Dravid was renowned for his long innings in Test cricket. He would remain steadfast at the crease for hours, wearing down the bowlers. He holds the record for facing the most balls in Test cricket, a staggering 31,258 balls across 736 hours at the crease. This endurance is perhaps why Steve Waugh, one of Australia’s most successful captains, once instructed his team: “Get Dravid’s wicket in 15 minutes; if you can’t, then think about getting the other 10 out.”
Waugh’s statement highlights the difficulty of dismissing Dravid. Speaking about Dravid’s batting prowess, Pakistan’s legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar stated, “Bowling to Dravid was tougher than bowling to Sachin. Rahul’s defence was impenetrable; that’s why he was called ‘The Wall’.” Akhtar even claimed that Dravid was virtually impossible to dismiss, even in the nets.
Dravid began playing for Karnataka at the age of 17. He made his Test debut in 1996 against England at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground, narrowly missing a century with a score of 95. Scoring a century at Lord’s was a significant dream for Dravid, one he finally fulfilled towards the end of his career during his last tour of England.
Dravid never experienced a golden duck in his career. In 164 Test matches, he took 210 catches at slip, another record. He played his only T20 match in 2011 against England, scoring 31 runs and hitting three consecutive sixes.
Throughout his career, Dravid amassed 13,288 runs in 286 innings across 164 Test matches at a remarkable average of 52.31, including 36 centuries and 63 half-centuries. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he scored 10,889 runs in 318 innings across 344 matches at an average of 39.17, with 12 centuries and 83 half-centuries. Dravid is only the second Indian to score over 10,000 runs in both ODIs and Test matches, preceded only by Sachin Tendulkar.
In 2021, Rahul Dravid was appointed head coach of the Indian team, leading to a significant improvement in the team’s performance. India showcased exceptional performance in Test series, even on foreign soil. Under Dravid’s coaching, India achieved the number 1 ranking in all three formats for the first time in cricket history. Although India lost the final match of the World Cup played in India in 2023, the team’s performance throughout the tournament was outstanding.
But Dravid’s achievements didn’t end there. He ultimately led India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup, ending a 13-year drought for ICC trophies. He has also served as captain and coach of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His role as Indian team coach required him to step away from the IPL, but he will return as head coach for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025.
