Rahul Dravid’s coaching career started on a fantastic note. India won the first T20I against New Zealand in the bilateral serious. It was a tight match by the end when the Kiwi bowlers had bowled hard lengths and picked up quick wickets. Rishabh Pant held onto his nerve and finished the game for India with 2 balls spare. Dravid must be a pleased man. This is not his first time in the capacity of a coach, he has coached India A and the U-19 squads before. However, international men’s cricket is a different arena altogether. The pressure, expectation, and scrutiny is unparalleled. Dravid of all people would know this all too well. He played the highest level of international cricket for close to 16 years.
His contribution to Indian cricket cannot be expressed in numbers or anecdotes. He has been one of Indian cricket’s most dedicated and diligent servants. He is one of the few cricketers to have more than 10,000 runs in both tests as well as ODI cricket. Also, complimenting those feats, he holds the distinction of scoring 3 back to back sixes in a T20I game.
For all his achievements on the cricketing field, Dravid is especially appreciated for his test records. To that effect, many cricketing fans, cricketers, and cricket pundits consider him a better proponent of test cricket than even the God himself, Sachin Tendulkar. We look at 5 reasons why Dravid is rated so highly in test cricket.
1. Runs in difficult foreign conditions
Raul Dravid has scored a mammoth 13,288 runs in tests after playing 164 test matches. He averages an incredible 52.3 in tests. He is among the few batsmen who have scored more runs away than at home. In the SENA countries where batting is difficult, he averages 34, 39, 64, and 61 respectively. This proves that his batting records are exceptional and above his peers when batting in foreign conditions.
2. Played assessing the team’s situation
Rahul Dravid was known for steadying the ship when India was in difficult situations. He defended the ball under his eyes and was excellent in blunting out fierce bowling attacks. He built long and enduring partnerships with his batting partner. He holds the record for the highest number of partnership runs at 32,039. He has been involved in a maximum number of partnerships and has been on the striker or non-striker end in all crucial innings.
3. Maximum balls faced in tests
Rahul Dravid holds the record of facing the highest number of balls in test cricket and occupying the crease for the longest amount of time. He has faced 31,258 balls while Tendulkar is second on the list with 29,437 balls faced. Dravid has played 35 fewer tests than Tendulkar. He has also occupied the crease for close to 736 hours which is an incredible record. These qualities undersign his greatness as a test cricket legend.
4. Captained the Indian test team through difficult years
Tendulkar did captain the Indian team but that was for a very limited period of time. On the contrary, Rahul Dravid had to take on the captaincy mantle when Indian cricket was going through a turbulent saga with the entire Sourav Ganguly – Greg Chappell saga. He captained India in 25 tests with a 32%-win record compared to 16% of Tendulkar’s.
5. Won India historic matches on the back of personal contribution
India won incredible tests due to Rahul Dravid’s individual and epic contributions. These tests redefined Indian cricket for a lifetime. One was the 2001 test win at Eden Gardens where Rahul Dravid scored a 180 and combined forces with Laxman to win a test match against Australia after receiving a follow-on. The other was in Adelaide in 2003-04 where Rahul Dravid scored a double century in the first innings and a 72 not out in the second to give India a historic test win in Australia.
