Rahul Dravid had been one of the greatest batsmen in the history of Test cricket to have played the game. Known for his technique and temperament, he was known as ‘The Wall’ for his ability to bat for hours blocking one end playing out overs and time against the best opposition attacks all over the world. According to Impact Index - one of the most holistic cricket stats systems in the world - Dravid was India’s highest impact batsman in Test cricket - higher than the great Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar.
He was also a very good batsman in ODI cricket. In fact, he is one of the very few to have the double of aggregating more than 10000 runs in both Tests and One-Day Internationals.
We look at 5 interesting numbers from his Test career.
13265: Dravid’s Aggregate for India in Test Cricket
Rahul Dravid aggregated 13265 runs for India in 163 Tests (he played one Test for the ICC) at an average of 52.63 including 36 hundreds and 63 fifties. It is the second-highest aggregate for an Indian batsman in Test cricket after Sachin Tendulkar. Dravid is one of the four Indians (the others being Gavaskar, Tendulkar and Kohli) who belong to the 50-plus average Club in Test cricket (min. 2000 runs).
8: Number of Series-Defining Performances in his Test career
Dravid gave 8 series-defining performances (SD) in his Test career. An SD is a high impact performance in a Test match which helps the team win the series or draw level from behind. His greatest innings came after India followed on at the Eden Gardens against Australia in 2001. Dravid made 180 and changed the match on its head with VVS Laxman. India went on to win a historic Test. His 148 on a difficult pitch at Leeds in 2002 helped India draw level the series at 1-1. Dravid’s 233 and 72 at the Adelaide Oval in 2003 is already the stuff of legend. India won the Test by 4 wickets.
Dravid had an aggregate of 1376 runs in 13 Tests in England. He recorded 6 hundreds and 4 fifties in testing conditions where the swing and seam has troubled some of the best of all-time. His average of 68.8 in England is the highest for an Indian batsman (min. 500 runs). He is followed by Ganguly (65.35) and Tendulkar (54.31). In fact, Dravid’s average in England was the highest for any sub-continent batsman in the country. Saleem Malik followed with an average of 66.5.
63.83: Dravid’s Batting Average in New Zealand
Dravid had an excellent record in the trying conditions in New Zealand too. He scored 766 runs in 7 Tests with 2 hundreds and 5 fifties in New Zealand. His average of 63.83 in New Zealand is the fourth-highest for a batsman from the sub-continent (min. 500 runs) after Javed Miandad, Mohammad Azharuddin and Shakib Al Hasan.
2001-2006: The Golden Period for Dravid in Test Cricket
Dravid was at the peak of his batting prowess between 2001 and 2006. During this period, he aggregated 5776 runs in 66 Tests at an average of 60.16. 15 of his hundreds came in this time-frame. Most of his series-defining performances came during this period and he was the second-highest impact batsman in the world after Inzamam-ul-Haq in this time-frame.
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