Rahul Dravid 50th birthday tribute -India's best test match batsmen ever and best Asian batsmen ever in a crisis?

[Harsh Thakor]

Rahul Dravid 50th birthday tribute- best ever subcontinent batsmen in a crisis, best Indian test batsmen ever,better match-winner than Sachin Tendulkar  and best one down batsmen since Viv Richards?
 

On January 11th maestro Rahul Dravid turned 50.

Sorry for being late but paying  belated tribute.

 

No Indian batsmen were ever more of an embodiment of temperament or grit. Dravi was the best ambassador of sportasmanship in cricket in his day and age.It was a sheer spectacle witnessing Dravid at the crease, who looked a cocoon in concentration, like a monk meditating. or as sculptor using his chisels. 

 

In his time no batsmen did what the doctor ordered, to the extent of Dravid. Dravid was manifestation of single-mindedess, tenacity and selfneseness in sport . One hardly has an adjective to the ice coolness and craft Dravid exhibited in adjusting to the given situation.

 

 

 

 No batsmen looked more than farmer digging in a desert or an artisan deploying his chisels. In his best knocks Dravid resembled a surgeon performing a successful operation on a patient considered incurable. 

 

 

 

In steering a team through a crisis Dravid was the best Indian , arguably best Asian batsmen ever and close to the best ever in the world in a crisis. To ressurect a side from the grave Dravid eclipsed Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar and was arguably the best ever Asian batsmen on bad wickets. In manoeuvring or shaping an innings in accordance with the given situation, Dravid had no equal amongst Indian batsmen. In conditions when the best of batsmen could look all at sea , Dravid would come out on top with a gem. In his day apart from Steve Waugh no batsmen matched Dravid’s mental resilience.

 

 

 He did not posess the flamboyance of Tendukar or Ponting,or the artistry of Lara or Laxman  ,but he surpassed them all in batting for your life.

 

At one down he scored 10524 runs, more test runs than any batsmen, eclipsing even Ricky Ponting.No batsmen at one down equalled Dravid when the chips were down. 

 

 

 

Whether on pitch of uneven bounce at Kingston, seaming condition so green to at Leeds, a bouncy strip at Adelaide or Johannesburg   or a turning track in India, Dravid adapted himself to perfection. Scoring 180 at Kolkata in a 376 run partnership with VVS Laxman , 233 at Adelaide in 2003-04 in a 303 run partnership with Laxman ,148 at Johannesburg in 1997 148 at Leeds in 2002, 81 and 68 at Kingston in 2006, 270 at Rawalpindi in 2004,146 at Oval in 2011.were all  examples of supreme craftsmanship. When scoring 148 at Headingly in 2002, technically he overshadowed Tendulkar,who scored 183.

 

 

For most of his career, Dravid was epitome of consistency In his first ten series that he played in (excluding one-off Tests), he averaged more than 40 in seven of them. His best phase, though, was the four-year period from the middle of 2002 to 2006, a period  when in 16  during this period, 13 times he averaged more than 49, and nine times over 75. More importantly, he amassed those scores in in gruelling batting conditions, and in overseas Tests that led to wins abroad,. During this period, his overseas average was an exceptional 77.07.

 

 

From a period of 2003-2006 he was arguably the best batsman in the world, and a better test player than even Tendulkar or Lara. In that period he amassed 4720 runs at an average of 68.4 and scored 14 centuries. His overseas average in that period towered above 66 and half of his centuries were in winning causes. For sheer consistency in that period he traversed zones even Tendulkar or Viv Richards did not.

 

 

Dravid had phenomenal aggregate run s and average  in 2003-04 in Australia scoring 619 runs at 123.80 average  and in England scoring 602 runs at 100.22 average  in 2002.

 

 

 

 

Few batsmen were ever even his equal in partnerships. He and VVS Laxman constituted the best middle order partners or partnerships of his era. No 2 partners ever ressurected a team from the dark woods to the pinnacle of glory, as this pair. Dravid has also been involved in more century stands than any other batsman: he finishes at 88, with two other current players about whom there has been plenty of retirement talk - Tendulkar and Ponting - on 85 each. Dravid is also the only batsman to have ten or more century stands with four others.

 

 

 

 

He did not posess the flamboyance of Tendukar or Ponting,or the artistry of Lara or Laxman  ,but he surpassed them all in batting for your life.

 

 

No batsmen faced ore deliveries in test cricket, illustrating that Dravid was the ultimate boulder. In 286 Test innings, Dravid played 31,258 balls. Given that no other batsman has faced more than 29,000 deliveries, it illustrates the sheer single-mindedness or dedication that was invested scoring those 13,288 runs.

 

 

. Technically he was reminiscent of an architect or a English grammar professor with a water tight defence and mastery in leaving or negotiating the outgoing ball. In his day noone held a bat straighter. His execution of the cover drive was perfection personified. There was also a subtle element of wristwork in his batting and shades of improvisation, giving touches of Vishwanath .In ways his bating was like a medley of Gavaskar and Vishwanath. Dravid was a much more polished or cultivated version of Javed Miandad or Inzama Ul Haq when batting.

 

 

I feel no Indian batsman was ever as selfless, putting his team's cause above his personal gain. Unlike Gavaskar and Tendulkar, he was never in pursuit of records.

 

 

He had a period of loss of form from 2007-2010 but then stage a remarkable ressurection in the 2011series, championing a losing cause.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dravid finished his test career scoring 36 centuries, 13288 runs at an average of 52.31 in 164 test matches and 286 innings. In test matches won he averaged 65.78 and scored 5131 runs. Overseas he scored 7690 runs at an average of 53.03 and 21 centuries.

 

 

In my view Dravid has been underestimated by cricket writers who fail to rank him amongst the best 50 cricketers ever like Cristopher Martin Jenkins David Gower or Geoff Armstrong.and rank him below Alan Border, Javed Miandad,Geoff Boycott or even Steve Waugh .I rate Dravid only a whisker behind Tendulkar and Gavaskar in test cricket ,on par with Alan Border or Ricky Ponting.in test cricket and possibly a better test batsmen than Javed Miandad. Cristopher Martin Jenkins places him below even David Gower which is a travesty.

 

Without doubt he has carved a permanent niche amongst the all-time greats. To me he is just a notch below the likes of Bradman, Sobers Viv, Lara, Tendulkar, Hobbs,Hammond, and in the bracket of a Greg Chappell ,Everton Weekes or Ricky Ponting.

At one down Dravid was only behind Bradman,Viv Richards and neck to neck with  Ricky Ponting. To me Dravid ranks amongst the 25 best test batsmen ever. In a crisis he was atleast on par with Alan Border, Steve Waugh or Javed Miandad.

 

 For a time in 2006 Dravid's average overtook that of Tendulkar and average in games won or aggregate runs in wins. Overall Dravid averages 4 runs more than Tendulkar in matches won.Tendulkar averaged 61.93 against Dravid’s 65.78.

 

In my view Dravid in test matches, played more innings in tune to a given situation, than even Gavaskar ,Tendulkar or Virat Kohli. In knitting the fabric of an innings or shaping the course of match he overshadowed all 3 stalwarts.

 

Rahul Dravid played an important role in India winning it’s first ever series in Pakistan n 2004 ,India winning its first series in West Indies for 35 years in 2006 and breaking Australia’s monopoly ot stranglehold with its unbroken run of wins in 2001 and 2003-04.

 

Fascinatingly in a Wisden survey conducted in 2020 ,52% of fans chose Rahul Dravid as India’s best test  match batsmen ever.
 

Dravid's main drawback was that he was not so prolific against South Africa or Australia where overall he averaged under 45 and overseas under 40.He also lacked the 'X' factor or flamboyance in converting games to winning causes like Viv Richards ,Hammond or Ponting.Against blistering pace he was not as adept as Gavaskar, Ponting,Border  or even Tendulkar. Dravid did not have equal mastery in countering the bouncing delivery like Mohinder Amarnath or Ian Chappell. I rate Tendulkar and Gavaskar or Border a whisker ahead of Dravid because of scores against best attacks of their day and because they championed causes of weak teams.Dravid shone when Indian team was at a helm, in terms of balance or strength. Pertinent that the bulk of his runs overseas and in winning causes were against England, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
 

Dravid also excelled in ODI cricket, being the most prolific batsmen of the 1999 cricket world cup, and scoring many a match winning cameo. Dravid is the only batsmen to have been involved in 2 300 run partnerships in ODI’s. In ODI’s he amassed 10889 runs at an average of 39. . scoring 12 centuries.

 

 

 

 

Above all he uplifted cricket as gentleman’s game and gave memories of the grace of the golden era. He hardly exhibited touches of arrogance or displayed unruly behaviour on the field, which is a routine feature today in the cricketing world.Also a very shrewd  judge of the game.

 

Sadly as acoach he has been trapped in the quagmire of politics.
 

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by Harsh Thakor

[neel roy]

I rate his debut century in johannesberg his best knock ever. If not for rain we would have won this amazing test. Cullinan was the thorn. That series and the one we lost to windies after failing to chase 120 marked the end of tendulkars captaincy. 
 

Dravid was amazing in this match in both innings. Ganguly played really well too with half centuries in both innings. Batting first in that pitch against Donald pollock mcmillan and klusener all in prime.. and to think of it the first test india got blown away by donald for 66 all out!

 

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/india-tour-of-south-africa-1996-97-62290/south-africa-vs-india-3rd-test-63738/full-scorecard

[putrevus]

In what world he is best test batsman from India.The only period when Dravid was worth anything was in 2002-2003.Other than that he was just complier to his credit he did that job very well.

[Majestic]

2011 England, he was exceptional.

 

Definitely top 3 test batsman to come from India.

 

 

[zen]

An important member of Indian test team in the 2000s. 

Every batsman (apart from maybe Bradman) has his pros and cons so the “best” depends on a variety of factors including what the 11 is looking for.

 

 

 

[Adamant]

Cheteshwar Pujara is basically a poor man's Dravid.

As it stands , he is definitely the third best Indian Batsman in test cricket

[Jamadagni]

2 minutes ago, Adamant said:

Cheteshwar Pujara is basically a poor man's Dravid.

As it stands , he is definitely the third best Indian Batsman in test cricket

 

Pujara is a better test batsman than Dravid. 

 

In India, SL, Bangladesh: Pujara >> Dravid

In Aus: Pujara >> Dravid

In SA: Pujara = Dravid

In Eng and WI: Dravid >>> Pujara

 

 

[Majestic]

2011 England, he was exceptional.

 

Definitely top 3 test batsman to come from India.

 

 

[Adamant]

1 hour ago, Jamadagni said:

 

Pujara is a better test batsman than Dravid. 

 

In India, SL, Bangladesh: Pujara >> Dravid

In Aus: Pujara >> Dravid

In SA: Pujara = Dravid

In Eng and WI: Dravid >>> Pujara

 

 

That's one way of looking at it, I rate Pujara highly as a test batsman but Dravid even higher. 

 

Dravid was GOAT level in Eng, WI and Nz and average in SA and Aus. 

Also, he had a brilliant series against Walsh, Ambrose and Bishop. 

 

On the other hand Pujara is Great in Aus and outright failure in SA and Nz,and Wi while being average at best in England. 

 

Our Batsman are usually great at home so I rate away performances a bit higher. 

 

I mean no disrespect when I called Pujara a poor man's Dravid. 

[maniac]

If I had to pick one to watch it would be Dravid. However I rate Pujara over Dravid in tests.

 

I am ready to bet Chepu would have done better than Dravid in white ball relatively speaking as Chepu despite one dimensional batting and has a stellar list A record and seems to have a lot more game awareness. Obviously that’s only subjective .

 

Dravid was just one dimensional approach to keep batting regardless of what was going around him. Obviously cutoff is 2002-2003 after which Dravid raised his game in white ball even though bar that 1 England series in 2011 he was on the down in tests.

 

For me in tests Chepu > Dravid

 

overall due to white ball credentials Dravid >> Pujara

[Majestic]

1. Gavaskar

2. Tendulkar

3. Dravid

4. Kohli

5. Sehwag

6. Laxman

7. Vishwanath

8. Pujara

9. Azharuddin

10. M Amarnath

[neel roy]

8 hours ago, Majestic said:

1. Gavaskar

2. Tendulkar

3. Dravid

4. Kohli

5. Sehwag

6. Laxman

7. Vishwanath

8. Pujara

9. Azharuddin

10. M Amarnath

Vengsarkar had a rating of 100 in his peak between 1985 to 1988! So I ll put him above Amarnath. Amarnath was inconsistent. Ganguly with 7000 + runs and centuries ( india never lost a test when he hit a 100,had a 98 not out in 4th innings win chasing 260+ against prime Srilanka and Murali in Srilanka). So I ll keep him in top 10 as well). And although his career has just started Pant s impact is maybe on top of the list..

[Majestic]

10 minutes ago, neel roy said:

Vengsarkar had a rating of 100 in his peak between 1985 to 1988! So I ll put him above Amarnath. Amarnath was inconsistent. Ganguly with 7000 + runs and centuries ( india never lost a test when he hit a 100,had a 98 not out in 4th innings win chasing 260+ against prime Srilanka and Murali in Srilanka). So I ll keep him in top 10 as well). And although his career has just started Pant s impact is maybe on top of the list..

You will have to drop some players from this list to include someone else in top 10 

[Sooda]

46 minutes ago, neel roy said:

Vengsarkar had a rating of 100 in his peak between 1985 to 1988! So I ll put him above Amarnath. Amarnath was inconsistent. Ganguly with 7000 + runs and centuries ( india never lost a test when he hit a 100,had a 98 not out in 4th innings win chasing 260+ against prime Srilanka and Murali in Srilanka). So I ll keep him in top 10 as well). And although his career has just started Pant s impact is maybe on top of the list..

 

Vengs only tons away from home were the 3 at Lords I think? Bit of a home bully?

[Sooda]

9 hours ago, Majestic said:

1. Gavaskar

2. Tendulkar

3. Dravid

4. Kohli

5. Sehwag

6. Laxman

7. Vishwanath

8. Pujara

9. Azharuddin

10. M Amarnath

 

I would definitely put in Hazare, in the top 10 all time India bats. Instead of Vishy or Amarnath

[Sooda]

21 hours ago, Jamadagni said:

 

Pujara is a better test batsman than Dravid. 

 

In India, SL, Bangladesh: Pujara >> Dravid

In Aus: Pujara >> Dravid

In SA: Pujara = Dravid

In Eng and WI: Dravid >>> Pujara

 

 

 

The Attack Dravid faced in Aus was much better though .

 

[putrevus]

1 hour ago, Sooda said:

 

The Attack Dravid faced in Aus was much better though .

 

Are you kidding Dravid faced the most weakest bowling attack Australia has produced in last 50 years in 2004 the only series he has done well in Australia. Other than Gillespie there was no other bowler.Even with Brett Lee  that attack is not better than Cummins, Starc and Hazelwood.

 

Pujara faced arguably the best combined bowling attack by an Australian team.

Edited January 18, 2023 by putrevus

[neel roy]

3 hours ago, Sooda said:

 

The Attack Dravid faced in Aus was much better though .

 

Dravid faced the toughest attack in 1999 where he was just average. 2007 and 2011 we was below average. 2004 tour was his best against a mediocre attack though chasing 232 he scored 70 odd

[Lord]

Pujara's good knocks has led to wins/draws more often so it seems he's better than Dravid.

 

However Dravid was simply more solid and has more rounded record. Difference in average of 8 runs despite 65 more Tests is telling.

 

Both fine gentlemen though

[putrevus]

1 hour ago, Lord said:

Pujara's good knocks has led to wins/draws more often so it seems he's better than Dravid.

 

However Dravid was simply more solid and has more rounded record. Difference in average of 8 runs despite 65 more Tests is telling.

 

Both fine gentlemen though

India did not play these many overseas tests then. England was a useless team till 2011 still India struggled to beat them.