Rahul Dravid

Cricket is a gentlemen’s game and Rahul Sharad Dravid is one of the best gentlemen. Patience, class, and technique is what defines Rahul Dravid. He has the best attitude and amazing commitment toward his favorite sport. Watching him bat has always been a delightful experience. All his fans appreciated his patience in batting This inspiring cricketer had been a role model for many not just as a sportsman but also as a human being.

Rahul Dravid was called the Indian wall and this name was given to him for his spectacular batting performance. A few of his finest cricket techniques include foot defense and square cuts.

Personal Information

Born: 11th January 1973 Nationality: Indian
Years Active: (1996–2012) Birth Place: Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Height: 5 ft 11 in Role: Former Indian Captain & Wicket-keeper
Batting Style: Right-hand batsman Nickname: The Great Wall, Jammy, Mr. Dependable

Rahul Dravid’s Journey

Family

Both his parents were working. Rahul Dravid’s mother was a teacher at Bangalore's University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, while his father worked at the renowned jam brand -‘Kissan’. This was the reason why Rahul’s nickname was Jammy. He has a younger sibling-Vijay.

First Appearance

He started playing cricket at the early age of 12. He played Under-15, Under-17, and Under-19 while representing Karnataka.

He finally got the chance on April 3, 1996, and made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka. This match was held in Singapore for Singer Cup. He replaced Vinod Kambli in the match. Unfortunately, he was unable to impress as he only scored 3 runs in that match and got bowled by Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. Later his test debut was against England at Lord’s where he scored 95 runs in his debut innings.

He was called a slow batsman and this was the reason he struggled to become a part of the ODI team. This criticism was overcome by him and he was in his best form in the 1999 World Cup. Having 461 runs under his belt, he was the highest hitter of the tournament.

He is listed in fourth place as the highest scorer of test cricket. Rahul Dravid was the first player to hit a century against every Test-playing nation in 2004.

Ascend to Glory

He was never out on a duck during a test match in all 286 matches. During a match, he was there on the pitch for approximately 44152 minutes and this is the highest time someone has spent on the field during a match. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid together scored 6920 runs, and this is fortunately the highest partnership in Test cricket between two batters.

During ICC awards presentation (2004), he was the ‘Player of the Year’.

Low Point

Ball tampering incident

This was one of the biggest controversies. Rahul Dravid was found guilty of ball tampering while playing ODI with Zimbabwe. He had put a lozenge on the shiny side of the ball while ICC code of conduct doesn’t allow the bowler to apply anything besides sweat on the ball.

IPL spot-fixing

In the 2013 IPL, a spot-fixing scandal came into the limelight where Rahul Dravid led Rajasthan Royals. Players like Ajit Chandila, Ankeet Chavan, and S Sreesanth were involved. But being the captain of the team, Rahul had to face a lot of questions.

Captaincy

Rahul was average as an Indian captain. He led India in 25 tests winning 8 and losing 6 of them. Men in blue won 42 out of 79 one-day international games under him. The team’s debacle at one of the most important international cricket tournaments, the 2007 World Cup, was one of the lowest points in Dravid’s captaincy career.

Dravid's Records

Rahul Dravid was one the best former players who played at the number 3 spot. Here is the list of his records:

Highest balls faced

As an amazing batsman, he has a record of facing the maximum number of deliveries in Test cricket. He has always performed exceptionally well against all the bowlers. This is the hallmark of someone who loves what he does.

Most catches in Test cricket

He holds the record for maximum catches in tests as he has taken 210 catches and this feat is the highest by any non-wicket-keeper.

Best consecutive ODI innings without scoring a duck

He is one of those remarkable cricketers who made a mark in ODI having a record of 120 innings without getting out on zero ever.

Retirement

In 2011, Rahul Dravid announced his retirement as he played the last test match against Australia in January 2012.

In August 2011, Jammy declared his retirement from all international and first-class cricket whether they are ODI’s, T20, and Test matches.

As a Coach

Initially, Dravid was appointed as India A and India U-19 team coach. Under his mentorship, India finished as runners-up in the 2016 edition of the 2016 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. A few players that came into the limelight due to him are Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson are some of his finds.

He is also the mentor of the IPL Delhi Daredevils team 2017.

Career Statistics

Rahul Dravid was an unsung modest hero. His career reflected his passion for cricket. His action spoke more than his words and he is someone who would hit the most and will simply walk away with a modest smile on your face.

ODI
Matches: 344 Run Scored: 10889
Batting Average: 39.17 Top Score: 153
100/50: 12/83 Wickets:
T20
Matches: 1 Run Scored: 31
Batting Average: 31.0 Top Score: 31
100/50: Wickets:
Test
Matches: 164 Run Scored: 13288
Batting Average: 52.31 Top Score: 270
100/50: 36/63 Wickets:

Image Gallery

Rahul Dravid’s Cricket Glimpses