Indian Team Captain Career

Rahul Dravid's Career (Yearwise):

1990/91: Off with a bang
Dravid made his first-class debut in the Ranji Trophy pre-quarter finals against Maharashtra at Pune. Batting at No.7, he struck 82 as Karnataka plundered 638 and won on the first-innings lead. In the quarter-final, he carved out a maiden century (134) in his second first-class innings.

1991-92: Carrying on the good work
Dravid continued his fantastic arrival into the first-class game, following up with 126 vs Goa and 128 vs Kerala in his next two innings.

1995-96: Gate-crashing into the national side
Karnataka won the Ranji Trophy for the first time in 15 years and Dravid was at the heart of that success. He struck centuries in the semi-final against Hyderabad and the final against Tamil Nadu. This came on the heels of an impressive showing in the Duleep Trophy earlier in the season where he topped the averages (88.25) as South Zone cruised to the title winning three of their four games outright. Three days after the Ranji final, he was called to the national side for the Singer Cup in Singapore, making his ODI debut against Sri Lanka. He also played in the Sharjah Cup that immediately followed but scores of 3, 4, 3 and 11 in his first four ODIs tempered the excitement of being selected.

1996: A debut to savour
And so to England and the second Test at Lord's. Batting at No.7, the 23-year-old Dravid was just a little overshadowed by his fellow debutant Sourav Ganguly who completed a century on the third day. Next morning, Dravid almost emulated Ganguly, progressing imperturbably to 95 before Chris Lewis induced a tickle through to Jack Russell. He remains the only Indian to be dismissed in the nervous nineties on Test debut. He followed it up with another polished effort of 84 in his second Test innings at Trent Bridge.

1996-97: Maiden Test century at last
That elusive first Test century finally arrived in his 9th Test and 15th innings, against South Africa at Johannesburg. His twin efforts of 148 & 81 took India desperately close to victory but the bowlers - who removed seven wickets for 95 as the South Africans chased an improbable 356 - just could not deliver the knockout blow. He topped the Test averages in India�s back-to-back tours of South Africa and the West Indies, where he averaged 72 despite not making a century.

1997-98: Model of consistency
Dravid produced a run of six half-centuries in consecutive Test innings across two home series against Sri Lanka and Australia. GR Viswanath is the only other Indian to have done that. But Dravid's frustrating inability to convert those scores into three figures was becoming chronic. Of the first 16 times that Dravid passed the 50 mark, only once had he gone on to score a century. This included four dismissals in the nervous 90s.

1998-99: When it rains, it pours
Finally, the tide turned as Dravid kicked off the season with three tons in quick succession. It started with a century against Zimbabwe at Harare, followed by centuries in each innings against New Zealand at Hamilton, only the third Indian to perform the feat after Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar. For good measure, he also rounded off the season with another ton in the Asian Test Championship at Colombo.

1999: One-day renaissance and World Cup heroics
While Tests were always Dravid�s forte, his one major regret was not setting the stage alight as a one-day player early in his career. Critics slammed his defensive style and inability to rotate the strike and he was subsequently dropped. However, that was set to change in early 1999 when he blasted an unbeaten 123 against New Zealand at Taupo. The World Cup in England a few months later was a watershed in Dravid's career, marking him out as a skillful performer in the one-day arena. He topped the World Cup run charts with 461 runs including two centuries, the most notable being his 145 against Sri Lanka, in which he shared a cracking 318-run stand with Sourav Ganguly.

1999-00: Going through a grim patch
Dravid tormented the Kiwis again with 144 at Mohali, his sixth Test century and first in India. But then his touch suddenly deserted him. Although he produced an ODI career-best 153 against New Zealand in Hyderabad amidst a 331-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid went through 16 straight Test innings without a fifty. His most glaring failure was in Australia where he averaged a paltry 15.5.

2000: Kent has a new overseas pro
Signed up by English county Kent for a one year contract, Dravid topped the Kent averages with 1,039 runs at 49.48. It was the start of his association with John Wright which would continue when the former Kiwi opener landed the job of the Indian team coach later in the year.

2000-01: A quite prolific season
Dravid punished Zimbabwe in a two Test series at home, averaging an astounding 432, including his first double-century in Tests at Delhi. The Australians came visiting next and Dravid's old failing against Shane Warne was dusted up and exhibited in the first Test in Mumbai. Wright's snap decision to demote him to No.6 in the second innings at Kolkata triggered off an extraordinary chain of events culminating in a fantastic series triumph. Dravid's own 180 was the perfect foil to VVS Laxman's epic 281 as the pair batted out the fourth day with a 376-run partnership.

2002: An English summer
Dravid�s overseas bliss resumed with India�s tours of West Indies and England. At Georgetown, he struck a gritty 144* after braving a painful blow to the head and scored two more half-centuries in the series. He was almost unstoppable in England, totaling 602 runs in four Tests with three centuries, including a match-winning 148 in seamer-friendly conditions at Headingley. He rounded off the series in style with 217 at The Oval. He followed it up with a ton against West Indies at Mumbai, making it four centuries in as many innings, an Indian record.

2003-04: Redemption in Australia
As India embarked in their most satisfying tour of Australia in over twenty years, the old firm of Dravid and Laxman reunited for a repeat of their Kolkata heroics at Adelaide. His 233, in company with Laxman, set the foundation for a historic win, which gave India a 1-0 lead in the series. That one knock, coupled with an unbeaten 72 in the second innings nullified the ghosts of his previous tour to Australia. Topping the batting averages with 123.80, his dream run continued in Pakistan when his dogged 270 at Rawalpindi helped India achieve their first ever series win there.

2004-05: Three figures everywhere
In the absence of Ganguly, Dravid leads India to victory in a �dead rubber� against Australia at Mumbai. He was among the few batsmen to successfully negotiate a pitch which resembled a minefield. A 160 against Bangladesh gave him a unique record - the first player to score centuries in all Test-playing countries. He cut loose against Pakistan again, at Kolkata, scoring centuries in both innings for the second time in his career, charting another win.

2005-06: Wearing the captain�s hat
After warming the seat on many occasions in the past, Dravid was finally appointed captain, for the series against Sri Lanka home. His tenure started India�s revival as a one-day team, thrashing Sri Lanka 6-1, squaring the series 2-2 against South Africa, beating Pakistan 4-1 away from home and thrashing a ragged England 5-1. India also achieved the world record of 17 consecutive successful chases n ODIs under his leadership. Though not a natural opener, he shared a whopping opening stand of 410 with Virender Sehwag at Lahore, missing the world record by a whisker.