| Mar. 9th, 2012 @ 04:25 pm Rahul "The Wall" Dravid - End of the Classical Era |
|---|
01. For someone who epitomised the classical form of Test batsmanship, it's easily forgotten he made his debut in ODIs in April 1996. He didn't really impress.
02. Despite never quite winning over Indian fans (and the selectors) as an ODI batsman, he scored over 10,000 runs in this format at a strike-rate of 71.
03. In 1999 he scored 145 and 153 in two ODI innings but it was still second-best to Ganguly's 183 and SRT's 186*. Dravid finished with 12 ODI centuries.
04. Ever the team-player, he donned the gloves in the shorter-format for most of 2002-4, which included a run to the 2003 World Cup final.
05. But it's for his achievements in Tests that he'll be most fondly remembered. A 95 on debut at Lord's, 13000+ runs, 36 centuries, including 5 last year. Legend.
06. Everybody remembers the 2001 Kolkata Test for Laxman's 281, but it wouldn't have been possible without Dravid's 180. An innings that silenced his critics.
07. Only two Indian batsman have scored more Test double-centuries than him. His highest was 270 at Rawalpindi to set up an historic series victory in 2004.
08. He opened the innings and dropped down the order whenever required, a selflessness and commitment matched by no Indian player past or present.
09. As captain he struggled to build on Ganguly's good work but was a safe pair of hands in a time of coaching crisis, eventually giving way to MS Dhoni.
10. And what of his legacy? The most man-of-the-match awards in overseas Tests for an Indian, along with 400+ catches in international cricket. Irreplaceable.
Rahul Dravid treated the game with the utmost respect. A gentleman and a scholar, he will be sorely missed. Thank you dear sir for the entertainment. Jai Hind! |
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=91.7){kind=small}
indiashining's journal
