Rahul dravid biography pdf free
Rahul Dravid
Indian coach and former cricketer
Rahul Sharad Dravid (; born 11 January ) is a former cricket player, ex-captain and ex-coach of the Indian national cricket team.[3] Known for his outstanding batting technique,[4] Dravid scored 24, runs in international cricket and is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.[5][6][7] He is colloquially known as Mr.
Dependable and often referred to as The Wall.[8] He won the ICC Champions Trophy as a member of the Indian team and guided the Indian team to victory in the 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 and India A teams.
Under his tutelage, the Under team finished as runners-up at the U Cricket World Cup and won the U Cricket World Cup. Under his coaching, Indian cricket team finished as runners-up at the Cricket World Cup and ICC World Test Championship final and were semifinalist at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Born in a Marathi family and raised in Bangalore, he started playing cricket at the age of 12 and later represented Karnataka at the under, under and under levels.
Dravid was named one of the best five cricketers of the year by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in and received the Player of the Year and the Test Player of the Year awards at the inaugural ICC awards ceremony in [9][10] In December , he became the first non-Australian cricketer to deliver the Bradman Oration in Canberra.[11]
As of January , Dravid is the fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, after Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Jacques Kallis.[12] In , upon scoring a century against Bangladesh in Chittagong, he became the first player to score a century in all the ten Test-playing countries (now 12).[13] As of October , he holds the record for the most catches taken by a player (non-wicket-keeper) in Test cricket, at [14] Dravid holds a unique record of never getting out for a golden duck in the Test innings that he has played during his career.
Life, Career, Captaincy, Records, Coaching ...: Personal Life. In , Dravid made a surprising yet memorable entry into T20Is, becoming the oldest player in India to debut for T Comments No responses found. These compelling stories will make you realize that one needs to be self-motivated in order to be inspired.
He has faced 31, balls, which is the largest number of balls faced by any player in test cricket. He has also spent 44, minutes at the crease, which is the highest time spent on the crease by any player in test cricket.[15] Dravid and Tendulkar hold the highest scoring partnership in Test cricket history, having scored 6, runs combined while batting together for India.[16]
In August , after receiving a surprise recall during the ODI series against England, Dravid declared his retirement from ODIs as well as Twenty20 International (T20I), and in March , he announced his retirement from international and first-class cricket.
He appeared at the Indian Premier League as captain of the Rajasthan Royals.[17]
Rahul Dravid, along with Glenn McGrath, were honoured during the seventh annual Bradman Awards function in Sydney on 1 November [18] Dravid has also been awarded the Padma Shri () and the Padma Bhushan (), India's fourth and third highest civilian awards respectively.[19][20]
In , 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.[21]IndianbadmintonistPrannoy Kumar, para-swimmer Sharath Gayakwad and golfer S. Chikkarangappa were part of the initial group of athletes that were mentored by Rahul Dravid.
In July , Dravid became the fifth Indian cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.[22]
Early life and education
Dravid was born to a Marathi-Speaking Brahmin family[23] in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.[24] His family later moved to Bangalore, Karnataka, where he was raised.[25] His mother tongue is Marathi.[26] 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 at the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering in Bangalore.[27] Dravid has a younger brother named Vijay.[28]
Rahul Dravid attended St. Joseph's Boys High School and earned a degree in commerce from St Joseph's College of Commerce.[28] He was selected to India's national cricket team while working towards an MBA at the St Joseph's College of Business Administration.[29] He is fluent in Marathi, Kannada, English and Hindi.[23]
Formative years and domestic career
Dravid started playing cricket at the age of 12 and represented Karnataka at the under, the under, and the under levels.[30] Former cricketer Keki Tarapore first noticed Dravid's talent while coaching at a summer camp in the Chinnaswamy Stadium.[31] Dravid scored a century for his school team.[citation needed] He also played as wicket-keeper.[28]
Dravid made his Ranji Trophy debut in February , while still attending college.[32] Playing alongside future India teammates Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath against Maharashtra in Pune, he scored 82 runs in the match, which ended in a draw.[33] He followed it up with a century against Bengal and three successive centuries after.[34] Dravid's first full season took place in –92, when he scored two centuries and finished up with runs at an average of ,[35] resulting in his selection to the South Zone cricket team in the Duleep Trophy.[36] Dravid caught the national team selectors' attention with his positive performances for India A in the home series against England A in –[34]
International career
Debut
Dravid received his first call to the Indian national cricket team in October 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.[37] Despite a stellar show in domestic cricket, Dravid was not selected for the Indian team for the World Cup, prompting an Indian daily newspaper to run an article with the headline – "Rahul Dravid gets a raw deal".[38]
He eventually made his international debut on 3 April in an ODI against Sri Lanka in the Singer Cup held in Singapore immediately after the World Cup, replacing Vinod Kambli.[39][40] He wasn't particularly successful with the bat, scoring only three runs before being dismissed by Muttiah Muralitharan, but took two catches in the match.[41] He followed it up with another failure in the next game, scoring only four runs before being run out against Pakistan.[41]
In contrast to his ODI debut, his Test debut was rather successful.
He was selected for the Indian squad touring England on the backdrop of a consistent performance in domestic cricket for five years.[37][42] Fine performances in the tour games including fifties against Gloucestershire and Leicestershire failed to earn him a place in the team for the First Test.[43] He finally made his Test debut at Lord's on 20 June against England in the Second Test of the series at the expense of injured senior batsman Sanjay Manjrekar.[39][44] 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.
Rahul dravid biography pdf free Joseph's College of Commerce 8. Unknown facts about Rahul Dravid Dravid is the only batter in test cricket history to have faced the greatest number of balls. Rahul Dravid was the only foreign cricketer who gave prolific speech on the occasion of Sir Bradman's memorial ceremony. Dhoni, Is A Document 2 pages.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:[44]
I told him he will be playing. His face lit up. I cannot forget that moment.
Coming in to bat at no.
7, he forged important partnerships, first with another debutante Sourav Ganguly and then with Indian lower order, securing a vital first innings lead for his team.[45][46] Dravid scored 95 runs missing out on a debut hundred as he walked off after getting caught behind to a Chris Lewis delivery.[47] During this match, he also took his first catch in Test cricket to dismiss Nasser Hussain off the bowling of Srinath.[48][49] In the next tour game against British Universities, Dravid scored a hundred.
He scored another fifty in the first innings of the Third Test.[41] Dravid concluded a successful debut series with an average of from two Test matches.[50]
I had played five years of first-class cricket to break into the Indian team scored a lot of runs in domestic cricket was lucky to get the opportunity knew that probably it would be the only one.
Otherwise I would have to go back to domestic cricket and start the cycle all over again I remember when I was 50 not out at the end of the day walking back to the hotel with Srinath and I knew somehow that this was probably a very significant innings. I knew I had some more breathing space a few more Test matches at least gave me a lot of confidence scoring 95 here and 80 at Trent Bridge as a player and as a person.
Rahul Dravid, reflecting back on his Test debut 15 years later, during India tour of England, [51]
–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.[52]
After his Test debut in England, Dravid played in the one-off Test against Australia in Delhi – 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 in Ahmedabad in November [45] He failed to perform well in the series, scoring only runs at an average of [50]
Two weeks later, India toured South Africa for a three–match Test series.
Chasing a target of runs in the First Test, the Indian team got bowled out for 66 runs on the Durban pitch that provided excessive bounce and seam movement.[53] Dravid, batting at no. 6, was the only Indian batsman who reached double figures in the innings, scoring 27 not out.[54] 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 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.[45][55] Dravid's performance in this Test earned him his first Man of the Match award in Test cricket.[56] He top scored for India in the series with runs at an average of [57]
Dravid continued in the same vein in the West Indies, where he once again top scored for India in the five–match Test series, aggregating runs at an average of , including four fifties.[58] 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.[59] With this series, Dravid concluded the Test season, topping the international runs chart with runs from 12 matches at an average of , with six fifties and a hundred.[60]
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.[45][61] By the end of Test season, he had scored 15 fifties in 22 Tests including four scores of nineties but just one hundred.[62]
During the Test season, Dravid scored runs in seven Tests at an average of , that included four hundreds and one fifty.
In the process, he topped the runs chart for India for the season.[63] He scored the first of the four hundreds during the Zimbabwe tour.[45] Dravid top scored in both innings against Zimbabwe, scoring and 44 runs respectively; however, India lost the one-off Test.[64]
The Zimbabwe tour was followed by a tour to New Zealand.
The First Test having been abandoned without a ball being bowled,[65] the series started for Dravid with the first duck 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. He scored and not out in the first and the second innings respectively, becoming only the third Indian batsman, after Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar, to score a century in both innings of a Test match.[41][66] Dravid topped the runs table for the series with runs at an average of , although India lost the series 0–1.[65][67]
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 wicket haul. Dravid played his part in the wicket haul by taking a catch to dismiss Mushtaq Ahmed, who was Kumble's eighth victim in the innings.[68][69] The India-Pakistan Test series was followed by the –99 Asian Test Championship.
India went on to lose the riot-affected First Test of the championship against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens.[41][70] India went to Sri Lanka to play the Second Test of the championship. Dravid scored his fourth hundred of the season at Colombo 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.[71] The match ended in a draw as India failed to qualify for the Finals of the championship.[72]
In a stark contrast to his Test career, Dravid struggled to make a mark in the ODIs.[52] Between his ODI debut in April and the end of , Dravid regularly found himself in and out of the ODI team.[73]
Dravid's first success in his ODI career took place in the 'Friendship' Cup against Pakistan in the tough conditions of Toronto.[74] He emerged as the highest scorer of the series with runs in five matches at an average of and a strike rate of [75] He won his first ODI Man of the Match award for the 46 runs scored in the low scoring third game of the series.[56] He top scored for India in the Standard Bank International One-Day Series /97 in South Africa with runs from eight games at an average of and a strike rate of ,[76] 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.[77] He was the second highest run scorer for India in the four-match bilateral ODI series in the West Indies in the –97 season with runs at an average of and a strike rate of [78] Dravid scored his first ODI hundred in the Pepsi Independence Cup against Pakistan in Chennai that came in a losing cause.[79][80] Dravid top scored for India in the quadrangular event with runs from three games at an average of and a strike rate of However, India failed to qualify for the Final of the series.[81][82]
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 Pepsi Sharjah Cup; 20 runs from two innings in the Singer World Series; 65 runs from four innings in the 'Friendship' Cup; 88 runs from four games in the Coca-Cola Triangular Series including a ball five runs and a ball one run innings, both against Bangladesh; 32 runs from four games in the 'Friendship' Cup;[45][50] a slew of such poor performances often forced him to the sidelines of the India ODI squad.[73] By the end of , Dravid had scored 1, runs in 65 ODIs at an average of only with a low strike rate of [83]
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.[38][52][74]
Dravid's ODI success began during the New Zealand tour.[38] 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.[45][56] His team lost the match.[41] 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.[45][56] He became the top scorer of the series with runs from five games at an average of and a strike rate of [84] Dravid scored a hundred against Sri Lanka in the /99 Pepsi Cup at Nagpur, scoring of deliveries.[85] In the next match against Pakistan, he bowled four overs and took the wicket of Saeed Anwar.[86] This was his first wicket in international cricket.[41]
Dravid scored two fifties in the –99 Coca-Cola Cup in Sharjah, one each against England and Pakistan.[45] 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.[48][87] He top scored for India in the tournament,[88] though his last ODI innings was a golden duck against Pakistan.[45]
World Cup debut
Main article: Cricket World Cup
Dravid hit consecutive fifties in England against Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire in the warm-up games.[41]
He made his World Cup debut against South Africa at Hove, scoring a half century.
He scored only 13 runs in the next game against Zimbabwe.[89] India lost both the games.[90] 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.[91] Dravid set up a partnership with Sachin Tendulkar, during which they scored runs against Kenya at Bristol – a World Cup record – and in the process hit his maiden World Cup hundred, leading India to a run victory.[92] 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.[93] In the absence of Mongia, Dravid played his first ODI as a designated keeper against Sri Lanka at Taunton.[94] Dravid once again set up a record breaking partnership that resulted in runs, the first ever three hundred run partnership in ODI history, with Sourav Ganguly leading India to a run win.[95] Dravid scored runs from balls with 17 fours and a six, becoming the second batsman in World Cup history to hit back-to-back hundreds.[96] Dravid scored a fifty in the last group match as India defeated England to advance to the Super Six stage.[97] Dravid scored 2, 61, and 29 in the three Super Six matches against Australia, Pakistan & New Zealand respectively.[89] 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 in Kashmir.[90][98][99] Dravid emerged as the top scorer of the tournament with runs from 8 games at an average of and a strike rate of []
Dravid's post-World Cup campaign started poorly with only 40 runs scored in 4 games during the Aiwa Cup in August [41] 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 cricket season across all formats, scoring 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.[94]
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, where he scored 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.[45] Dravid was successful in the 3–2 series win against New Zealand during the bilateral ODI series, scoring runs in 5 games at an average of 60 and a strike rate of , ending as the second highest scorer in the series.[41][] His career best effort in ODIs came in this series in the second game at Hyderabad where he scored run-a-ball runs, which included fifteen fours and two sixes.[45] He set up a 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 [] In , Dravid scored 1, runs in 43 ODIs at an average of and a strike rate of , including 6 hundreds and 8 fifties.
He also featured in two +-run partnerships.[][]
India toured Australia in December for a 3-match test series and a triangular ODI tournament. Although Dravid scored a hundred against Tasmania in the practice match, he underperformed with the bat in the Test series as India lost 0–3.
He did reasonably well in the – Carlton & United Series, scoring 3 fifties in the triangular event. However, India failed to qualify for the Final of the tournament.[41][]
Dravid's poor form in Tests continued as India suffered a 0–2 whitewash against South Africa in a home series.[41] He had moderate success in the bilateral ODI series against South Africa.
He contributed to India's 3–2 series win with runs at an average of , which included 2 fifties and three wickets at an average of , topping the bowling average chart for the series.[41][] His career best bowling figure of 2/43 from nine overs in the First ODI at Kochi was also the best bowling figure of any bowler in that particular match.[41][]
Rise through the ranks
In February , 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 , 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 ICC KnockOut Trophy.
The Indian team, which had been involved in a match fixing scandal, defeated Kenya, Australia, and South Africa in consecutive matches to reach the Finals. India lost to New Zealand in the Finals.[] Dravid scored runs in 4 matches of the tournament, at an average of , including 2 fifties.[] He also scored 85 runs in a match against Zimbabwe in the –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 not out in the first inning and 70 not out in the second, leading India to a 9-wicket victory against Zimbabwe.[][] He scored in the drawn Second test to end the series with an average of , the highest batting average by an Indian in a series across all formats.[41][]
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 run victory in his maiden ODI as captain.[]
History at Eden
The Australian team toured India in February [] 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 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 runs in the first innings and enforced a follow-on after securing a lead of 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 /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 runs partnership to an end.
Ganguly declared the innings at /7, setting Australia a target of runs with 75 overs left in the match.[][] India bowled to dismiss Australia for runs in overs. India won the match by 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 in Chennai 2–1.
Rahul Dravid India went on to win the match and the series — their first series victory outside India since Rahul Dravid was the only foreign cricketer who gave prolific speech on the occasion of Sir Bradman's memorial ceremony. Favorite Cartoon: Superman Mummy's Name: Pushpa SharadDravid 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.[41][] Dravid topped the averages for the Test season with runs in six matches at an average of []
Dravid had a decent outing in Zimbabwe, scoring runs from balls in the First Tour game and aggregating runs at an average of from the drawn Test series.[][] In the ensuing triangular ODI series, he aggregated runs from 5 matches at an average of and a strike rate of ,[] the highlight being an unbeaten 72 off 64 balls, while chasing a target of 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 runs from seven matches at an average of and a strike rate of [] 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 runs at an average of 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 , 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 runs (including 3 fifties) at an average of and a strike rate of [50] He also kept wickets in the final two ODIs of the series, effecting 3 stumpings.[94] 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 runs with Dasgupta that lasted for overs, taking India to the brink of safety.
Poor weather helped India salvage a draw as only 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.[41][]
– Peak years
Dravid hit the peak form of his career in [] Between the and the series, Dravid was the second-highest scorer overall and top scorer for India across formats, scoring 8, runs from matches at an average of , including 19 hundreds.[]
Dravid had a successful outing in the West Indies in 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 – India's first Test victory in the West Indies since –76[41][] – and another fifty in the drawn Fourth Test with a wicket to boot, that of Ridley Jacobs who was batting on [] This was Dravid's only wicket in Test cricket.[41] 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.[41][94]
A quartet of hundreds
India's tour of England in 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 runs at an average of , including three fifties.[50] 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 runs lead in the first innings of the Second Test at Nottingham, 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, 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 /8 and then bowled England out twice to register their first test victory in England since [][] 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 noted during the Fourth Test:[]
If a Martian were to land on Earth now and be told that the best batsman in the world was playing in this match, he would think it was Rahul Dravid and not Sachin Tendulkar.
Dravid aggregated runs in the series from four matches at an average of , including three hundreds and a fifty, and was adjudged joint man of the series along with Michael Vaughan.[50][]
India jointly shared the ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka.[] Dravid contributed to India's successful campaign with runs at an average of and five dismissals behind the wicket.[41] 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 runs at an average of and a strike rate of , including a hundred and two fifties.[50] He also effected 7 dismissals (6 catches, 1 stumping) in the series.[] India was trailing 1–2 and needed 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.[41][]
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 drubbing by New Zealand.[41][]
Cricket World Cup
Dravid arrived in South Africa with the Indian squad to participate in the 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 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 [][] India eventually lost the Final to Australia, finishing as runner-up in the tournament.[] Dravid contributed to India's campaign with runs at an average of and 16 dismissals (15 catches, 1 stumping).[50][] 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.[41][]
Dravid topped the international runs chart for the cricket season across formats, aggregating 1, runs from 31 matches at an average of , including three double hundreds.[45][] The first match involved India and New Zealand, in the first of the two-test home series at Ahmedabad.
Dravid scored runs in the first innings and 73 runs in the second innings, receiving a man of the match award for his efforts.
Rahul dravid biography pdf free download MS Dhoni Biography Document 6 pages. Presentation of M. Recent News. These compelling stories will make you realize that one needs to be self-motivated in order to be inspired.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.[56][] Dravid top scored in the series with runs at an average of [] 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.[41][]
An Eden encore
"Rahul batted like God".
Sourav Ganguly, after Indian victory in the Adelaide Test.[]
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, after Australia had piled runs in the first innings when Laxman joined Dravid in the middle.[] They batted for overs, bringing about their second run partnership, adding runs together before Laxman perished for runs.[] However, Dravid continued to complete his second double hundred of the season.[41] He was the last man out for runs as India conceded a marginal first innings lead of 33 runs to Australia.
Rahul dravid wedding In his captaincy India won against England and West Indies series. Saptarshi Sarkar. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. Rahul Dravid - Wikipedia Document 1 page.India bowled Australia out for a score of only , with the help of Agarkar's six-wicket haul, and were set a target of runs to win the match.[] Dravid scored a fifty as India registered their first test victory in Australia since the –81 season, reaching 1–0 in the series.[] This was the first time that Australians were 0–1 down in a home series since [] Dravid won the man of the match award for his efforts.[56] He registered a score of ninety each in the next two tests, as Australia leveled the series to 1–1.[41] Dravid top scored for India in the series with runs at an average of 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.[41] 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 in March to participate in a bilateral Test series for the first time since the –90 season.[] Prior to the Test series, India played and won the 5-match ODI series 3–2.[41] Dravid top scored for India in the series with runs at an average of and a strike rate of , 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.[41]
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, declaring Indian innings at the fall of the fifth wicket, with the scoreboard reading /5 and Tendulkar unbeaten at , just six runs shy of a double hundred. He wanted to play against the exhausted Pakistani batsmen, who had been on the field for + 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 – his third double hundred of the season. He scored runs – his career best performance – before playing a reverse sweep, trying to force the pace.[citation needed] India went on to win the match and the series – their first series victory outside India since and first victory ever in Pakistan.
Dravid was adjudged man of the match for his effort. He topped the international averages for Test season with 1, runs from nine tests at an average of
India reached the Finals of the 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 ICC Champion's Trophy.[citation needed]
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 match turned out to be Dravid's last ODI as the designated wicket keeper.[citation needed] 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 , 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 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 He scored both hundreds during the Second Test ( in First innings and 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 runs at an average of and a strike rate of , including a hundred and two fifties. He also captained the team in the final two ODIs in the absence of Ganguly[citation needed] but could not prevent his team from losing 2–4 against Pakistan.
Captaincy
Dravid was appointed as captain of the Indian team for the World Cup, during which India was defeated.
During India's unsuccessful tour of England in , in which their 4–0 loss cost them the top rank in Test cricket, Dravid scored three centuries.
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 , Dravid scored an undefeated , his first hundred at the ground where he debuted in He received scant support from his teammates as India's team was bowled out for 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 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 runs.[] Dravid failed in both innings in the third test at Birmingham, as India lost by an innings and 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 out of India's total of , 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 runs in the four matches at an average of 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 , but was selected again for an ODI series in England in , 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, Cardiff, on 16 September , scoring 69 runs from 79 balls before being bowled by Graeme Swann.[] His last limited-overs international match was his debut T20I match; he announced his retirement before playing his first T20I match.[]
My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity, and it was about upholding the spirit of the game.
I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride
– Dravid, at his retirement speech, March []
Dravid announced his retirement from Test and domestic cricket on 9 March , after the –12 tour of Australia, but he said that he would captain the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
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 , he played for the MCC side in the Bicentenary Celebration match at Lord's.[]
Coaching
Towards the end of his playing career, Dravid took on a role as mentor to the Rajasthan Royals' IPL team in [] During this time, he also became involved with the Indian national team, serving as mentor during the team's tour of England in [] After leading the Royals to a third-place finish in the IPL season, he was appointed as the head coach of the India U and India A teams.[] Dravid achieved success as coach, with the Us reaching the finals of the U Cricket World Cup.
Two years later, the team went on to win the U Cricket World Cup, defeating Australia by 8 wickets to win their fourth Under 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 , 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 , 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 –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 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.[41] 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 runs, propelling them to an innings and a 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.[41][]
In July , 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 balls, scoring 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, runs from 16 first-class matches (15 county games and 1 tour game against Zimbabwe) at an average of , 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