5 areas where Rahul Dravid proved superior to Sachin Tendulkar

As Indian cricket fans who learned to love the game in the 1990s and became mature connoisseurs of it in 2000s, we had the unrivalled good luck to watch both Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid in their prime.

Watching them bat together was the most pleasurable experience for a cricket lovers. The ‘Little Master’ and ‘The Wall’ were two men who, among all the players of that era, came closest to achieving batting perfection.

Obviously, Sachin Tendulkar is regarded as the better batsman among the two, but it feels almost sinful to get into a comparison as that requires pronouncing Rahul Dravid to be less good – a sacrilege of the highest order for any Indian cricket fan of our generation.

But cricket is a game that ensures its greatest practitioners get their own unique distinctions which allow them to be remembered and revered without being overshadowed by contemporaries. The same is the case with Dravid.

India’s greatest No. 3 batsmen may not have reached all those dizzying heights attained by his more celebrated teammate. But in certain spheres of cricketing achievements, he has got the better of Tendulkar. Let’s pay tribute to this giant by recounting those accomplishments which even the ‘god of cricket’ doesn’t have.

---

#1. 500 Runs in a Test Series

Dravid scored not just over 500, but over 600 runs twice in a series, a feat Sachin couldn't manage

It has often been said that there is no batting record or achievement that Sachin Tendulkar doesn’t possess. However, that is far from the truth. One of the batting milestones which the great man couldn’t reach was scoring 500 runs in a Test series.

He came close though. In the 2007-08 series in Australia, Sachin missed the coveted mark by just 7 runs. But ‘The Wall’ did reach that height and that too, twice.

In the 2003-04 tour of Australia, Dravid played the leading role for India in their brilliant performance of drawing the 4-match series by scoring 619 runs.

Around one-and-a-half years earlier, he had managed the same feat in England. Thanks to three consecutive hundreds, including a double ton, Dravid accumulated 602 runs in the 4-Test series against the hosts.

The fact that he managed to break not just the 500, but even the 600 barrier in both Australia and England speaks volumes of the greatness that this legend from Bengaluru possessed.

He could easily have breached the 500 mark a third time, during India’s tour to the West Indies in 2006, when he was the captain of the team, but fell short by just four runs. It’s clear that Dravid was relentless when he struck good form.

#2. Hundreds in Each Innings of a Test

Dravid has the distinction of scoring hundreds in each innings of a Test on two occasions

Another batting accomplishment which evaded Sachin in his career was scoring a century in both innings of a Test. But his predecessor at no.3 in the batting order did achieve this feat. Interestingly, like the milestone mentioned above, this one was also accomplished by Dravid, not once but twice.

It was during India’s tour to New Zealand in 1998-99 that ‘The Wall’ first managed to earn this distinction. The Test at Hamilton – third and final of the series – was where the twin hundreds were scored. A massive 190 in the first innings was followed by an unbeaten hundred in the second to take India safely into a draw.

The other instance of two hundreds in a Test by Dravid occurred in 2005 during the second Test of the 3-match series at Eden Gardens. Here, a score of 407 by India in the first innings was underpinned by an innings of 110 from the legendary No. 3 batsman of India.

Pakistan almost achieved parity with India in their reply. So, it was left to ‘The Wall’ again to lead the way in setting up a big target for Pakistan. He did that by scoring 135 and helped India register a resounding win over their arch-rivals.

This is another proof of Dravid’s tendency to be relentless in the pursuit of runs when at the crease.

#3. More Centuries in England

Rahul Dravid's record in England easily surpasses that of Tendulkar

England is possibly, the most difficult place to visit for batsmen from other countries. Yes, Australia seemed more intimidating when their team was dominating world cricket, but that was due to the superiority of their bowling attack. Otherwise, Australia can be a good place for batting as well.

England, on the other hand, with its swing and seam-friendly conditions, presents a much tougher challenge very often. Both Sachin and Dravid excelled in England despite these difficulties. The ‘Little Master’ scored his maiden Test ton in England and went on to score three more along with many half-centuries.

But when it comes to centuries scored in England, ‘The Wall’ is ahead of Tendulkar, that too, having played fewer matches. Tendulkar scored four hundreds in England in 17 matches while his illustrious teammate has six from just 13 games.

This speaks volumes about Dravid's brilliant technique as well as longevity. He led the way in the 2002 series by scoring hundreds in three consecutive Tests. Nine years later, he repeated the feat of scoring three tons in a series in England when he emerged as the lone fighter during India’s embarrassing 0-4 whitewash.

In an interview to the BBC, Dravid said that he enjoyed playing in England because he felt comfortable in the country. As a result, while Tendulkar clearly has a much better record in Australia where Dravid struggled at times, in England, the latter is the boss.

#4. Leading His Side to Successful Chase of 300+ Target While Remaining Unbeaten

Dravid played, arguably, played his best ODI innings against West Indies in 2002 at Ahmadabad

Sachin was part of and led India to many victories while chasing targets. His famous knock in the Final of the 1998 triangular series in Sharjah, which led India to victory over Australia, is stuff of legends.

But chasing 300+ targets, which became more common in the 2000s and the following decade, and remaining unbeaten till the end was something that he didn’t have too much success in.

Yes, Tendulkar did play a leading role in India’s victory over England in 2007 at The Oval when his team chased down 317. By scoring 94, he gave the India the platform to build their chase on and bagged the man-of-the-match award. But he was out when India’s score was 156 and it needed a brilliant innings from Robin Uthappa to seal the win in the last over.

Similarly, in 2009, at Hyderabad, Sachin's innings of 175 almost took India to a most improbable victory where they needed to chase down 351. However, with 19 to get off the last three overs, he got out and the lower order messed up a very likely win.

Dravid, though, had better fortune in a game played at Ahmedabad in 2002. West Indies had given India a target of 325 to chase under lights. Dravid, who batted at No.4, played a stellar innings of 109* and saw India home to an amazing triumph.

He was greatly helped by Sanjay Bangar who came into bat at No. 7 and played an unbelievably uncharacteristic innings of 57 off just 41 balls to provide the impetus needed for getting the better of the high required run-rate.

Remember, this match was taking place in 2002 when a target of 300 was still a very stiff one. Dravid played the role of the pivot around which the Indian reply developed. He was there at the end, his shirt dripping wet with sweat, getting his team home to a great win. This was possibly his best ODI innings and the like of which, unfortunately, Tendulkar didn't have.

#5. Scoring Joint-Second Fastest Fifty for India in ODIs

Dravid stunned everyone by scoring a half-century in just 22 balls against New Zealand in 2002

This superiority of Dravid over Sachin would stun a lot of people. In ODIs, the latter was clearly the better batsman. After all, he was the ‘Master Blaster’ while Dravid played the role of a solid middle-order batsman in the line-up whose job was to build the innings.

But there is one area where Dravid is well ahead of the man who scored 49 ODI centuries. It is the list of fastest ODI half-centuries. In a must-win game for India against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 2003 – part of a triangular series – Dravid came out to bat with India already set for a big score thanks to hundreds from both Sachin and Sehwag.

What he produced was a knock which no one ever expected him to play, or be even capable of playing. 'The Wall' smashed a half-century in just 22 balls – joint second-fastest for India in ODIs along with Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh. Interestingly, the record of fastest fifty for India in ODIs belongs to an even more improbable person – Ajit Agarkar.

This innings of Dravid was a spectacle. It was studded with 5 fours and 3 sixes. The crowning glory was a lofted cover drive for six – one of the most difficult and awesome strokes in cricket. Even Sachin – the ‘master blaster’ – didn’t play a knock like this.

It just goes to show that when he wanted to, ‘The Wall’ could come down like a ton of bricks on the bowlers.