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Dravid's milestones recalled ahead of his 100th
Test |
Mar 15, 2006
 India's
skipper Rahul Dravid is all set to play his
100th Test at the Wankhede Stadium during the
3rd and final Test Match against England. The
skipper would be joining the elite club of Kapil
Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip
Vengsarkar and statemate Anil Kumble, who have
all played more than 100 Test matches in their
respective career. Rahul Dravid has played a
Test Match for the ICC World XI in the 2005/06
Johnnie Walker Super Series in Australia. To be
exact, Rahul Dravid would be playing his 99th
Test Match for India at Mumbai but nevertheless
the BCCI is planning in a grand manner to
felicitate one of its best ever batsman for
appearing in 100 Tests in his career. The 3rd
Test at Mumbai will also see Sachin Tendulkar
pass an important milestone when he becomes the
most capped player for India in Test matches
after he surpasses Kapil Dev's record of 131
Tests. Let's take a look of Rahul Dravid's Test
Career highlights:
  Rahul Sharad Dravid made his Test Match
Debut at Lord's, London in the 2nd Test Match
of the 3-Tests Series. He made his Debut
alongside Sourav Ganguly, whom he succeeded as
the Indian Skipper in the later part of his
career.
Batting at no.7 in his first innings ever
in his Test Career, Rahul scored a classy 95
facing 265 balls with 6 fours. The 22-year-old
debutant had played part in two important
partnerships in that innings to secure the
first innings lead for India - the first one
being the 94 runs partnership for the 6th
wicket with fellow debutant Sourav Ganguly,
who went onto notch up a century; the second
partnership was with statemate Anil Kumble and
the pair put on 55 runs for the 7th wicket.
Scored his maiden Test Century at the
Wanderers in Johannesburg scoring 148 in 362
balls with 21 hits to the fence. It was the
3rd and final Test match of the 1996/97 tour.
Dravid achieved this feat coming in at no.3 to
help India reach a good first innings total of
410. In the 2nd innings as well, Dravid
excelled scoring 81. The match ended as a draw
due to bad weather on the final day's play and
Rahul walked away with the Man of the Match
award.
Crossed 1000 runs in his 14th Test Match. Had
achieved this feat at Georgetown, Guyana during
the 5th Test of the 1996/97 tour.
Had to wait for almost two seasons to notch up
his 2nd Test century which he had done against
Zimbabwe in the Only Test at Harare in 1998/99.
This happened to be the only Test Match played
by Robin Singh in his career!
Crossed 2000 Test runs during the 3rd Test
against New Zealand at Hamilton in 1998/99. This
happened to be his 25th Test.
He scored his maiden double century at Delhi in
200/01 against Zimbabwe. Dravid scored exactly
an unbeaten 200 coming in 350 balls with 27
fours. Incidentally he remained unbeaten in the
2nd innings as well scoring 70 runs to help
India win by 7 wickets. In this same match,
Rahul Dravid went past the 3000 Test runs mark
with this match being hi 39th.
With VVS Laxman (281), Rahul Dravid played one
of the best ever innings in Test Cricket scoring
180 to help India win the 2000/01 Kolkata Test
after India followed on with a huge deficit of
274 runs! India miraculously won that match by
171 runs. Both Laxman and Dravid put on 376 runs
for the 5th wicket as India went onto pile up
657 runs on the board before declaring!
Dravid then crossed 4000 Test runs at the
Sinhalese Sports Club during the 3rd Test of the
2001 series. This was his 48th Test.
He crossed 5000 Test runs at Headingley, Leeds
during the 3rd Test of the 2002 Series. Dravid
scored 148 to help India win the match by an
innings and 46 runs. This one was his 63rd match
of his career.
Dravid helped India to secure the 4-Tests Series
at 1-1 in England in the 2002 Series with a
marathon score of 217 coming in 468 balls with
28 fours. This was the fourth and final Test
which was played at The Oval and India were
under pressure after Vaughan's 195 saw England
make 515 in their first innings. Dravid's double
ton saw that India batted enough time and made
508 consuming 170 overs!
Coming into bat with India at 35 for one, Dravid
scored 222 off 387 balls with 28 fours and a six
at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera in Ahmedabad
against the Kiwis in 2003/04. It was the 1st
Test of that series and the match was drawn.
Dravid scored 73 in the second essay.
The next milestone was crossing 6000 Test runs
which was done down under during the 2nd Test at
the Adelaide Oval. This was a match to remember
for Dravid and Team India as Dravid got a double
century 233 to be precise to help India keep the
Australian first innings lead to just 33. Later
India bowled out the Aussies for 196 and chased
the target of 230 with Dravid guiding them with
an unbeaten 72! For the record, Dravid's 233
came in 446 balls with 23 fours and a six.
'The Wall' Rahul Dravid scored a mammoth 270 in
495 balls with 34 fours and a six in the 1st
innings of the 3rd Test at Rawalpindi. India won
by an innings and 131 runs to win that decisive
Test match. This was during India's tour of
Pakistan in 2003/04.
Rahul Dravid was named as the ICC Test Cricketer
of the year 2004.
He led India for the first time in his career
during the 3rd Test match at Nagpur against the
Aussies in the 2004/05 Series. Dravid scored 21
and 2 as India surrendered the Final Frontier to
the Adam Gilchrist led Australian Side.
Rahul Dravid went onto cross 7000 Test runs at
Mumbai during the 4th Test against Australia in
2004/05 with this being his 82nd match
Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag were the two
Indians to have played for the ICC World XI
against Australia at Sydney in the One off Test
Match of the ICC Super Series in 2005/06. Dravid
made a duck and 23 and his team lost in that
match. This was Dravid's 92nd of his career.
He went past 8000 Test runs this season against
the touring Sri Lankan team in the 2nd Test
match at Delhi. This was his 94th match.
The 3rd and Final Test at Mumbai against England
starting on March 18 would be his 100th of his
career and his 99th for India.
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