On this day, 11 January 1973: Known as the Wall of Indian cricket, Rahul Dravid was born. He has created numerous records on the cricket field, some of which remain unbroken. He was a prolific player and especially in Tests he was nicknamed The Wall for his ability to bat for hours without losing concentration. Rahul 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 where he scored 95.
Rahul Dravid had scored 13,288 runs in 164 Tests since making his debut in 1996 and made 36 centuries. He holds the world record of 210 outfield Test catches. Rahul Dravid holds the record for facing the most balls in Test cricket, a massive 31,258 balls across 736 hours at the crease. 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 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, he scored 10,889 runs in 318 innings across 344 matches at an average of 39.17, with 12 centuries and 83 half-centuries.
Rahul Dravid is only the second Indian to score over 10,000 runs in both ODIs and Test matches, preceded only by Sachin Tendulkar. He retired from one-day cricket having scored 10,889 runs in 344 internationals.
He continued his contribution Indian cricket even after his retirement. Dravid coached the Under 19 teams and made sure the players at the pathway level were making progress. Later he also coached Indian team to a World Cup Final in 2023 and won a T20 World Cup as a coach in 2024. Rahul Dravid is the Wall that has held India together whenever he has gone to the crease and Indian fans will cherish that.
