Cricket World Cup history: Rahul Dravid, a model of consistency

There were sceptics who thought Rahul Dravid was not made for One-day cricket. He is too pure a batsman, they felt. They did not realise that there is a place for good technique and orthodoxy even in the One-day game.

For instance, when there is life in the wicket, when the ball is moving around. Often you need a sheet anchor too, when others are hitting the ball around from the other end.

Generally wickets in One-day cricket are flat and strokeplayers are able to attack the bowling. But you cannot always hit through the line, or on the rise. That is when the wicket is aiding the bowlers. And that is when you need batsmen with good technique.

Dravid might have got bogged down on the odd occasion, but he was certainly no strokeless wonder. When the mood seized him, he could belt the ball all over - and with a lot of finesse. “Good technique is no burden in One-dayers”, feels the articulate Dravid.

In the 1999 World Cup, Dravid was in prime form, and the conditions too demanded his style of batting. Three years earlier he had made a glorious debut in Test cricket, also in England. Now he showed with his sound technique that he was the man to bank on when the wickets were a bit damp, and the ball swerved in the air and darted sideways on hitting the track.

He was the highest scorer in the tournament with 461 runs at an average of 65.85, including 2 centuries and 3 fifties.

The opening encounter with South Africa was a tough one. Sachin Tendulkar departed, unable to capitalise on a fine start. Dravid joined Sourav Ganguly, another who reveled on Test debut in England in 1996, and was in good touch in this tournament too.

The two settled down into a long partnership, their crisply struck boundaries interspersed with well-judged singles. Dravid was at his fluent best. They had added 130 when Dravid went for a big hit against Lance Klusener and was bowled. He had scored 54 off 75 deliveries with 5 fours. But South Africa proved too strong, and eventually won the match.

There was a jolt at the hands of Zimbabwe too. India needed to regroup, and they could not have had a better opportunity than against Kenya.

Tendulkar, now batting at no.4, joined Dravid at 92 for two. With Tendulkar striking the ball magnificently, Dravid too flowered. Tendulkar, and then Dravid, became the first centurions in a tournament in which 14 matches had already been played.

This was extraordinary when one considers that hundreds had been scored in the opening matches of all the six World Cups played earlier, the first three in England. It was proof that batting conditions were not easy in this tournament, particularly in the early stages.

Dravid and Tendulkar put on 237 runs for the third wicket without being separated, surpassing the highest partnership for any wicket in the World Cup, earlier held by Mark and Steve Waugh. The Australian twins had added 207 for the same wicket and against the same country in 1996.

Dravid and Tendulkar also broke the record for the highest third-wicket partnership in all One-overs Internationals held by Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed, who had put on 230 against India in 1998.

While Tendulkar hit an unbeaten 140, Dravid scored 104 not out off 109 deliveries with 10 fours. This was only the second occasion in World Cup history when two batsmen scored hundreds in the same innings. The earlier instance was when Desmond Haynes (105) and Vivian Richards (181) hit centuries against Sri Lanka in 1987.

If that seemed like a monumental partnership, and a high point in Dravid’s One-day International career, the next match was mind-boggling. Facing Sri Lanka, Dravid in the company of Ganguly took limited-overs batting to new heights.

Coming together at 6 for one, they simply annihilated the defending champions, and set a plethora of records. Though Dravid was generally a cautious starter, it was he who showed the way with a flurry of brilliant shots. He brought up his half-century off just 43 deliveries with 10 boundaries.

Ganguly revealed later: “When Rahul reached his fifty, I told him that was the best half-century I had seen from his bat.”

The marauding duo eclipsed the previous highest for the second wicket, of 176 between England’s Dennis Amiss and Keith Fletcher against India in the first-ever World Cup match at Lord’s in 1975. Next they obliterated the highest-ever World Cup partnership of 237 between Dravid and Tendulkar for any wicket, set in the previous match.

Finally, they overtook the best partnership for any wicket in all One-day Internationals, that of 276 between India’s Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja for the fourth wicket against Zimbabwe in 1998.

In the midst of this record-breaking spree, Dravid hoisted his century off 102 balls with 12 fours. Ganguly and Dravid became the first pair to post a 300-run stand in One-day internationals. When Dravid was finally run out, the pair had put on a mammoth 318 runs for the second wicket.

Dravid scored a brilliant 145 off 129 balls with a six and 17 fours. He became the second player to score two successive World Cup centuries, emulating Mark Waugh who scored 130 and 126 against Kenya and India respectively in 1996. This was the third instance in the World Cup when two batsmen scored centuries in the same innings.

As Dravid kept wickets in this match, this was the highest score by a wicketkeeper in the World Cup, surpassing Zimbabwean David Houghton’s 142 against New Zealand in 1987. It was truly a memorable match for Dravid.

There was further glory in the crucial last league match against England. Dravid combined well again with Ganguly and Tendulkar, putting on 44 and 46 runs respectively. He batted sensibly in a demanding situation, before getting carried away after reaching his half-century.

Dravid departed for 53 off 82 balls with 6 fours. He was the most prolific scorer in the round-robin stage with 369 runs at an average of 92.25.

Aussie paceman Glenn McGrath posed serious problems in the first super-six match, but there was some jubilation ahead. Pakistan had never beaten India in the World Cup. The trend continued.

Dravid joined forces with Tendulkar, now opening and a bit tentative but still good enough to score some runs against the arch-rivals. It was a wicket for the seamers and the pair bided their time. The silken touch of Dravid was in evidence soon as the pair put on 58 for the second wicket.

Later, in association with skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, Dravid added 51 for the fourth wicket. He brought up his half-century but soon drove Wasim Akram uppishly into the hands of Shahid Afridi at mid-off. Dravid’s 61 came off 89 deliveries with four boundaries.

While there was nothing at stake for India in their last super-six match as they were already out of the tournament, for the Kiwis it was essential to win in order to reach the semi-finals. It seemed India lacked motivation even though Dravid and the other batsmen tried to apply themselves.

As if to celebrate his personal triumphs in the tournament with the bat, as much as to exert pressure on the New Zealanders, Dravid played a flurry of glorious strokes. That was till he sliced one from Chris Cairns to Stephen Fleming at gully. He hit 5 fours in his 35-ball knock of 29.

It was a brief, sweet encore. Dravid showed that he could match the best with his strokeplay.

One of India’s strategies for the 2003 World Cup was to make full use of Dravid’s wicketkeeping ability, thereby being able to play an additional batsman. He took over the mantle a few months before the tournament, leading to a furious debate between the purists and the realists.

Former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy seemed to tread the middle path: “I agree wicketkeeping is not rigorous in One-dayers as batsmen don’t leave too many balls and the ‘keeper doesn’t have to do much. But it’s a critical area and one which needs to be stressed. A batsman may succeed with the gloves, but it’s unrealistic to expect him to be an Adam Gilchrist or Andy Flower.”

The emergence of Virender Sehwag at the top of the order was perhaps a silver lining. Dravid was forced to move lower down. That not only reduced the pressure on him, saddled as he was with duties behind the stumps, but it also helped stabilise the middle-order. He was a calming influence on the youngsters who batted with him there.

The horrendous New Zealand tour before this event had left a scar even on the unflappable Dravid, and it showed in the first two matches. Thereafter his performance with the bat was beyond reproach, even though there was not much scope for him to play a really long innings.

With the gloves he was adequate, even brilliant at times. He was, indeed, a very vital element in India’s glorious run to the final.

India’s campaign gained momentum as they faced Zimbabwe. Dravid’s unbeaten 43 off 55 balls and useful partnerships with skipper Ganguly, Mohammad Kaif and Zaheer Khan helped carry the total past the 250 mark.

England seemed to have rattled India at 107 for three, but Dravid again conjured valuable stands with Dinesh Mongia, Yuvraj Singh and Kaif. He consolidated at first and accelerated towards the end.

When Dravid was dismissed for 62 off 72 balls with 3 fours and a six, one of four wickets in the last over, India had touched 250 again. He also snapped up three catches off man-of-the-match Ashish Nehra, the second of which brought him 50 wicketkeeping dismissals in 42 matches. It was a fine double by a man who never ceased to amaze.

Tendulkar’s explosive innings caused mayhem in the Pakistani ranks, but at 177 for four with the maestro gone, there were still 97 runs to get. The pace at which Tendulkar scored had ensured that there were 134 balls left, the later batsmen needing to score at no more than 4.35 runs an over.

India need not have worried. Dravid was assured as was his wont, and in his company Yuvraj Singh was brilliant. They carried the side to victory with 26 deliveries to spare. Dravid was unbeaten with 44 off 76 balls and hit just two boundaries. He showed once again that fast scoring is not always a pre-requisite in One-day cricket.

Kenya had suddenly emerged as the dark horses, and they had India in serious trouble in the first super-six match. Having posted 225 in the day-night encounter, they reduced India to 24 for three with Sehwag, Tendulkar and Kaif back in the pavilion.

Dravid provided invaluable support to Ganguly as they painstakingly resurrected the innings. They added 84 before Dravid was caught and bowled by leg-spinner Collins Obuya. Dravid had taken 73 balls to score 32, but had helped pull his team out of a perilous position. Ganguly then completed the task with Yuvraj.

India were hardly tested by Sri Lanka, and New Zealand folded for just 146 on a Centurion track that afforded bounce and lateral movement. Kiwi quickie Shane Bond and seamer Daryl Tuffey struck back, removing Sehwag, Ganguly and Tendulkar with just 21 on the board. But Dravid’s resilience was on test again.

This time his ally was Kaif. Dravid got a lucky break when he was dropped behind the stumps by Brendon McCullum, but there was no looking back thereafter.

The pair added 129, clinching another fine win. This was India’s highest partnership for the fourth wicket in the World Cup. Dravid was unbeaten with 53 off 89 balls, having hit 7 fours.

For the fourth time in five matches Dravid was called upon to rescue his team from crises of varying dimensions, and each time his reliability passed the sternest of tests.

Kenya could not offer any resistance in the semi-final, but India ran out of steam in the final. By the time Dravid came in to bat at 59 for three, chasing a round 360, it was a hopeless situation. Still, he added 88 with Sehwag, and 40 for the fifth wicket with Yuvraj. Dravid departed for 47.

It might have been a disappointing final but the team had already brought much joy to the fans. And there was no team man as faithful and dedicated as Dravid. He did much more than was asked of him, this time not in the forefront, but in the background, literally.

The situation changed dramatically in the 2007 World Cup. He was now at the helm, with the high profile Greg Chappell as coach. It seemed like a headmaster-headboy relationship as the stern Chappell hogged the headlines while the studious Dravid appeared to be the obedient, diligent prefect.

There were fond hopes that India would make a strong bid for the title, but the combination came horribly unstuck at the biggest stage of them all.

The imposing Chappell was determined to push through his theories without taking into account Indian culture, ethos and sensibilities. He forgot that the Indian team had superstars with achievements far greater than his own, and whose experience of top-class contemporary international cricket was much more relevant than his own ‘Australian way or the highway’ attitude.

Chappell’s behaviour was stifling to the Indian team brimming with talent, and the tensions showed at the most inappropriate juncture. Dravid was willing to play along unquestioningly with the overbearing coach.

India had a tricky opening clash with Bangladesh. One got an uneasy feeling before the match, for the young Bangladeshi outfit had nothing to lose. They played without fear, attacking the uptight Big Brother.

The pacemen pushed the tentative Indians on the back foot right away. Mashrafe Mortaza sent back the openers Sehwag and Robin Uthappa cheaply, and then Abdur Razzak dealt a stunning blow, having Tendulkar caught behind.

Dravid walked to the middle at 40 for three after 15 overs. He did not last too long, being trapped leg-before by veteran left-armer Mohammad Rafique for 14. Though Ganguly and Yuvraj added 85 for the fifth wicket, India were bowled out for 191 in the last over.

The paltry total did not test the Bangladesh line-up, with the left-handed opener Tamim Iqbal, still three days shy of his 18th birthday, leading the way with a rousing half-century. India lost by five wickets.

They now had their task cut out, to beat Bermuda by a big margin so as to clock a good net run-rate, and then put it across the Sri Lankans.

The first objective was achieved easily, with India running up the record World Cup total of 413 for five, being the only team to top the 400 mark, and then bowling out Bermuda for 156. Dravid himself allowed the strokeplayers to bat up the order and came in only towards the close of the innings.

Sri Lanka put up a respectable score of 254 for for six. But the much-vaunted Indian batting wilted. This time Dravid came to the middle at 44 for three after 11.3 overs. He put up a half-century stand with Sehwag but then saw wickets tumbling at the other end.

He was finally dismissed for 60 off 82 deliveries, having struck 6 boundaries. At 159 for eight after 37.3 overs, just the formalities remained.

As the disbelieving players sat stunned, the fans vented their ire at the over-hyped team. Heads were bound to roll, and the obvious casualty was Chappell, who took far too long to see the writing on the wall.

Dravid stayed on for a few months before handing in the captaincy.

Even so, with 860 runs in the World Cup at an average above 60 and a strike-rate close to 75, Dravid always answered the call of duty. He did a competent job behind the stumps whenever he was called upon to do so.

As wicketkeeper he scored 463 runs in the premier tournament and has the best batting average of 77.16 among the tribe, barring Farokh Engineer who averaged 78 but played just two innings - in one of which he was unbeaten in 1975.

Dravid might have donned the big gauntlets manfully, but it is with the other gloves and willow that he came to be dubbed ‘the Wall’, the Mr. Reliable of Indian cricket. The finest technician since Sunil Gavaskar, Dravid is one of the foremost batsmen to emerge from India.

He is acknowledged as a high-class player in Test cricket, but proved that he could dazzle in the One-day game too.

Rahul Dravid’s World Cup batting and fielding record:

Matches 22, Highest Score 145, Runs 860, Average 61.42, Strike-rate 74.97, Hundreds 2, Fifties 6, Catches 17, Stumping 1