Rahul Dravid (; born 11 January 1973) is a former
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
player,
ex-captain and
ex-coach of the
Indian national cricket team. Known for his outstanding
batting technique, Dravid scored 24,177 runs in international cricket and is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the
history of cricket. He is colloquially known as ''Mr. Dependable'' and often referred to as ''The Wall''. He won the
2002 ICC Champions Trophy as a member of the Indian team and guided the Indian team to victory in the
2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup as the head coach.
Prior to his appointment to the senior men's national team, Dravid was the Head of Cricket at the
National Cricket Academy (NCA), and the head coach of the
India Under-19 and
India A teams. Under his tutelage, the Under-19 team finished as runners-up at the
2016 U-19 Cricket World Cup and won the
2018 U-19 Cricket World Cup. Under his coaching, Indian cricket team finished as runners-up at the
2023 Cricket World Cup
The 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup was the 13th edition of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted from 5 October to 19 ...
and
2023 ICC World Test Championship final
The final of the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship, a Test cricket, Test cricket match, was played from 7 to 11 June 2023 at The Oval, London, between Australia national cricket team, Australia and India national cricket team, India. Aust ...
and were semifinalist at the
2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup
The 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was the eighth edition of the Men's T20 World Cup, formerly known as the ICC World Twenty20. It was played in Australia from 16 October to 13 November 2022. In the final, England cricket team, England beat Pakist ...
.
Born in a
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
**Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...
family and raised in
Bangalore
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
, he started playing cricket at the age of 12 and later represented Karnataka at the under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels. Dravid was named one of the best five
cricketers of the year by ''
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "Bible of cricket" (or variations thereof) has been applied to ''Wi ...
'' in 2000 and received the
Player of the Year and the Test Player of the Year awards at the inaugural ICC awards ceremony in 2004. In December 2011, he became the first non-Australian cricketer to deliver the
Bradman Oration in
Canberra
Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
.
As of January 2022, Dravid is
the fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, after
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who List of India national cricket captains#Men's cricket, captained the Indian national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketer ...
,
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting (born 19 December 1974) is an Australian cricket coach, commentator, and former player. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time and is the most successful captain in international cricket history, ...
and
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis Order of Ikhamanga, OIS (born 16 October 1975) is a South African cricket coach and former professional cricketer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time and as one of the greatest all-rounders ever t ...
. In 2004, upon scoring a century against
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
in
Chittagong
Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...
, he became the first player to score a century in all the ten Test-playing countries (
now 12). As of October 2012, he holds the record for the most catches taken by a player (non-wicket-keeper) in Test cricket, at 210. Dravid holds a unique record of never getting out for a
golden duck in the 286 Test innings that he has played during his career. He has faced 31,258 balls, which is the largest number of balls faced by any player in test cricket. He has also spent 44,152 minutes at the crease, which is the highest time spent on the crease by any player in test cricket. Dravid and Tendulkar hold the highest scoring partnership in Test cricket history, having scored 6,920 runs combined while batting together for India.
In August 2011, after receiving a surprise recall during the ODI series against
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, Dravid declared his retirement from ODIs as well as
Twenty20 International
Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of Twenty20 cricket, in which each team plays a single innings with a maximum of twenty overs. The matches are played between international teams recognized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). ...
(T20I), and in March 2012, he announced his retirement from international and
first-class cricket
First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...
. He appeared at the
2012 Indian Premier League
The 2012 Indian Premier League season, abbreviated as IPL 5 or the IPL 2012 or the DLF IPL 2012 (owing to title sponsorship reasons), was the fifth season of the Indian Premier League, initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC ...
as captain of the
Rajasthan Royals.
Rahul Dravid, along with
Glenn McGrath, were honoured during the seventh annual Bradman Awards function in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
on 1 November 2012. Dravid has also been awarded the
Padma Shri
The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
(2004) and the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...
(2013), India's fourth and third highest civilian awards respectively.
In 2014, Rahul Dravid joined the
GoSports Foundation as a member of their board of advisors. In collaboration with GoSports Foundation, he is mentoring India's future Olympians and Paralympians as part of the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Program.
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n
badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...
ist
Prannoy Kumar
Prannoy Haseena Sunil Kumar (born 17 July 1992), also known as H. S. Prannoy, is an Indian badminton player who currently trains at the Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad. He has won bronze medals at the 2023 World Championships ...
, para-swimmer
Sharath Gayakwad and golfer S. Chikkarangappa were part of the initial group of athletes that were mentored by Rahul Dravid. In July 2018, Dravid became the fifth Indian cricketer to be inducted into the
ICC Hall of Fame.
Early life and education
Dravid was born to a
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
**Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...
-Speaking
Brahmin
Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
family
in
Indore
Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...
,
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...
. His family later moved to
Bangalore
Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
,
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
, where he was raised. His mother tongue is
Marathi
Marathi may refer to:
*Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India
**Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh
*Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...
. Dravid's father, Sharad Dravid, worked for a company that produces jams and preserves, giving rise to the later nickname ''Jammy''. His mother, Pushpa, was a professor of
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...
at the
University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering
UVCE (University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering) is a premier public university under the Govt of Karnataka, at Bangalore. The Government of Karnataka, Govt of Karnataka has declared it as an Institution of State Eminence for its contri ...
in Bangalore. Dravid has a younger brother named Vijay.
Rahul Dravid attended
St. Joseph's Boys High School and earned a degree in commerce from
St Joseph's College of Commerce.
He was selected to
India's national cricket team while working towards an MBA at the
St Joseph's College of Business Administration. He is fluent in Marathi, Kannada, English and Hindi.
Formative years and domestic career
Dravid started playing cricket at the age of 12 and represented
Karnataka
Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
at the under-15, the under-17, and the under-19 levels. Former cricketer
Keki Tarapore first noticed Dravid's talent while coaching at a summer camp in the
Chinnaswamy Stadium. Dravid scored a century for his school team. He also played as
wicket-keeper
In cricket, the wicket-keeper is the Cricket player, player on the fielding (cricket), fielding side who stands behind the wicket, ready to stop Delivery (cricket), deliveries that pass the batsman, and take a Caught, catch, Stumped, stump the ...
.
Dravid made his
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a premier domestic first-class cricket championship played in India and organized annually by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The teams representing regional and state cricket associations participate. BCCI ...
debut in February 1991, while still attending college. Playing alongside future India teammates
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble (; born 17 October 1970) is a former Indian cricketer, captain, coach and commentator who played Test cricket, Test and One Day International cricket for his national team over an international career of 18 years. A right-arm leg sp ...
and
Javagal Srinath against
Maharashtra
Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...
in
Pune
Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
, he scored 82 runs in the match, which ended in a draw. He followed it up with a century against
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
and three successive centuries after.
Dravid's first full season took place in 1991–92, when he scored two centuries and finished up with 380 runs at an average of 63.30, resulting in his selection to the
South Zone cricket team in the
Duleep Trophy. Dravid caught the national team selectors' attention with his positive performances for
India A in the home series against
England A in 1994–95.
International career
Debut
Dravid received his first call to the
Indian national cricket team in October 1994 for the last two matches of the
Wills World Series. However, he could not break into the playing eleven and had to return to the domestic circuit.
Despite a stellar show in domestic cricket, Dravid was not selected for the Indian team for the
1996 World Cup, prompting an Indian daily newspaper to run an article with the headline – "Rahul Dravid gets a raw deal".
He eventually made his international debut on 3 April 1996 in an ODI against
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
in the
Singer Cup held in
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
immediately after the 1996 World Cup, replacing
Vinod Kambli
Vinod Kambli (; born 18 January 1972) is an Indian former international International cricket, cricketer, who played for India national cricket team, India as a left-handed middle order batsman, as well as for Mumbai cricket team, Mumbai and Bo ...
.
He wasn't particularly successful with the bat, scoring only three runs before being dismissed by
Muttiah Muralitharan
Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan (born 1972) is a Sri Lankan cricket coach, businessman and former professional cricketer. Averaging over six wickets per Test match, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the ...
, but took two catches in the match.
He followed it up with another failure in the next game, scoring only four runs before being run out against
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
.
In contrast to his ODI debut, his Test debut was rather successful. He was selected for the Indian squad touring
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
on the backdrop of a consistent performance in domestic cricket for five years.
Fine performances in the tour games including fifties against
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
and
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
failed to earn him a place in the team for the First Test. He finally made his Test debut at
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, Westminster. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex C ...
on 20 June 1996 against
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in the Second Test of the
series
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used i ...
at the expense of injured senior batsman
Sanjay Manjrekar.
Manjrekar, who was suffering from an ankle injury, was to undergo a fitness test on the morning of the Second Test. Dravid had already been informed that he would play if Manjrekar failed the test. Manjrekar subsequently failed the test. Ten minutes before the toss,
Sandeep Patil, the Indian coach, informed Dravid that he was indeed going to make his debut that day. Patil recalled years later:
Coming in to bat at no. 7, he forged important partnerships, first with another debutante
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), also known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali language, Bengali), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer. He is popularly called the ...
and then with Indian lower order, securing a vital first innings lead for his team.
Dravid scored 95 runs missing out on a debut hundred as he walked off after getting caught behind to a
Chris Lewis delivery. During this match, he also took his first catch in Test cricket to dismiss
Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain (born 28 March 1968) is an English cricket commentator and former player who captained the England cricket team between 1999 and 2003, with his overall international career extending from 1990 to 2004. A pugnacious right-hande ...
off the bowling of
Srinath.
In the next tour game against
British Universities
Universities in the United Kingdom have generally been instituted by royal charter, papal bull, Act of Parliament, or an instrument of government under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 or the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Deg ...
, Dravid scored a hundred. He scored another fifty in the first innings of the Third Test.
Dravid concluded a successful debut series with an average of 62.33 from two Test matches.
1996–98
Dravid's early years in international cricket mirrored his international debut. He had contrasting fortunes in the long and the shorter format of the game. While he was successful in Test cricket, he struggled with ODIs.
After his Test debut in England, Dravid played in the
one-off Test against
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
– his first Test in India. Batting at no. 6, he scored 40 runs in the first innings. Dravid batted at no. 3 position for the first time in the First Test of the three-match
home series against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
in
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
in November 1996.
He failed to perform well in the series, scoring only 175 runs at an average of 29.16.
Two weeks later, India toured
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
for a
three–match Test series. Chasing a target of 395 runs in the First Test, the Indian team got bowled out for 66 runs on the
Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Situated on the east coast of South ...
pitch that provided excessive bounce and
seam movement. Dravid, batting at no. 6, was the only Indian batsman who reached double figures in the innings, scoring 27
not out
In cricket, a batsman is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batsman is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at ...
. He was promoted to the no. 3 slot again in the second innings of the Second Test. He almost won the Third Test for India with his maiden test hundred in the first innings, scoring 148 runs and another 81 runs in the second innings at
Wanderers before the thunderstorms, dim light and
Cullinan's hundred helped South Africa draw the match.
Dravid's performance in this Test earned him his first Man of the Match award in Test cricket.
He top scored for India in the series with 277 runs at an average of 55.40.
Dravid continued in the same vein in the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
, where he once again top scored for India in the
five–match Test series, aggregating 360 runs at an average of 72.00, including four fifties. 92 runs scored in the first innings of the fifth match in
Georgetown earned him a joint Man of the Match award along with
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine "Shiv" Chanderpaul (Guyanese Hindustani, Guyanese-Hindustani: शिवनारायण चंद्रपॉल) Orders, decorations, and medals of Guyana#The Cacique's Crown of Honour, CCH (born 16 August 1974) is a Guyanese peopl ...
. With this series, Dravid concluded the 1996-97 Test season, topping the international runs chart with 852 runs from 12 matches at an average of 50.11, with six fifties and a hundred.
Dravid continued his successful run, scoring seven fifties in the next eight Tests that included fifties in six consecutive innings (three each against Sri Lanka and Australia), becoming only the second Indian to do so after
Gundappa Vishwanath.
By the end of 1997-98 Test season, he had scored 15 fifties in 22 Tests including four scores of nineties but just one hundred.
During the 1998-99 Test season, Dravid scored 752 runs in seven Tests at an average of 62.66, that included four hundreds and one fifty. In the process, he topped the runs chart for India for the season. He scored the first of the four hundreds during the Zimbabwe tour.
Dravid top scored in both innings against
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
, scoring 118 and 44 runs respectively; however, India lost the
one-off Test.
The Zimbabwe tour was followed by a tour to
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
. The First Test having been abandoned without a ball being bowled,
the
series
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used i ...
started for Dravid with the first
duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...
of his Test career in the first innings of the Second Test and ended with hundreds in both innings of the Third Test in
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
. He scored 190 and 103 not out in the first and the second innings respectively, becoming only the third Indian batsman, after
Vijay Hazare and
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, uniːl ɡaːʋəskəɾ born 10 July 1949), is a former captain of the Indian national cricket team who represented India national cricket team, India and Mumbai crick ...
, to score a century in both innings of a Test match.
Dravid topped the runs table for the series with 321 runs at an average of 107.00, although India lost the series 0–1.
Later that month, India played a two Test
home series against Pakistan. Dravid didn't contribute much with the bat. India lost the First Test but won the Second Test in Delhi with
Kumble's historic
10-wicket haul. Dravid played his part in the 10-wicket haul by taking a catch to dismiss
Mushtaq Ahmed, who was Kumble's eighth victim in the innings. The India-Pakistan Test series was followed by the
1998–99 Asian Test Championship. India went on to lose the riot-affected First Test of the championship against Pakistan at the
Eden Gardens.
India went to
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
to play the Second Test of the championship. Dravid scored his fourth hundred of the season at
Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
in the first innings of the match. He also effected a successful run out of
Russel Arnold during Sri Lankan innings fielding at short leg. On the fourth morning, Dravid was injured while fielding at the same position when the ball from
Jayawardene's pull shot struck his face through the helmet grill. He didn't come out to bat in the second innings due to the injury. The match ended in a draw as India failed to qualify for the Finals of the championship.
In a stark contrast to his Test career, Dravid struggled to make a mark in the ODIs.
Between his ODI debut in April 1996 and the end of 1998, Dravid regularly found himself in and out of the ODI team.
Dravid's first success in his ODI career took place in the
1996 'Friendship' Cup against Pakistan in the tough conditions of
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
.
He emerged as the highest scorer of the series with 220 runs in five matches at an average of 44.00 and a strike rate of 68.53. He won his first ODI Man of the Match award for the 46 runs scored in the low scoring third game of the series.
He top scored for India in the
Standard Bank International One-Day Series 1996/97 in South Africa with 280 runs from eight games at an average of 35.00 and a strike rate of 60.73, the highlight being a Man of the Match award-winning performance (84 runs, one catch) in the Final of the series, although his team lost the match. He was the second highest run scorer for India in the
four-match bilateral ODI series in the West Indies in the 1996–97 season with 121 runs at an average of 40.33 and a strike rate of 57.61. Dravid scored his first ODI hundred in the
1997 Pepsi Independence Cup against Pakistan in
Chennai
Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
that came in a losing cause. Dravid top scored for India in the quadrangular event with 189 runs from three games at an average of 94.50 and a strike rate of 75.60. However, India failed to qualify for the Final of the series.
Dravid's achievements in the ODIs were dwarfed by his failures in the shorter format of the game. 14 runs from two games in the
1996 Pepsi Sharjah Cup; 20 runs from two innings in the
Singer World Series; 65 runs from four innings in the
1997 'Friendship' Cup; 88 runs from four games in the
1998 Coca-Cola Triangular Series including a 22-ball five runs and a 21-ball one run innings, both against
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
; 32 runs from four games in the
1998 'Friendship' Cup;
a slew of such poor performances often forced him to the sidelines of the India ODI squad.
By the end of 1998, Dravid had scored 1,709 runs in 65 ODIs at an average of only 31.64 with a low strike rate of 63.48.
By now, Dravid had been branded as a Test specialist. While he continued a successful run in Test cricket, he struggled in the ODIs. He drew criticism for not being able to adjust his style of play to the needs of ODI cricket and his lack of attacking capability. Dravid subsequently increased his range of strokes and adapted his batting style to suit the requirements of ODI cricket. He learned to pace his innings cleverly without going for
the slogs.
Dravid's ODI success began during the 1998-99 New Zealand tour.
He scored a run-a-ball hundred in the first match of the
bilateral ODI series that earned him his third Man of the Match award in ODIs.
His team lost the match.
However, his effort of 51 runs from 71 balls in the Fourth ODI resulted in India's victory and earned him his second Man of the Match award of the series.
He became the top scorer of the series with 309 runs from five games at an average of 77.25 and a strike rate of 84.65. Dravid scored a hundred against Sri Lanka in the
1998/99 Pepsi Cup at
Nagpur
Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...
, scoring 116 of 118 deliveries. In the next match against Pakistan, he bowled four overs and took the wicket of
Saeed Anwar. This was his first wicket in international cricket.
Dravid scored two fifties in the
1998–99 Coca-Cola Cup in
Sharjah
Sharjah (; ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the D ...
, one each against England and Pakistan.
Standing-in as the substitute wicket-keeper in the third match of the series for
Nayan Mongia, who was injured during keeping, Dravid effected two dismissals. He first stumped
Graeme Hick off
Sunil Joshi's bowling, who became Dravid's first victim as a wicket-keeper, and then caught
Neil Fairbrother off
Ajay Jadeja's bowling.
He top scored for India in the tournament, though his last ODI innings was a golden duck against Pakistan.
World Cup debut
Dravid hit consecutive fifties in England against Leicestershire and
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
in the warm-up games.
He made his World Cup debut against South Africa at
Hove
Hove ( ) is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove.
Originally a fishing village surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th century in respon ...
, scoring a half century. He scored only 13 runs in the next game against Zimbabwe.
India lost both the games.
Having lost the first two games, India needed to win the remaining three games of the first round to have any chance of advancing into the
Super Six stage. Dravid set up a
partnership
A partnership is an agreement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments or combinations. Organizations ...
with
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who List of India national cricket captains#Men's cricket, captained the Indian national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketer ...
, during which they scored 237 runs against
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
at
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
– a World Cup record – and in the process hit his maiden World Cup hundred, leading India to a 94-run victory. India's designated keeper Nayan Mongia was injured and left the field at the end of the 9th
over during Kenyan innings, forcing Dravid to keep the wickets for the rest of the innings. In the absence of Mongia, Dravid played his first ODI as a designated keeper against Sri Lanka at
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...
.
Dravid once again set up a record breaking partnership that resulted in 318 runs, the first ever three hundred run partnership in ODI history, with Sourav Ganguly leading India to a 157-run win. Dravid scored 145 runs from 129 balls with 17 fours and a six, becoming the second batsman in World Cup history to hit back-to-back hundreds. Dravid scored a fifty in the last group match as India defeated England to advance to the Super Six stage. Dravid scored 2, 61, and 29 in the three Super Six matches against Australia, Pakistan &
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
respectively.
India failed to qualify for the semi-finals, having lost to Australia and New Zealand. They achieved a consolation victory against Pakistan in a tense game that took place during the
Kargil War
The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In In ...
in
Kashmir
Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
.
Dravid emerged as the top scorer of the tournament with 461 runs from 8 games at an average of 65.85 and a strike rate of 85.52.
Dravid's post-World Cup campaign started poorly with only 40 runs scored in 4 games during the
Aiwa Cup in August 1999.
He soon top-scored for India in two consecutive limited-overs series – the
Singapore Challenge, the highlight being a hundred in the Final (despite their loss), and the
DMC Cup, the highlight being a match winning effort (77 runs, 4 catches) in the series decider for which he received a man-of-the-match award. Dravid topped the international runs chart for the 1999 cricket season across all formats, scoring 782 runs during 19 matches. By now, Dravid had started to keep wickets on an infrequent basis, with India fielding him as designated wicket-keeper in five out of 10 ODIs played in the three events.
Dravid began his post-World Cup Test season with a decent outing against New Zealand in the
3-match home series. His best effort during the series came in the second innings of the First test at
Mohali
Mohali, officially Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar or Ajitgarh, is a planned city in the Mohali district in Punjab, India, Punjab, India, which is an administrative and a commercial hub lying south-west of Chandigarh. It is the headquarters of the M ...
, where he scored 144 runs, helping India salvage a draw after being bowled out for 83 runs in the First innings. This was Dravid's sixth test hundred and his first test hundred in India.
Dravid was successful in the 3–2 series win against New Zealand during the bilateral ODI series, scoring 240 runs in 5 games at an average of 60 and a strike rate of 83.62, ending as the second highest scorer in the series.
His career best effort in ODIs came in this series in the second game at
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
where he scored run-a-ball 153 runs, which included fifteen fours and two sixes.
He set up a 331-run partnership with Tendulkar, which was the largest partnership in terms of runs in ODI cricket history, a record they held for 15 years until it was broken in 2015.
In 1999, Dravid scored 1,761 runs in 43 ODIs at an average of 46.34 and a strike rate of 75.16, including 6 hundreds and 8 fifties. He also featured in two 300+-run partnerships.
India toured
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in December 1999 for a 3-match test series and a triangular ODI tournament. Although Dravid scored a hundred against
Tasmania
Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
in the practice match, he underperformed with the bat in the Test series as India lost
0–3. He did reasonably well in the
1999–2000 Carlton & United Series, scoring 3 fifties in the triangular event. However, India failed to qualify for the Final of the tournament.
Dravid's poor form in Tests continued as India suffered a
0–2 whitewash against South Africa in a home series.
He had moderate success in the
bilateral ODI series against South Africa. He contributed to India's 3–2 series win with 208 runs at an average of 41.60, which included 2 fifties and three wickets at an average of 22.66, topping the bowling average chart for the series.
His career best bowling figure of 2/43 from nine overs in the First ODI at
Kochi
Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...
was also the best bowling figure of any bowler in that particular match.
Rise through the ranks
In February 2000, Tendulkar's resignation from captaincy led to the promotion of Ganguly, the then-vice-captain, as the new captain of the Indian team. In May 2000, while Dravid was busy playing
county cricket in England, he was appointed as the vice-captain of the
Asia cup Indian team.
India did well in the
2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy. The Indian team, which had been involved in a
match fixing
In organized sports, match fixing (also known as game fixing, race fixing, throwing, rigging, hippodroming, or more generally sports fixing) is the act of playing or officiating a contest with the intention of achieving a predetermined result, v ...
scandal, defeated Kenya, Australia, and South Africa in consecutive matches to reach the Finals. India lost to New Zealand in the Finals.
Dravid scored 157 runs in 4 matches of the tournament, at an average of 52.33, including 2 fifties. He also scored 85 runs in a match against Zimbabwe in the 2000–01 Coca-Cola Champions Trophy while opening the innings but was forced to miss the rest of the tournament because of an injury.
India kick started the new Test season with a
9-wicket win against Bangladesh. Dravid played a brisk knock of 41 runs from 49 balls, including five fours and a six, while chasing a target of 63 runs. The ensuing
test series against Zimbabwe was
John Wright's first assignment as Indian coach.
Dravid played a role in Wright's appointment as India's first foreign head coach. Dravid scored 200 not out in the first inning and 70 not out in the second, leading India to a 9-wicket victory against Zimbabwe.
He scored 162 in the drawn Second test to end the series with an average of 432.00, the highest batting average by an Indian in a series across all formats.
Dravid captained the Indian team for the first time in the fifth match of the
bilateral ODI series against Zimbabwe in the absence of Ganguly, who was serving suspension.
With
Agarkar's successful performance, Dravid led India to a 39-run victory in his maiden ODI as captain.
In January 2004, Dravid was found guilty of ball tampering during an ODI with Zimbabwe. Match referee
Clive Lloyd adjudged the application of an energy sweet to the ball as a deliberate offence, although Dravid himself denied this was his intent.
Lloyd emphasised that television footage caught Dravid putting a lozenge on the ball during the Zimbabwean innings on Tuesday night at the Gabba.
According to the ICC's Code of Conduct, players are not allowed to apply substances to a ball other than sweat and saliva.
Dravid was fined half of his match fee.
Indian coach
John Wright defended Dravid, stating that "It was an innocent mistake". Wright argued that Dravid had been trying to apply saliva to the ball when parts of a losenge he had been chewing stuck to the ball; Dravid then tried to wipe it off.
ICC regulations prevented Dravid from commenting about the issue, but former Indian captain
Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), also known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali language, Bengali), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer. He is popularly called the ...
also stated that Dravid's act was "just an accident".
History at Eden
The Australian team toured India in February 2001.
Dravid performed poorly in the first innings of the First Test but displayed strong resilience in Tendulkar's company in the second innings. Dravid's 196-ball-long resistance finally ended when he got out bowled to Warne for 39 runs. Australians extended their winning streak to 16 Tests as they defeated India by 10 wickets in three days.
During the Second Test at Eden Gardens, the Australians bowled India out for 171 runs in the first innings and enforced a follow-on after securing a lead of 274 runs. In the second innings,
Laxman, who had scored a fifty in the first innings, was promoted to the no. 3 position which had been Dravid's usual spot, while Dravid, who had gotten bowled out to Warne for a second time in a row in the first innings in just 25 runs, was relegated to no. 6 position. When Dravid joined Laxman in the middle on the third day of the Test the scoreboard read 232/4, with India still needing 42 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
Dravid and Laxman played out the remaining time on the third day and the whole of the fourth day, denying Australia any wicket on the fourth.
Eventually, Laxman got out on the fifth morning, bringing the 376-runs partnership to an end. Ganguly declared the innings at 657/7, setting Australia a target of 384 runs with 75 overs left in the match.
India bowled to dismiss Australia for 212 runs in 68.3 overs. India won the match by 171 runs. This was only the third instance of a team winning a Test after following-on, and India became the second team to do so.
Dravid scored 81 runs in the first innings of the Third Test and took 4 catches in the match as India defeated Australia at the
series
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used i ...
in Chennai 2–1. Dravid scored 80 runs in the first of the
5-match ODI series at his
home ground as India won the match by 60 runs. He underperformed in the remaining 4 ODIs as Australia won the series 3–2.
Dravid topped the averages for the 2000-01 Test season with 839 runs in six matches at an average of 104.87.
Dravid had a decent outing in Zimbabwe, scoring 137 runs from 134 balls in the First Tour game and aggregating 138 runs at an average of 69.00 from the drawn
Test series. In the ensuing
triangular ODI series, he aggregated 121 runs from 5 matches at an average of 40.33 and a strike rate of 101.68, the highlight being an unbeaten 72 off 64 balls, while chasing a target of 235 against Zimbabwe in the 3rd match of the series, leading India to a 4-wicket win with four balls to spare. He was adjudged man of the match.
On the next tour to Sri Lanka, India lost the first three matches of the
triangular event. In the absence of the suspended Ganguly, Dravid captained the side in the 4th match leading them to their first victory of the series. India won the next two matches to qualify for the Final. Dravid played crucial innings in all three victories. Eventually, India lost the Final to Sri Lanka.
He top scored for India in the series with 259 runs from seven matches at an average of 51.80 and a strike rate of 59.81. Reinstated to his usual no. 3 position in the absence of the injured Laxman, Dravid top scored for India in the ensuing
3-Test series as well with 235 runs at an average of 47.00. Dravid scored 75 runs in the fourth innings chase of the Second Test – a crucial contribution to India's first Test win in Sri Lanka since 1993, despite the absence of key players like Tendulkar, Laxman, Srinath and Kumble.
Dravid had decent success in
Standard Bank tri-series in the South Africa tour, scoring 214 runs (including 3 fifties) at an average of 53.50 and a strike rate of 71.81.
He also kept wickets in the final two ODIs of the series, effecting 3 stumpings.
The highlight for Dravid in the ensuing
Test series came in the second innings of the Second Test. India, having failed to last a hundred overs in any of the previous three innings in the series, needed to bat out four sessions in the Second Test to win the match. They started by not performing successfully, losing their first wicket in the first over with no runs scored. However, Dravid forged a partnership of 171 runs with
Dasgupta that lasted for 83.2 overs, taking India to the brink of safety. Poor weather helped India salvage a draw as only 96.2 overs could be bowled in the innings. Dravid captained the team in the
'unofficial' Third test in the absence of injured Ganguly, which India lost by an innings margin.
By the end of the South African tour, Dravid had started experiencing problems with his right shoulder. Although he played the ensuing home
test series against England, he pulled out of the six-match bilateral ODI series to undergo a shoulder rehabilitation program in South Africa. He returned for
Zimbabwe's tour of India but performed below par, scoring a fifty each in the Test series and the bilateral ODI series.
2002–2006: Peak years
Dravid hit the peak form of his career in 2002. Between the 2002 and the 2006 series, Dravid was the second-highest scorer overall and top scorer for India across formats, scoring 8,914 runs from 174 matches at an average of 54.02, including 19 hundreds.
Dravid had a successful outing
in the West Indies in 2002. The highlights for him included hitting a hundred with a swollen jaw and helping India avoid the follow-on at Georgetown in the drawn First Test. Contributing with a fifty and four catches to India's victory in the Second Test at the
Port of Spain
Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient dail ...
– India's first Test victory in the West Indies since 1975–76
– and another fifty in the drawn Fourth Test with a wicket to boot, that of
Ridley Jacobs who was batting on 118. This was Dravid's only wicket in Test cricket.
He played as India's designated keeper in the ODI series but didn't contribute much with the bat in the 2–1 series win.
A quartet of hundreds
India's tour of England in 2002 started with a triangular ODI event involving India, England and Sri Lanka. India emerged as the winner of the series, defeating England in the Final – their first victory after nine consecutive defeats in one-day finals. Dravid played as designated keeper in six out of seven matches, effecting nine dismissals (6 catches, 3 stumpings) – the most by a keeper in the series. He also performed well with the bat, aggregating 245 runs at an average of 49.00, including three fifties.
His performance against Sri Lanka in the fourth ODI (64 runs, 1 catch) earned him a man of the match award.
India lost the first of the four match Test series. Having conceded a 260 runs lead in the first innings of the Second Test at
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
, the Indian team was in a spot of bother. However, Dravid led the fightback in the second innings with a hundred runs scored as the Indian team managed to earn a draw.
Ganguly won the toss in the Third Test and decided to bat first on an overcast morning at
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...
, on a pitch known to be traditionally conducive for fast and swing bowling.
Having lost an early wicket, Dravid ''weathered the storm'' in the company of
Sanjay Bangar.
They played cautiously, taking body blows on a pitch with uneven bounce. Dravid completed his second hundred of the series in the process.
The Indian team declared the innings on 628/8 and then bowled England out twice to register their first test victory in England since 1986.
Despite being outscored by Tendulkar, Dravid was named man of the match for his efforts.
Dravid scored a double hundred in the drawn Fourth Test and earned his second consecutive man of the match award of the series.
Christopher Martin-Jenkins
Christopher Dennis Alexander Martin-Jenkins, Order of the British Empire, MBE (20 January 1945 – 1 January 2013), also known as CMJ, was a British cricket journalist and a President of Marylebone Cricket Club, MCC. He was also the longest serv ...
noted during the Fourth Test:
Dravid aggregated 602 runs in the series from four matches at an average of 100.33, including three hundreds and a fifty, and was adjudged joint man of the series along with
Michael Vaughan
Michael Paul Vaughan (born 29 October 1974) is an English cricket commentator and former cricketer who played all forms of the game. He served as England cricket captain, England captain for the England test team, test team from 2003 to 2008 ...
.
India jointly shared the
2002 ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka. Dravid contributed to India's successful campaign with 120 runs at an average of 60.00 and five dismissals behind the wicket.
Dravid scored a hundred in the First Test of the
three match home series against the West Indies, becoming the first Indian batsman to score hundreds in four consecutive Test innings, but had to retire soon after owing to severe cramps. Dravid performed well in the subsequent bilateral 7-match ODI series aggregating 300 runs at an average of 75.00 and a strike rate of 89.82, including a hundred and two fifties.
He also effected 7 dismissals (6 catches, 1 stumping) in the series.
India was trailing 1–2 and needed 325 runs to win the Fourth ODI and level the series. Dravid scored a hundred, leading India to a successful chase. He once again scored a crucial fifty in the Sixth ODI as India once again leveled the series after trailing 2–3. India, however, lost the last match to lose the series 3–4.
Dravid top scored for India in the
two-match Test series in New Zealand as India's team slumped to a whitewash.
He played as designated keeper in six of the 7-match bilateral ODI series and effected seven dismissals but fared poorly with the bat as India was handed a 2-5 drubbing by New Zealand.
2003 Cricket World Cup
Dravid arrived in South Africa with the Indian squad to participate in the
2003 Cricket World Cup in the capacity of first-choice keeper-batsman as part of their ''seven batsmen-four bowlers'' strategy – an experiment that had brought success to the team during the prior year. The idea was that making Dravid keep wickets allowed India to accommodate an extra specialist batsman. The strategy worked well for India in the World Cup. India recovered from a less than convincing victory against the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and a loss to Australia in the league stage, winning eight consecutive matches to qualify for the World Cup Finals for the first time since 1983. India eventually lost the Final to Australia, finishing as runner-up in the tournament.
Dravid contributed to India's campaign with 318 runs at an average of 63.60 and 16 dismissals (15 catches, 1 stumping).
Highlights for Dravid in the tournament included a fifty against England, 44 not out against Pakistan in a successful chase, and an undefeated fifty in another successful chase against New Zealand.
Dravid topped the international runs chart for the 2003-04 cricket season across formats, aggregating 1,993 runs from 31 matches at an average of 64.29, including three double hundreds.
The first match involved India and New Zealand, in the first of the
two-test home series at Ahmedabad. Dravid scored 222 runs in the first innings and 73 runs in the second innings, receiving a man of the match award for his efforts. Dravid captained the Indian Test Team for the first time in the second game of the series at Mohali in the absence of Ganguly. Both matches ended in draws.
Dravid top scored in the series with 313 runs at an average of 78.25. India next participated in the
TVS cup alongside New Zealand and Australia. India lost to Australia in the Final. Dravid scored two fifties in the series but the highlight was his fifty against New Zealand in the ninth match that came in just 22 balls – the second fastest fifty by an Indian.
An Eden encore
After earning a draw in the first of the
four-match Test series in Australia, the Indian team found itself reeling at 85/4 in the Second Test at
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, after Australia had piled 556 runs in the first innings when Laxman joined Dravid in the middle.
They batted for 93.5 overs, bringing about their second 300-run partnership, adding 303 runs together before Laxman perished for 148 runs. However, Dravid continued to complete his second double hundred of the season.
He was the last man out for 233 runs as India conceded a marginal first innings lead of 33 runs to Australia. India bowled Australia out for a score of only 196, with the help of Agarkar's six-wicket haul, and were set a target of 230 runs to win the match. Dravid scored a fifty as India registered their first test victory in Australia since the 1980–81 season, reaching 1–0 in the series. This was the first time that Australians were 0–1 down in a home series since 1994. Dravid won the man of the match award for his efforts.
He registered a score of ninety each in the next two tests, as Australia leveled the series to 1–1.
Dravid top scored for India in the series with 619 runs at an average of 123.80 and was awarded player of the series for his efforts.
Dravid performed moderately well in the ensuing
VB series with three fifties in the league stage, all of which came in winning cause. However, India lost the best-of-three finals to Australia 2–0.
Dravid was fined half his match fee for applying cough lozenge on the ball during a match in the series against Zimbabwe – an act that was claimed was an innocent mistake.
India visited
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
in March 2004 to participate in a
bilateral Test series for the first time since the 1989–90 season. Prior to the Test series, India played and won the 5-match ODI series 3–2.
Dravid top scored for India in the series with 248 runs at an average of 62.00 and a strike rate of 73.59, and effected four dismissals (3 catches, 1 stumping).
His contributions included 99 runs in the First ODI and a fifty during a successful chase in the Fourth ODI.
Dravid captained India in the first two of the ensuing three-match test series in the absence of Ganguly, who was injured, and led India to their first-ever Test victory in Pakistan. In only his second test as the team's captain, Dravid took a controversial decision during the First Test at
Multan
Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...
, declaring Indian innings at the fall of the fifth wicket, with the scoreboard reading 675/5 and Tendulkar unbeaten at 194, just six runs shy of a double hundred. He wanted to play against the exhausted Pakistani batsmen, who had been on the field for 150+ overs, in the final hour of the second day's play. While some praised the "team-before-personal-milestones" approach of the Indian captain, others criticized Dravid's timing of declaration as there were no pressing concerns and there was ample time left in the match to try to bowl Pakistan out twice. While Tendulkar was admittedly disappointed, both he and Dravid and the team's management denied any rumours of a rift between them, and claimed that the matter had been discussed and sorted amicably behind closed doors. India eventually went on to win the match by an innings margin. Pakistan leveled the series, defeating India in the Second Test. Dravid scored a double hundred in the Third Test at
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...
– his third double hundred of the season. He scored 270 runs – his career best performance – before playing a reverse sweep, trying to force the pace. India went on to win the match and the series – their first series victory outside India since 1993 and first victory ever in Pakistan. Dravid was adjudged man of the match for his effort. He topped the international averages for 2003-04 Test season with 1,241 runs from nine tests at an average of 95.46.
India reached the Finals of the 2004 Asia Cup, where they lost to Sri Lanka. Dravid scored a hundred against the U.A.E., which earned him a man of the match award, and a fifty against Sri Lanka in the tournament along with five dismissals behind the wicket. He did not make any significant contribution with the bat in the ensuing Videocon Cup, but scored a fifty in the 3-match bilateral ODI series in England and top scored for India in the failed campaign at the 2004 ICC Champion's Trophy.
Dravid did not perform well in the ensuing Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home, scoring only one fifty in four matches as India went on to lose the series, but contributed two fifties to India's 1–0 victory in the 2-match home test series against South Africa. Sandwiched between the two test series, India played a solitary ODI against Pakistan at home to mark the 75th anniversary of the
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the principal national governing body of the sport of cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at the Cricket Centre in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. BCCI is the wealthiest governing body ...
. The match turned out to be Dravid's last ODI as the designated wicket keeper. In all, Dravid effected 84 dismissals (71 catches, 13 stumpings) in 73 matches as India's designated keeper, which is the fourth highest score behind Dhoni, Mongia and More. Dravid had a good outing in Bangladesh, where he scored a hundred in the Test series and two fifties in the ODI series, with India winning both series.
In 2005, Dravid represented Asia XI against the ICC World XI at the
World Cricket Tsunami Appeal. He top scored for Asia XI with a fifty but could not take his team to victory against the ICC World XI. Pakistan visited India in March 2005 for bilateral a Test and ODI series. Dravid scored two hundreds and a fifty in the 3-match Test series as both teams drew the series 1-1. He scored both hundreds during the Second Test (110 in First innings and 135 in Second innings), making him only the second Indian and ninth person to have scored two hundreds in the same test on two or more occasions. Dravid earned this match's man of the match award for his performance. Dravid topped the runs chart in the 6-match ODI series with 308 runs at an average of 51.33 and a strike rate of 80.00, including a hundred and two fifties. He also captained the team in the final two ODIs in the absence of Ganguly but could not prevent his team from losing 2–4 against Pakistan.
Captaincy
Dravid was appointed as captain of the Indian team for the
2007 World Cup, during which India was defeated.

During India's unsuccessful tour of England in 2011, in which their 4–0 loss cost them the top rank in Test cricket, Dravid scored three centuries.
2011 Tour of England
Having regained his form on the tour to the West Indies, where he scored a match-winning hundred in Sabina park, Jamaica, Dravid then toured England in what was billed as the series that would decide the World No. 1 ranking in tests.
In the first test at Lord's, in reply to England's 474, Dravid scored an undefeated 103, his first hundred at the ground where he debuted in 1996. He received scant support from his teammates as India's team was bowled out for 286 and lost the test. The second test at Trentbridge in Nottingham again saw Dravid in successful form. Sent out to open the batting in place of an injured Gautam Gambhir, he scored his second successive hundred. His score of 117 again did not secure the team's victory, as a collapse of 6 wickets for 21 runs in the first innings led to a defeat by 319 runs. Dravid failed in both innings in the third test at Birmingham, as India lost by an innings and 242 runs, one of the heaviest defeats in their history. However, during the fourth and final match at The Oval, he opened the batting in place of Gambhir, and scored an undefeated 146 out of India's total of 300, carrying his bat through the innings. Once again, though, his efforts were in vain as India lost the match in a 0–4 whitewash.
In total, he scored 461 runs in the four matches at an average of 76.83 with three hundreds. He accounted for over 26% of India's runs in the series and was named India's man of the series by English coach Andy Flower. Dravid's performance in the series was met with admiration.
Retirement
Rahul Dravid was dropped from the ODI team in 2009, but was selected again for an ODI series in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in 2011, surprising even Dravid himself since, although he had not officially retired from ODI cricket, he had not expected to be recalled.
After being selected, he announced that he would retire from ODI cricket after the series.
[ He played his last ODI innings against England at ]Sophia Gardens
Sophia Gardens ( ; ) is a public park in Riverside, Cardiff, Wales, on the west bank of the River Taff. International test cricket
Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestig ...
, Cardiff, on 16 September 2011, scoring 69 runs from 79 balls before being bowled
In cricket, the term bowled has several meanings. First, it is the act of propelling the ball towards the wicket defended by a batter.
Second, it is a method of dismissing a batter, by hitting the wicket with a ball delivered by the bowler. ...
by Graeme Swann. His last limited-overs international match was his debut T20I match; he announced his retirement before playing his first T20I match.
Dravid announced his retirement from Test and domestic cricket on 9 March 2012, after the 2011–12 tour of Australia, but he said that he would captain the Rajasthan Royals in the 2012 Indian Premier League
The 2012 Indian Premier League season, abbreviated as IPL 5 or the IPL 2012 or the DLF IPL 2012 (owing to title sponsorship reasons), was the fifth season of the Indian Premier League, initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC ...
. He was the second-highest run scorer and had taken the highest number of catches in Test cricket at the time of his retirement.
In July 2014, he played for the MCC side in the Bicentenary Celebration match at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, Westminster. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex C ...
.
Coaching
Towards the end of his playing career, Dravid took on a role as mentor to the Rajasthan Royals' IPL team in 2014. During this time, he also became involved with the Indian national team, serving as mentor during the team's tour of England in 2014. After leading the Royals to a third-place finish in the 2015 IPL season, he was appointed as the head coach of the India U-19 and India A teams. Dravid achieved success as coach, with the U-19s reaching the finals of the 2016 U-19 Cricket World Cup. Two years later, the team went on to win the 2018 U-19 Cricket World Cup, defeating Australia by 8 wickets to win their fourth Under-19 World Cup, the most by any national side. Dravid was credited with training future national team players including Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan and Washington Sundar. Alongside his coaching roles, Dravid took on several mentor roles, including at the Delhi Daredevils IPL team.
In July 2019, following his four-year stint as coach of the junior teams, Dravid was appointed Head of Cricket at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He was in charge of "overseeing all cricket related activities at NCA was involved in mentoring, coaching, training and motivating players, coaches and support staff at the NCA". As head of NCA, he was praised for maintaining the senior team and revamping player fitness and rehabilitation regiments.
In November 2021, he was appointed as head coach of the Indian national cricket team.
County stint
Dravid had always been keen on further honing his batting skills in testing English conditions by playing in county cricket. He had discussed the prospects regarding the same with former New Zealand cricketer and incumbent Kent coach John Wright during India's 1998–99 tour of New Zealand. Wright was particularly impressed with Dravid's performance on that tour, especially with his twin hundreds at Hamilton. The talks finally materialized and Dravid made his county debut for Kent in April 2000. His co-debutante Ganguly made his county debuted in the same match, albeit for the opposite team.
Kent's offer had come as a welcome change for Dravid. There was too much negativity surrounding Indian cricket marred by the match fixing controversy. Dravid himself had been struggling to score runs in Tests for a while. The county stint gave him a chance to "get away to a new environment" and "relax". The wide variety of pitches and weather conditions in England and a full season of intense county cricket against professional cricketers gave him a chance to further his cricketing training.
In his 2nd game for Kent, Dravid scored a 182 runs, propelling them to an innings and a 163-runs victory over the touring Zimbabwe team. Out of 7 first class tour games that Zimbabwe played on that tour, Kent was the only team that defeated them. Dravid hit another fifty runs in a draw against Surrey. The newly appointed vice-captain had to leave the county championship temporarily, missing two championship games and two one-day games, to fulfill his national commitment. The Indian team, Dravid included, fared poorly in the Asia Cup and failed to qualify for the Final. Subsequently, Dravid returned to England to resume his county sojourn with Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
.
In July 2000, Kent's away match against Hampshire at Portsmouth was billed as a showdown between two great cricketers – Warne and Dravid. Dravid came out on top. On a dustbowl, tailor-made to suit home team spinners, Warne took 4 wickets but could not take Dravid's. Coming in to bat at 15/2, Dravid faced 295 balls, scoring 137 runs – his maiden hundred in county championships. Dravid scored 73 not out in the second innings, leading Kent to a six wicket victory as Warne went wicketless.
In their last county game of the season, Kent needed one bonus point to prevent themselves from being relegated to the Second Division. Dravid made sure they stayed put in the First Division by winning the necessary bonus point with an inning of 77 runs.
Dravid concluded a successful stint with Kent, aggregating 1,221 runs from 16 first-class matches (15 county games and 1 tour game against Zimbabwe) at an average of 55.50, including 2 hundreds and 8 fifties. He shouldered Kent's batting single-handedly as the second best Kent batsman. Dravid contributed to Kent's county campaign not only with the bat but also with his fielding and bowling, taking 14 catches and 4 wickets at an average of 32.00.
Indian Premier League and Champions League
Rahul Dravid played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2008, 2009 and 2010. Later he played for the Rajasthan Royals and led them to the finals of Champions League T20 in 2013, and play-offs of the Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Founded in 2007, it features ten city-based Professional sports league organization, fr ...
in 2013. Dravid announced retirement from Twenty20 after playing the 2013 Champions League Twenty20 in September–October 2013.
Playing style
Dravid is known for his technique, and has been one of the most successful batsmen of the Indian cricket team. Early in his career, he was known as a defensive batsman who was best at playing Test cricket, and was dropped from the ODI squad due to a low strike rate. However, he later improved his ability to score well in ODIs, earning him the ICC Player of the Year award. His nickname of 'The Wall' in Reebok
Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...
advertisements is now used as his nickname. Dravid has scored 36 centuries in Test cricket
Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...
, with an average of 52.31; this includes five double centuries. In one-dayers, he averaged 39.16, with a strike rate of 71.23. He is one of the few Indians whose Test average is better while playing away than at home, averaging almost five runs more on foreign pitches.[Rahul Dravid- Analysis of Performances at Home and Away](_blank)
. Retrieved 23 November 2010. As of 23 September 2010, Dravid's Test average abroad is 55.53, while his Test average at home is 50.76; his ODI average abroad is 37.93 and his ODI average at home is 43.11. Dravid averages 66.34 runs in Indian Test victories. and 50.69 runs in ODIs.
Dravid's sole Test wicket was of Ridley Jacobs in the fourth Test match against the West Indies during the 2001–2002 series. Dravid often kept wickets for India in ODIs.
Dravid was involved in two of the largest partnerships in ODIs: a 318-run partnership with Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), also known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali language, Bengali), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer. He is popularly called the ...
, the first pair to combine for a 300-run partnership, and a 331-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who List of India national cricket captains#Men's cricket, captained the Indian national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketer ...
, which is a world record. He also holds the record for the greatest number of innings played since debut before being dismissed for a duck. His highest scores in ODIs and Tests are 153 and 270, respectively.
He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2000. Though primarily a defensive batsman, Dravid scored 50 runs not out in 22 balls (a strike rate of 227.27) against New Zealand in Hyderabad on 15 November 2003, the second fastest 50 among Indian batsmen.
In 2004, Dravid was awarded the Padma Shri
The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
by the Government of India
The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...
. On 7 September 2004, he was awarded the inaugural Player of the year award
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is held on b ...
and the Test player of the year award by the International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global Sports governing body, governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England, and South Africa. In 1965, the body wa ...
(ICC).
After reaching the 10,000 Test runs milestone, he said, "It's a proud moment for sure. For me, growing up, I dreamt of playing for India. When I look back, I probably exceeded my expectations with what I have done over the last 10 to 12 years. I never had an ambition to do it because I never believed – it is just a reflection of my longevity in the game."
Dravid is also one of only two batsmen to score 10,000 runs at a single batting position and is the fourth highest run scorer in Test cricket, behind Tendulkar, Ponting and Kallis.
Controversy
Rahul Dravid has had a mixed record when leading India in Tests.
One of Dravid's most debated decisions was taken in March 2004, when he was standing in as the captain for injured Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Chandidas Ganguly (; natively spelled as Gangopadhyay; born 8 July 1972), also known as Dada (meaning ''"elder brother"'' in Bengali language, Bengali), is an Indian cricket commentator and former cricketer. He is popularly called the ...
. India's first innings was declared at a point when Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who List of India national cricket captains#Men's cricket, captained the Indian national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketer ...
was at 194 runs not out with 16 overs remaining on Day 2. In this test match Sehwag scored a triple century for the first time in his career. He became the first Indian to score a triple century in test cricket with a score of 309.
In March 2006, India lost the Mumbai Test, giving England its first Test victory in India since 1985, enabling it to draw the series 1–1. Some argued that the defeat in Mumbai the result of Dravid's decision to bowl first on a flat dry pitch, which later deteriorated and ended with an Indian collapse in the run chase. Coincidentally, it was Dravid's 100th test match in which the Indians were all out for 100 runs in the second innings.
After India failed to qualify for the final of the DLF Cup, Dravid, the skipper, was criticised by former all-rounder Ravi Shastri who said that he was not assertive enough and allowed Greg Chappell make too many decisions. When asked for a response, Dravid said that Shastri, while a 'fair critic', was 'not privy' to the internal decision-making process of the team.
He was criticised by Vijay Mallya for not correctly balancing his team after his then-IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore finished seventh out of the eight teams that participated in the 2008 season.
Achievements and awards
National honours
* 1998 – Arjuna Award
The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards given for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjun ...
recipient for achievements in cricket
* 2004 – Padma Shri
The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...
– India's fourth highest civilian award
*2013 – Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...
– India's third highest civilian award
Other honours
* 1999 – CEAT International Cricketer of the World Cup
* 2000 – Dravid was one of the five cricketers selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year
The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based "primarily for their influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
.
* 2004 – ICC Cricketer of the year – Highest award in the ICC listings
* 2004 – ICC Test Player of The Year, ICC Cricketer of The Year[
*2004 – MTV Youth Icon of the Year
* 2006 – Captain of the ICC's Test Team
* 2011 – NDTV Indian of the Year's Lifetime Achievement Award with ]Dev Anand
Dev Anand (; born Dharamdev Pishorimal Anand; 26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011) was an Indian actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Indian cinema, Hindi cinema. He is considered as one of the greatest and most succes ...
*2012 – Don Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. His cricketing successes have been claimed by Shane ...
Award with Glenn McGrath
*2015 – ''Wisden'' India's Highest Impact Test Batsman
*2018 – ICC Hall of Fame
Personal life
Family
On 4 May 2003, Dravid married Vijeta Pendharkar, a surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...
from Nagpur
Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...
. They have two children: Samit, born in 2005, and Anvay, born in 2009.
Social commitments
* Children's Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA)
* UNICEF Supporter and AIDS Awareness Campaign
Biographies
Books
Four biographies have been written on Rahul Dravid and his career:
* ''Rahul Dravid – A Biography'' written by Vedam Jaishankar (). Publisher: UBSPD Publications. Date: January 2004
* ''The Nice Guy Who Finished First'' written by Devendra Prabhudesai. Publisher: Rupa Publications
Rupa Publications is an Indian publishing company based in New Delhi, with sales centres in Kolkata, Allahabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Kathmandu.
Genesis
Rupa Publications was founded in 1936 by D. Mehra and R. K. M ...
. Date: November 2005
* A collection of articles, testimonials and interviews related to Dravid was released by ESPNcricinfo following his retirement. The book was titled '' Rahul Dravid: Timeless Steel''.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dravid, Rahul
Indian cricketers
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