The other number 'fours' of Indian cricket

Rahul Dravid (21 innings. 967 runs @ 53.16, 2 centuries, 6 fifties) - The Number 3 position will always be synonymous with Dravid but he did have his share of good times at Number 4 as well. While the averages may not be astronomically apart (53.16 as compared to a career average of 52.31), he did play more than a couple of useful knocks from this position. The first of these was a superlative 118 against Zimbabwe at Harare as he helped India take a first innings lead only to squander it and lose the match by 61 runs. His batting at Number 4 though was by chance as Kumble had been the nightwatchman in the first innings and he returned to Number 3 in the second innings and ground out a 115 ball 44 which, however, could not change India’s fate. Till 2004, he filled up this spot only in the case of a nightwatchman coming out to bat earlier. He did get his chance as a proper Number 4 when Sachin was forced to miss a Test series for the first time. Kaif took up his spot for the first Test match as Dravid batted one spot lower than his usual position. Another grim innings of 61 from 172 could not save India from a ten-wicket thrashing by the hosts.

His most crucial contributions at this position though came against West Indies in 2006. Having taken up the captaincy less than year earlier, he had combined with coach Greg Chappell for successes in ODI series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and England but had come a cropper in Tests with a 1-0 defeat in Pakistan and 1-1 drawn series at home against England. The ODI leg of the West Indies tour had gone 4-1 to the hosts and, with Tendulkar out for the Tests and Ganguly out of favour, Dravid was not just the captain but the senior most figure in the team. He took to the responsibility like a fish to water and dropped himself to the pivotal Number 4 position from where he had scores of 49, 62, 146, 22, 81 and 68. The last two knocks were made on a brute of a pitch in Jamaica where the only other Indian batsman to pass 20 was Anil Kumble. These two knocks gave India its first victory in the Caribbean in 35 years and was also the first time India beat an opposition other than Zimbabwe outside the subcontinent in 20 years.