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June 22, 1996, Lord’s, London. Rahul Dravid joined fellow debutant Sourav Ganguly at the crease with India at 202 for five. Already 1-0 down in the three-Test series, India were still trailing England by 142 runs in the second match.
Before the Test, India’s chances looked bleak, having been routed by Derbyshire inside three days. The Lord’s surface was supposed to pose a further threat, especially for the two Indian debutants.
When Rahul Dravid came in the middle, Sourav Ganguly's exhibition of stylish cuts and drives was already on display. Earlier, Ganguly had made a mark with his medium pace, scalping two key wickets. Rahul Dravid, meanwhile, was about doggedness, an art he went on to master throughout his career.
The young debutants added 94 runs for the sixth wicket before Sourav Ganguly fell for 131. He became only the second batsman to score a hundred on Test debut at Lord’s. He also became the first cricketer in over 100 years to achieve the feat. Earlier this month, New Zealand’s Devon Conway joined the list as the third entry. Rahul Dravid, on the other hand, fell five short of what would have been a brilliant hundred. However, India defied the odds by saving the Test.
This marked the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket. The partnership that started on the international scene at Lord’s saw many highs over the coming years. Both Ganguly and Dravid evolved as giants of the game and consistently challenged Sachin Tendulkar’s batting supremacy.
As a batting pair, the duo piled up 7,657 runs in international cricket at an average of 51.38, having been involved in 21 century stands.
The Ganguly-Dravid partnership continued beyond 22 yards as Indian captain and vice-captain for half a decade. This period witnessed a remarkable rise in Indian cricket.
On the 25th anniversary of their iconic Lord’s stand, let us dive into the past and relive nine of their iconic partnerships since the 1996 Lord's Test.
#1 Twin century stands in Johannesburg, January 1997
Two young men, barely six months since their dream debut, produced mastery with the willow and exhibited immense maturity to almost guide India to one of their most memorable victories.
Having lost the first two Tests against South Africa, India had to play for their pride. Electing to bat first, India were helped by a 145-run stand between Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.
While Rahul Dravid was more cautious in his approach and etched his maiden Test hundred, Sourav Ganguly was all about his gorgeous trademark off-drives. As India managed a sizeable first-innings lead, the second innings saw the duo stitch together another century stand (108) in a much quicker time to set South Africa a target of 356. However, a defiant century from Daryll Cullinan and poor weather conditions robbed India off a memorable victory.
Brief scores
India 410 (Rahul Dravid 148, Sourav Ganguly 73, Javagal Srinath 41; Allan Donald 3/88, Lance Klusener 3/75) & 266 for December 8 (Vikram Rathour 44, Nayan Mongia 50, Rahul Dravid 81, Sourav Ganguly 60; Allan Donald 3/38; Paul Adams 3/80) drew with South Africa 321 (Hansie Cronje 43, Brian McMillan 47, Shaun Pollock 79; Javagal Srinath 5/104) & 228 for 8 (Daryll Cullinan 122*, Lance Klusener 49; Anil Kumble 3/40)
#2 Saving the Hamilton Test, January 1999
The Test will be best remembered for Rahul Dravid’s herculean efforts. During the match, he followed Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar (who did it three times) to become the third Indian to score twin centuries in a Test.
With Daniel Vettori and Dion Nash injured, New Zealand delayed their declaration. Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid then counterattacked on the fifth day to get their respective hundreds. Chasing 415, India’s win did not come. But the pair entertained fans with their superlative stroke-play and an unbeaten 194-run partnership.
Brief scores
New Zealand 366 (Matt Horne 63, Roger Twose 87, Craig McMillan 92; Javagal Srinath 5/95) & 464 for 8 dec. (Craig McMillan 84, Adam Parore 50, Chris Cairns 126, Dion Nash 63, Daniel Vettori 43*) drew with India 416 (Rahul Dravid 190, Sachin Tendulkar 67, Javagal Srinath 76; Simon Doull 3/64, Chris Cairns 4/107) & 249 for 2 (Rahul Dravid 103*, Sourav Ganguly 101*)
#3 Dismantling Sri Lanka in Nagpur, March 1999
While the phase saw Rahul Dravid transform into an ODI batter, it also witnessed Sourav Ganguly stepping up as a white-ball cricketer. During the Pepsi Cup tri-series, India dominated the then-world champions Sri Lanka, courtesy of a record 236-run stand between the two.
Sourav Ganguly batted throughout the innings for 130, notching up his first ODI hundred on home soil. Rahul Dravid scored at a more rapid pace, scoring 116. Perhaps this partnership was a dress rehearsal for something bigger that followed against the same opposition two months later.
Sourav Ganguly was not done and went on to pick up four wickets. He became the fourth cricketer after Sir Vivian Richards, Nathan Astle and Sachin Tendulkar to score a century and take four wickets in the same ODI.
Brief scores
India 287 for 3 (50) [Sourav Ganguly 130 (160)*, Rahul Dravid 116 (118); Chaminda Vaas 3/56] beat Sri Lanka 207 (38) [Arjuna Ranatunga 46 (43); Ajit Agarkar 3/14, Sourav Ganguly 4/21] by 80 runs
#4 The Taunton rampage against Sri Lanka, 1999 World Cup
Arjuna Ranatunga’s decision to bowl seemed justified when Chaminda Vaas got the ball to move in sharply to disturb Sadagoppan Ramesh’s stumps in the first over. But it was all India from then on.
On a day of records, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid added 318 runs in 45 overs, the then-highest ODI partnership. Meanwhile, India’s total of 373 runs was ODI cricket’s then-second-highest score. Sourav Ganguly’s 183, on the other hand, was India’s then-highest ODI score, then-fourth-highest ODI score and then-second-highest World Cup score after Gary Kirsten's 188*.
Even the great Muttiah Muralitharan was plundered for runs with ease as India put up one of their most dominant shows ever at the biggest stages of them all – the World Cup.
Brief scores
India 373 for 6 (50) [Sourav Ganguly 183 (158), Rahul Dravid 145 (129); Pramodya Wickramasinghe 3/65] beat Sri Lanka 216 (42.3) [Aravinda de Silva 56 (74); Robin Singh 5/31] by 157 runs
#5 Conquering South Africa at Nairobi, 2000 Champions Trophy
Grappled in the shadows of corruption and match-fixing controversy, this was a tumultuous phase of Indian cricket that coincided with Sourav Ganguly’s start as India captain. Along with his deputy Rahul Dravid, Ganguly had a big task of restoring the fans’ faith.
The Champions Trophy in 2000 was the beginning of many good things for Indian cricket. The tournament saw several fresh faces who would go on to become the mainstays of the Indian team in the years that followed. After beating Australia in the quarter-finals, it was time to square off against defending champions and tournament favorites South Africa.
Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid's 145-run stand for the second wicket provided India with the platform to post a big total. Once again, the Indian captain carried his bat and helped the side post 295-6. In reply, South Africa were bundled out for just 200 as India cruised to the final.
Brief scores
India 295 for 6 (50) [Sourav Ganguly 141 (142)*, Rahul Dravid 58 (71), Yuvraj Singh 41 (35)] beat South Africa 200 (41) [Mark Boucher 60 (77)] by 95 runs
#6 Beating the odds at Kandy, August 2001
It was not the best of surfaces to bat on. Moreover, India were without Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman. Sourav Ganguly was in woeful form and had failed to score a fifty in 13 consecutive innings. The target of 264 against the likes of Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan and a capacity crowd at Kandy looked daunting. Sri Lanka were expected to seal the series without much of a fuss.
With plenty of time remaining in the Test, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid knew that they needed to bat quickly to ensure a positive result. The duo added 94 runs for the third wicket, scoring at almost four runs an over to bring India closer to the target. While Dravid perished to the wily Murali, Ganguly ensured he stayed until the end and finished the job with an unbeaten 98.
Brief scores
Sri Lanka 274 (Mahela Jayawardene 104; Zaheer Khan 3/62) & 221 (Muttiah Muralitharan 67; Zaheer Khan 4/76, Venkatesh Prasad 5/72) lost to India 232 (Sadagoppan Ramesh 47; Chaminda Vaas 4/65) & 264 for 3 (Rahul Dravid 75, Sourav Ganguly 98*) by 95 runs
#7 Pakistan breached in Rawalpindi, April 2004
Rahul Dravid rose to the occasion to hand India a historic series win over Pakistan. Not only was it India’s first overseas Test series win in over a decade, but it was also their first and only series victory in Pakistan.
The entire Indian side batted around Rahul Dravid, who stayed in the middle for almost 12-and-a-half hours. The 270 at Rawalpindi remains his highest Test score. Skipper Sourav Ganguly added a 131-run stand for the fifth wicket with Dravid before getting run out.
Brief scores
Pakistan 224 (Mohammad Sami 49; L Balaji 4/63) & 245 (Mohammad Yousuf 48, Asim Kamal 60*; L Balaji 3/108, Anil Kumble 4/47) lost to India 600 (Parthiv Patel 69, Rahul Dravid 270, VVS Laxman 71, Sourav Ganguly 77, Yuvraj Singh 47; Shoaib Akhtar 3/47) by an innings and 131 runs
#8 Another Lord’s exhibition, September 2004
Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid yet again combined to bail India out of a precarious situation at Lord’s. Two years since the memorable Natwest final, the two sides tussled again at the same venue in an ODI. While wickets kept tumbling at one end, the Indian captain held the fort. Rahul Dravid joined him for a vital 93-run stand. None of the other Indian batsmen rose to the occasion as the visitors folded for 204. England eventually fell short by 23 runs, which further highlights the importance of the partnership.
Brief scores
India 204 (49.3) [Sourav Ganguly 90 (119), Rahul Dravid 52 (92); Steve Harmison 4/22] beat England 181 (48.2) [Michael Vaughan 74 (141); Ashish Nehra 3/26, Harbhajan 3/28] by 23 runs
#9 Beyond the boundaries
Even beyond their playing days, both Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid continue to serve Indian cricket tirelessly. Articulate and insightful, the duo first won hearts in the commentary box before proceeding to a more hands-on role. When Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman were appointed to the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) in 2015, they suggested Dravid’s name as the coach for India A and U-19. As they say, the rest is history.
While Sourav Ganguly is the current BCCI president, Rahul Dravid serves as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The partnership has been critical to the success of Indian cricket, with Laxman stating last year:
“It is great, the partnership between BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly and National Cricket Academy (NCA) head Rahul Dravid. If the Indian team wants to be successful in every format, then this partnership is of utmost importance. I think everyone is important, the team captain, NCA head and BCCI president.”
The continued success of Indian cricket across the spectrum is a testimony to their partnership. From Under-15 levels to international cricket to their current leadership and administrative roles, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid continue to serve Indian cricket, only helping it scale.
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