Statistical tribute to Rahul Dravid
Rahul Sharad Dravid known as Rahul to the cricketing fraternity was born on 11.01.73 at Indore, Madhya Pradesh and learnt his cricketing lessons in Karnataka. He was also nicknamed Wall by cricketing experts for his ability to stay at the crease.
Rahul’s exploits are too many and he is a Cricket Statistician’s delight. Here are few of his test records.
Rahul Dravid made his test debut against England at Lord’s in June 1996. He made 95 on his test debut, while another debutant SC Ganguly scored a hundred {131} on debut in this test. This Lord’s test has gone into the annals of test cricket as the second test in which two debutant batsmen scored a ninety and hundred. The first test was the Karachi test between Pakistan and Australia in Oct 1964 when two Pakistan debutants – Khalid Ibadulla {166} and Abdul Kadir {95} scored a hundred and ninety.
He has scored five double hundreds – 200 not out against Zimbabwe at Delhi in Nov 2000, 217 against England at The Oval in Sep 2002, 222 against New Zealand at Ahmedabad in Oct 2003, 233 against Australia at Adelaide in Dec 2003 and 270 against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in Apr 2004. His five double hundreds are in the progressive order of runs scored which makes him the only batsman to perform such a feat in the annals of test cricket.
He has scored a fifty and double hundreds on three occasions which is furnished below. He is the only batsman in the annals of test cricket to perform such a feat on three occasions
Player | FI | SI | Team | Oppn | Ground | Start Date |
R Dravid | 200* | 70* | Ind | Zim | Delhi | 18 Nov 2000 |
R Dravid | 222 | 73 | Ind | NZl | Ahmedabad | 08 Oct 2003 |
R Dravid | 233 | 72* | Ind | Aus | Adelaide | 12 Dec 2003 |
He has scored hundred in each innings of the test match on two occasions – 190 and 103 not out vs. New Zealand at Hamilton in Jan 1999 and 110 and 135 vs. Pakistan at Kolkota in Mar 2005. He is the second Indian batsman after SM Gavaskar to perform such a feat on two or more occasions. SM Gavaskar has achieved this feat on three occasions
He is the only batsman in the annals of test cricket to aggregate 10000 plus runs while batting at number three. His has an aggregate of 10524 runs to his credit
He has scored 50 half centuries while batting at number three and is the only batsman to score 50 half centuries while batting at number three in the annals of test cricket
He holds the record for most number of fifties while batting number three. He has scored 78 fifties. He is one of the two batsmen who have scored 75 plus fifties while batting at number three in the annals of test cricket. RT Ponting is the other batsman who has scored 75 fifties while batting at number three.
He has scored ten nineties in tests and shares the record for most nineties with SR Tendulkar of India and SR Waugh of Australia
He has scored 5031 runs in India’s 56 winning tests. He is seventh batsman in the annals of test cricket to score 5000 plus runs in a team’s winning tests. He is the second Indian batsman to perform such a feat after SR Tendulkar who has scored 5594 runs in India’s 63 winnings tests
He is the third Indian batsman to aggregate 5000 plus runs on home soil. He has an aggregate of 5598 runs. The other two are – SR Tendulkar {6765} and SM Gavaskar {5067}
He is one of the two batsmen in the annals of test cricket to score 7500 plus runs on away soil. He has an aggregate of 7690 runs on away soil. SR Tendulkar with 8705 runs is the other batsman.
He has scored 36 half centuries on away soil and shares the record for most half centuries on away soil with SR Tendulkar who also has scored 36 half centuries
He is one of the two batsmen who have scored 21 or more hundreds on away soil. He has scored 21 hundreds; SR Tendulkar with 29 hundreds is the other batsman to score 20 plus hundreds on away soil.
He is one among the three Indian batsmen who have scored three double hundreds on away soil. Others are – SR Tendulkar and V Sehwag
He is one among the 16 batsmen in the annals of test cricket to score 15 or more hundreds on home soil. He has scored 15 hundreds on home soil. He is also the third Indian batsmen to perform such a feat, others are – SR Tendulkar {22} and SM Gavaskar {16}
He is one of the three batsmen who have been dismissed for a double nelson – 222 – in a test innings. He scored 222 against New Zealand at Ahmedabad in Oct 2003. Others are – GR Viswanath of India vs. England at Chennai in Jan 1982 and NJ Astle of New Zealand vs. England at Christchurch in Mar 2002
He is the only fieldsman to pouch 200 plus catches in the annals of test cricket. He has pouched 210 catches. He has pouched 112 catches on away soil and remains the only fieldsman to pouch 100 plus catches on away soil.
He is the only fieldsman in the annals of test cricket to pouch 50 plus cathes of two bowlers – A Kumble {55} and Harbhajan Singh {51}
He is one of the four batsmen who have scored 60 plus half centuries in the annals of test cricket. He has scored 63 half centuries. Others are – SR Tendulkar {65}, AR Border {63} and RT Ponting {61}. Thus he shares the second place with AR Border for most half centuies by a batsman – both of them scoring 63 half centuries
He stands third in the list of batsmen who have scored most fifties in the annals of test cricket. The three batsmen are – SR Tendulkar {116}, RT Ponting {102} and R Dravid {99}
He shares the record for most partnership runs with SR Tendulkar in tests. Both of them have shared 6920 partnership runs in 143 innings. They share 20 three figure partnerships which is a record in itself for most number of century stands in the annals of test cricket
He has partnered Tendulkar on 143 occasions which is next to 148 occasions partnered by DL Haynes and CG Greenidge
R Dravid and SR Tendulkar share 29 half century partnerships which is a record for most half century stands between two batsmen in the annals of test cricket. ML Hayden and JL Langer shared 28 half century stands.
R Dravid and SR Tendulkar through their 29 half century partnerships have added 2137 runs. They are the only pair to add 2000 plus runs through the half century stand in test cricket
He has partnered 49 fifty plus runs partnerships with SR Tendulkar which is also a record for most fifty plus runs partnerships in the annals of test cricket
R Dravid has been one of the partners in a three figure partnership on 88 occasions and shares the record for most three figure stands in tests.
He is one of the four Indian batsmen who have scored four hundreds in consecutive tests. His feat read thus – 13 and 115 vs. England at Nottingham in Aug 2002; 148 vs. England at Leeds in Aug 2002; 217 vs. England at The Oval in Sep 2002 and 100* vs. West Indies at Mumbai in Oct 2002. Other Indian batsmen to perform such a feat are – G Gautham {05}, SM Gavaskar {04} and SR Tendulkar {04}. His career summary read thus –
Opposition | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | 100 | 50 | 0 |
Australia | 33 | 62 | 6 | 2166 | 233 | 38.67 | 2 | 13 | 4 |
Bangladesh | 7 | 10 | 2 | 560 | 160 | 70.00 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
England | 21 | 37 | 5 | 1950 | 217 | 60.93 | 7 | 8 | 1 |
New Zealand | 15 | 28 | 2 | 1659 | 222 | 63.80 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
Pakistan | 15 | 26 | 3 | 1236 | 270 | 53.73 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
South Africa | 21 | 40 | 3 | 1252 | 148 | 33.83 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
Sri Lanka | 20 | 32 | 1 | 1508 | 177 | 48.64 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
West Indies | 23 | 38 | 7 | 1978 | 146 | 63.80 | 5 | 13 | 0 |
Zimbabwe | 9 | 13 | 3 | 979 | 200* | 97.90 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
Total | 164 | 286 | 32 | 13288 | 270 | 52.31 | 36 | 63 | 8 |
He is one of the few batsmen who have scored a hundred against every opposition he played against.
R Dravid and V Sehwag added 410 runs against Pakistan for the first wicket at Lahore in Jan 2006. This stand is one of the three stands of 400 plus runs for the first wicket as on date. The other two stands are – 415 runs between GC Smith and ND McKenzie of South Africa against Bangladesh at Chittagong in Feb 2008 and 413 runs between MH Mankad and P Roy of India against New Zealand at Chennai in Jan 1956
In India’s innings against South Africa at Chennai in Mar 08, for the first wicket there was a 213 runs partnership between Wasim Jaffer and V Sehwag. For the second wicket there was another 200 plus run partnership – 268 runs stand between V Sehwag and R Dravid. For the first time in the annals of test cricket 200 plus runs for the first two wickets were registered in the same test innings
This feat was repeated again by Indian batsmen at Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai against Sri Lanka in the third test of 2009-10 test series. M Vijay and V Sehwag added 221 runs for the first wicket which was followed by 237 runs stand for the second wicket between V Sehwag and R Dravid for the second wicket
R Dravid became the first cricketer to play his 100th test while batting at number three on home ground. His 100th test was against Australia at Bangalore in 2008.
Dravid had partnered 4000 plus runs with two batsmen. Tendulkar is the other Indian batsman to achieve such a feat. The performances of these two batsmen are furnished below
No | Batsman | Partner | Runs |
1 | R Dravid | SR Tendulkar | 6920 |
R Dravid | VVS Laman | 4065 | |
2 | SR Tendulkar | R Dravid | 6920 |
SR Tendulkar | SC Ganguly | 4173 |
He holds the record for most partnership runs for the third wicket with SR Tendulkar in the annals of test cricket. The pair has added 5826 runs from 123 innings. They remain the only pair to add 5000 plus runs for the third wicket.
R Dravid-SR Tendulkar has shared 18 three figure stands which is also a record for most number of century stands for the third wicket. They also shared 23 half century partnerships for the third which is a record for most half century stands for the third wicket. They shared 41 fifty plus runs stands for the third wicket which is also a record for most number of century stands for the third wicket
R Dravid figures in four partnerships of 300 plus runs for various wickets which is a record for Indian batsman. The following table furnishes the four occasions
No | Partners | Wkt | Runs | Opposition | Ground | Start Date |
1 | R Dravid,VVS Laxman | 5 | 376 | v Australia | Kolkata | 11 Mar 2001 |
2 | R Dravid,VVS Laxman | 5 | 303 | v Australia | Adelaide | 12 Dec 2003 |
3 | R Dravid,V Sehwag | 1 | 410 | v Pakistan | Lahore | 13 Jan 2006 |
4 | R Dravid,G Gambhir | 2 | 314 | v England | Mohali | 19 Dec 2008 |
He has faced most balls than any other batsman in aggregating 13288 runs. He is the only batsman to fave 30000 deliveries – 31258 to be precise.
R Dravid and VVS Laxman have forged two partnerships of 300 plus runs – both against Australia – 376 runs for the fifth wicket at Kolkata in Mar 2001 and 303 runs for the fifth wicket at Adeliade in Dec 2003. They remain the only pair in the annals of test cricket to have put on 300 plus runs for the same wicket and against the same opposition.
Added to this record he has to his credit another 300 plus runs partnership for the fourth wicket with SR Tendulkar against Australia at Sydney in Jan 2004.
He is one of the six batsmen in the annals of test cricket to have partnered a 300 plus runs partnerships on four or more occasions. Others are – DG Bradman (05}, HH Gibbs (04}, GC Smith {04}, RT Ponting {04} and DPMD Jayawardene {04}. The performance of these four batsmen are furnished in the following table
He holds the record for most occasions of bowled dismissals in a test innings. He has been bowled on 55 occasions. R Dravid {55} and AR Border {53} are the only two batsmen who have been dismissed bowled on 50 plus occasions in the annals of test cricket
His partnership of 410 runs with V Sehwag for the first wicket against Pakistan at Karachi in Jan 2006 is one of the fourteen partnerships of 400 plus runs in the annals of test cricket and second by India. The other partnership is – 413 runs between MH Mankad and P Roy of India against New Zealand at Chennai {Nehru Stadium} in Jan 1956
R Dravid has partnered 214 fifty plus runs partnerships for various wickets with 33 partners which are listed below. He is the only batsman in the annals of test cricket to partner 200 plus fifty plus partnerships
R Dravid earned the distinction of becoming the fifth fieldsman in the annals of test cricket to pouch 13 catches in a test series. His feat provides the sixth such occasion. He achieved the distinction against Australia in 2004-05 test series. What is interesting is that R Dravid’s 13 catches came in four tests while the other five who are in this elite list have done in five or more tests.
No | Cat | Tests | Fieldsman | Series | Season |
1 | 15 | 5 | JM Gregory | Aus Vs Eng | 1920-21 |
2 | 14 | 6 | GS Chappell | Aus Vs Eng | 1974-75 |
3 | 13 | 5 | RB Simpson | Aus Vs SAF | 1957-58 |
4 | 13 | 5 | RB Simpson | Aus Vs Win | 1960-61 |
5 | 13 | 6 | BC Lara | Win Vs Eng | 1997-98 |
6 | 13 | 4 | RS Dravid | Ind Vs Aus | 2004-05 |
Dravid’s 13 catches represents the most catches held in a series against Australia by a fielder from any country. The previous best tally of catches in a series against Australia was 12. Five fielders had jointly held this record. They are LC Braund of Eng in 1901-02, WR Hammond of Eng in 1934, GS Sobers of Win in 1960-61, AW Greig of Eng in 1974-75 and IT Botham of Eng in 1981
Dravid became the fourth Indian fieldsman to pouch ten or more catches in a test series. It is the fifth such occasion by an Indian fieldsman. His effort is the best by an Indian fieldsman in a test series. The previous best was by ED Solkar who had pouched 12 catches in 1972-73 series against England.
No | Cat | Tests | Fieldsman | Teams | Season |
1 | 13 | 4 Tests | RS Dravid | Ind Vs Aus | 2004/05 |
2 | 12 | 5 Tests | ED Solkar | Ind Vs Eng | 1972/73 |
3 | 11 | 3 Tests | MAzharuddin | Ind Vs Srl | 1993/94 |
4 | 10 | 4 Tests | ED Solkar | Ind Vs Aus | 1969/70 |
5 | 10 | 4 Tests | AL Wadekar | Ind Vs NZl | 1967/68 |
Dravid’s effort of 13 catches in four test makes him the third fieldsman to pouch ten or more catches in four tests. Others are – ED Solkar – 10 catches against Australia in 1969-60 and AL Wadekar – 10 catches against New Zealand in 1993-94
His 88 three figure partnerships with various partners which is a world record for most three figure stands
Rahul’s profile on cricinfo appears thus – Rahul Dravid was probably one of the last classical Test match batsmen. His progress into the national side may have been steady and methodical rather than meteoric, but once there, Dravid established himself at the vanguard of a new, defiant generation that were no longer easybeats away from home. Armed with an orthodox technique drilled into him by Keki Tarapore, he became the cement that held the foundations firm while the flair players expressed themselves. Yet, for a man quickly stereotyped as one-paced and one-dimensional, he too could stroke the ball around when the mood struck him.
Never a natural athlete, he compensated with sheer hard work and powers of concentration that were almost yogic. At Adelaide in 2003, when India won a Test in Australia for the first time in a generation, he batted 835 minutes over two innings. A few months later, he was at the crease more than 12 hours for the 270 that clinched India’s first series win in Pakistan. Initially seen as a liability in the one-day arena, he retooled his game over the years to become an adept middle-order finisher. The heaves and swipes didn’t come naturally, but by the time the selectors eased him aside in early 2008, he had more than 10,000 runs to his name in the 50-over game. There had also been a lengthy phase where he donned the wicketkeeping gloves, helping the team to find a balance that was crucial in the run to the World Cup final in 2003.
However, it’s his Test exploits that he will be most remembered for. After impressing in a Lord’s debut where he was eclipsed by Sourav Ganguly, Dravid’s breakthrough innings arrived at the Wanderers a few months later, against a South African attack accustomed to bullying visitors. A brief slump followed, but he emerged from that with perhaps one of the most famous supporting acts of all, to VVS Laxman in an Eden Gardens Test that rejuvenated Indian cricket. The half decade that followed was a golden one with the bat, as tours of England and Australia realised more than 600 runs.
A two-year stint as captain, following Ganguly’s axing, was less successful, though he did lead the side to series victories in England and the West Indies for the first time in a generation. Just when it seemed his best was behind him, Dravid showed his class once again on the tour to England in 2011. In a series in which India were completely outplayed and none of their other batsmen scored more than 275 runs in the Tests, Dravid amassed 461, including three hundreds, two of them when opening the innings against a high-quality pace attack. However, that was followed by a poor series in Australia, which turned out to be his last, as he announced his retirement soon after returning to India.
Dravid’s immense levels of concentration also came in handy when he was standing in the slips. Most of his catches were taken in that cordon as he overtook Mark Waugh to become the most successful slip catcher in history.