Rahul Sharad Dravid (born January 11, 1973 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh) is an Indian cricketer, a member of the Indian cricket team since 1996. Currently he is the top-ranked Test batsman in world cricket.
A right-handed batsman in the classical mould, Dravid produces elegant, technically correct strokes, seldom going through the air, and accumulates runs at a steady, moderate pace. He is a throwback to the batsmen of an earlier era who value correctness over flair. He has been nicknamed "The Wall" by the media due to the solidity of his batting. He has scored 18 centuries in Test cricket at a phenomenal average of 57, including 5 double centuries, whilst in one-dayers he has an average of 39 at an acceptable strike rate of 69. He is one of those few batsmen who average more at away matches than at home, averaging about 10 more runs a match abroad than on Indian pitches. Dravid's only Test wicket was that of Ridley Jacobs in the fourth Test aganist the West Indies during the 2001-02 series.
Dravid has been involved in two of the largest parnerships in ODI's: a 318-run partnership with Sourav Ganguly, thus becoming 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 holds the record for the longest unbroken streak for consequtive Tests from debut for any played. He also holds the record for the greatest number of innings since debut before being dismissed for a duck. His highest scores in ODI's and Tests are 153 and 270 respectively.
Schooled at St. Josephs Boys High School, Bangalore, and coached by Keki Tarapore , Dravid has played English domestic 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 Lords 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 as one of the Wisden cricketers of the year 2000.
In 2004, Dravid was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. On 2004, 7 September he was awarded the 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 . This had been due to his consistent performance in diverse pitches and playing conditions and his ability to handle pressure and quality bowling. His soft-spoken demeanour belies his steely nature, leading Steve Waugh to remark in a column that the only way to dismiss him was to pray for a mistake and ensure that he is not provoked by refraining from sledgeing. As of 2004, he is the vice-captain of the Indian team. Dravid has captained the Indian team a few times in the absence of Sourav Ganguly, and also sometimes takes on the added responsibility of being the wicket-keeper of the Indian team in the limited-overs version of the game.
Rahul Dravid with his ICC Player of the year and ICC Test Player of the Year Awards.
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Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04
