India's 5 biggest defeats under Rahul Dravid's captaincy

Upon taking over the captaincy mantle due to a major ramification of the infamous spat between Greg Chappell and Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid did not take too long before adapting himself to the rigours accompanying the top job. Having led India on a sporadic basis in the preceding years, the reliable right-hander vindicated his ascension by leading his country to plenty of memorable victories.

However, Dravid's captaincy career was also not without its fair share of defeats. Some losses, in particular, proved to be chastening experiences for the temperamentally unswerving batsman. Here are five such defeats which stand out as blemishes in what was otherwise a rewarding reign at the helm of affairs. Across both Tests and ODIs, these matches have not been categorised according to the margins of loss. Instead, they are listed on the basis of importance attached to them.

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#5 Against South Africa in Kolkata (2005 ODI series)

India were cleaned up for a paltry total by a firing South African bowling attack

During the early to mid 2000s, international matches at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata provided several reasons for its citizens to celebrate. The foremost among them all was the presence of captain Sourav Ganguly. However, when the skipper was ousted from the team, the 'City of Joy' responded by doing the unthinkable in 2005. On a venue widely considered to be the bastion of Indian cricket, the 'Men in Blue' were publicly booed by a raucous crowd who were still reeling from the exclusion of their local hero.

The beneficiaries of Eden Gardens' ignominious act turned out to be the visiting South African side. The Proteas watched on bemusedly as the crowd kept cheering them on for the entire duration of the ODI. They won a handy toss and inserted the home team (by nomenclature only) on a distinctly dicey track. India's formidable batting lineup came a cropper against South Africa's accurate seamers.

A fighting partnership between Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif could not prevent India from crashing down to a paltry total. Captain Graeme Smith's explosive century along with Andrew Hall's resolute knock propelled South Africa to a 10-wicket victory. India would go on to win the subsequent match in Mumbai to square the ODI series.

Brief Scores: India - 188 from 45.5 overs (Yuvraj Singh 53, Mohammad Kaif 46, Shaun Pollock 3/25, Andrew Hall 3/36); South Africa - 189/0 from 35.5 overs (Graeme Smith 134*, Hall 48*)

Result - South Africa won by 10 wickets with 85 balls to spare

#4 Against Australia in Nagpur (2004 Border-Gavaskar Trophy)

Australia hammered the hosts by 342 runs to win a series on Indian soil after 35 years

By the time they arrived in Nagpur, the Indian team were truly up against it. The Australians had surged to a 1-0 lead. When the third Test began, the hosts needed to avoid defeat in order to protect 'The Final Frontier'.

While regular skipper Ricky Ponting continued to be unavailable due to a broken thumb, India were dented ahead of the match as their captain Sourav Ganguly pulled out with a supposed 'groin injury'. Murmurs began to float of the left-hander escaping an unusually green-tinged surface in the guise of injury. The mystery remains unsolved till date.

Buoyed by a seam-friendly surface which was apparently a by-product of an alleged tiff between VCA and BCCI, Australia batted with conviction and amassed a formidable first-innings total. With the exception of Mohammad Kaif, none of the Indian batsmen could front up to the challenge posed by Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie. After deciding against enforcing the follow-on, the Aussies piled on the runs and left India with an insurmountable chase. The visitors wrapped up a clinical 342-run triumph to secure an unassailable series lead.

Brief Scores: Australia - 398 (Damien Martyn 114, Michael Clarke 91, Zaheer Khan 4/95) & 329/5 declared (Simon Katich 99, Martyn 97); India - 185 (Mohammad Kaif 55, Jason Gillespie 5/56) & 200 (Virender Sehwag 58, Gillespie 4/24)

Result - Australia won by 342 runs

Watch Australia's series-sealing triumph in Nagpur

#3 Against Australia in Mohali (2006 Champions Trophy)

Dravid's troops were knocked out of the Champions Trophy by eventual champions Australia

When the 2006 edition of the Champions Trophy began, Australia were intent on adding the missing trophy to their swelling cabinet of cups. However, their ambitions took a beating as defending champions West Indies shocked them with a 10-run heist in Mumbai. India, who had begun their campaign with a relatively comfortable victory against England, also suffered a setback against the men from the Caribbean.

With Australia brushing England aside in Jaipur, their clash against India became a virtual quarter-final for both teams. On the traditionally seam-conducive surface in Mohali, the hosts decided to bat first. However, Glenn McGrath kept their batsmen on a tight leash right throughout his impeccable spell. During certain moments, it appeared as if Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid had exchanged roles. Nevertheless, the 'Men in Blue' could only reach an inadequate total.

Chasing 250 for a place in the last four, Australia were powered by half-centuries from Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn. The latter remained unbeaten to guide his team to a comprehensive victory. The Aussies would go on to lift the Champions Trophy for the first time in their history.

Brief Scores: India - 249/8 from 50 overs (Virender Sehwag 65, Rahul Dravid 52, Glenn McGrath 2/34); Australia - 252/4 from 45.4 overs (Damien Martyn 73*, Ricky Ponting 58, Sreesanth 2/43)

Result - Australia won by six wickets with 26 balls to spare

#2 Against Pakistan in Karachi (2006 Test series)

Mohammad Asif bowled Pakistan to a series-clinching triumph against India

In sharp contrast to the events of recent times, India and Pakistan regularly met each other on the field during the mid 2000s. India embarked on one such trip across the border in 2006. Despite the pre-series talk of ambushing the visitors with rigged pace-friendly surfaces, the curators in Lahore and Faisalabad rolled out flat decks of the highest order. With the first two matches ending in stalemate, the Test series was up for grabs when the two arch-rivals squared off at the fabled National Stadium in Karachi.

Capitalising on the early morning cloudy weather, Irfan Pathan left the crowd in utter disbelief by picking up a sensational hat-trick in the opening over of the match. 0/3 soon turned to 39/6 as RP Singh and Zaheer Khan joined in on the fun. Against all odds, Kamran Akmal produced the knock of his life-time. The wicket-keeper batsman's 148-ball 113 helped Pakistan reach a competitive total.

The home team's potent seam attack not only halted India's charge but also wrested a tiny lead of seven runs. With the pitch easing out, the Pakistani batsmen made the visitors toil under demanding conditions. While Faisal Iqbal scored a sublime century, the likes of Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq fell short of three figures. Defending a whopping 607 runs, Mohammad Asif struck at the heart of India's batting lineup. In a magical spell, he removed Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar in quick succession to pave the way for a facile triumph.

Extra Cover: 5 hat-tricks which did nothing to help the team’s cause

Brief Scores: Pakistan - 245 (Kamran Akmal 113, Irfan Pathan 5/61) & 599/7 declared (Faisal Iqbal 139, Mohammad Yousuf 97, Anil Kumble 3/151); India - 238 (Yuvraj Singh 45, Mohammad Asif 4/78, Abdul Razzaq 3/67) & 265 (Yuvraj 122, Razzaq 4/88, Asif 3/48)

Result - Pakistan won by 341 runs

Watch Mohammad Asif's stunning spell in Karachi

#1 Against Bangladesh in Port of Spain (2007 World Cup)

Bangladesh shocked India by pulling off a tournament-changing upset win

It has been more than ten years since the fateful match. Yet, the vestiges remain scattered as debris inside every single Indian player associated with the events of that disastrous day at the Queen's Park Oval. On the other hand, their team's coming-of-age triumph continues to live within the Bangladeshi diaspora spread across the globe.

Touted as one of the favourites for clinching the title, a star-studded Indian outfit suffered an unshakeable jolt in their tournament opener. On a sluggish track, skipper Dravid won the toss and had no hesitation in batting first. Apart from Yuvraj, none of their batsmen could operate freely on the slow track. Ganguly crawled to a painstaking 129-ball 66 and the 'Men in Blue' laboured to a below-par total.

Sensing the opportunity to create history, Bangladesh batted with purpose. The charge was led by three of their most promising talents. All of Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan scored half-centuries to propel their country to a famous victory. India would eventually lose to Sri Lanka and crash out of the tournament at the group stage itself.

Watch Bangladesh's upset victory over India