5 memorable innings by Rahul Dravid in overseas conditions
Test cricket, as evident from its name, tests your character, patience, and perseverance to the hilt. Few players come to mind with such attributes but none more prominent than Rahul Dravid, fondly called as 'The Great Wall of Indian Cricket'. In Dravid, we saw one of those rare species in the modern game who valued batting for pride, somebody who prided himself in getting tough runs at times of adversity, which was evident from his overseas average of 77.07.Such was his determination that every time we saw him fight it out in tough conditions, it seemed as if his life depended on it. He mastered the dying art of battling time and exhibited greatness both on and off the pitch.
From narrowly missing out on scoring a hundred in his debut Test at Lords to scoring three in the England tour of 2011, Rahul Dravid has seen it all.
In a career spanning 16 years, we saw a plethora of tough innings from Dravid that went on to define his legacy. Let us now turn back the clock in time and rewind some of the memorable Test knocks by Rahul Dravid.
#5 South Africa vs India, Johannesburg, 1997
Rahul Dravid: 148 off 362 balls
He missed out on a hundred in his debut Test at Lords in 1996, but Rahul Dravid finally compiled his magnum opus on a pacy Wanderers track against the might of Shaun Pollock, Allan Donald and Lance Klusener in the third Test of the 1997 series between India and South Africa. Dravid looked at ease from the onset; he cut, pulled and drove meticulously against the likes of Pollock and Donald, compelling them to alter their line and lengths. The knock foreshadowed what was to come in the years to follow.
The Wall eventually fell on 148 but not before adding his name to the cricketing folklore. His innings ensured India a first Innings lead, for the first time in the series. He wasn't done yet as he followed it up with a glorious 81 in the second innings, to propel India to a commanding position in the game. Set 356 to win, South Africa was struggling at 228/8 when the rain gods intervened, leaving the tourists bereft of a much-deserved win.