 30-Jul 2, 2006
ODI debut	India v Sri Lanka at Singapore - Apr 3, 1996
Last ODI	Australia v India at Kuala Lumpur - Sep 22, 2006
First-class span	1990/91 - 2006