The WALL

These are some of the stats of Dravid on his 100th Test.

• Became first Indian to be a victim of nervous 90s on debut, scoring 95 versus England at Lord's in 1996.
• Appeared in 94 Tests on the trot since debut in 1996 -- 93 for India and one for ICC World XI -- before missing a Test against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad in December 2005. His tally of 94 consecutive Tests is a record for any player in Test history since debut without a break.
• Holds the unique distinction of scoring a Test hundred in all Test-playing countries.
• Scored maximum double hundreds (5) for India. His last four double hundreds came in a span of 15 Tests.
• Three of Dravid's double centuries have come in overseas matches -- yet another Indian record. Gavaskar is the only other Indian to have scored more than one double century on foreign soil.
• Is only the second batsman after Don Bradman to score double hundreds in three successive series, making 222 vs New Zealand at Ahmedabad, 2003-04; 233 vs Australia at Adelaide, 2003-04 and 270 vs Pakistan at Rawalpindi, 2003-04.
• Scored 250-plus runs in a match on five occasions. Only Don Bradman (7) has scored more.
• Holds the Indian record of scoring centuries in most consecutive innings with four centuries in as many innings in 2002 & 2002-03 season.
• Shares the Indian record of scoring most consecutive fifties in a career with Gundappa Viswanath by notching six 50-plus scores in successive innings in 1997-98.
• Batted for 740 minutes for his innings of 270 against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in 2003-04, which is the longest ever innings played by an Indian in Test cricket.
• Was dismissed for his first duck after having aggregated 1805 runs -- an Indian record for batsmen who have registered at least one duck in their career.
• Batted for 72 consecutive innings without a duck between 1999-00 and 2003-04 -- a record for India. Had aggregated 3856 runs during this period -- another Indian record.
• Scored nine 90s in Tests -- most for India and second only to Australia's Steve Waugh, who scored 10 (Australia's Michael Slater also has a tally of 9).
• Once scored 473 runs in between two dismissals (41*,200*,70*,162).
• Only Indian to score more than 250 runs in a match without being dismissed even once – made 200* and 70* against Zimbabwe at Delhi in 2000-01
• Only the second Indian player to remain on the field throughout a complete Test match (v Pakistan at Lahore in 2005-06) after Sunil Gavaskar (vs West Indies at Georgetown in 1982-83).
• Has twice scored hundreds in each innings of a Test -- v New Zealand at Hamilton in 1998-99 and v Pakistan at Calcutta in 2004-05. Only the second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to perform the feat of scoring twin-tons more than once.
• His 270 at Rawalpindi in 2003-04 outscored Pakistan's either innings total (224 and 245). Only one Indian batsman -- Vinoo Mankad (231) v New Zealand (209 & 219) at Madras in 1955-56 – has performed this feat previously.
• Captained India for the first time in his 71st Test. Only Dilip Vengsarkar (96) has waited longer for India.
• Became first Indian captain to win a Test on Pakistan soil (at Multan in 2003-04).
• Has been run-out 9 times in his Test career – a record for any Indian batsman.

Quotes from some of the greats:

• He is a perfect role model for youngsters. He has set a great example for all of us to follow. We are all trying to follow that path. He is a solid batsman and one of the top players of the world who I really admire.
  Not many people would know what he has undergone to get here, barring the people close to him - his pressures and how much effort it required.
  - Sachin Tendulkar
• He is the iron man of Indian cricket whose strength of character shines through in every move he makes on the field.
  - Sunil Gavaskar
• To me Rahul Dravid is the perfect cricketer. His technique is so good that he can be at ease on any sort of wicket and in any sort of conditions. His temperament and discipline allow him to adapt to different situations without discomfort.
  - Virender Sehwag
• He is truly the mainstay of the Indian batting.
  - Kapil Dev
• It's a great contribution by any player to Indian cricket.
  Looking at Rahul's career and the way he'd started off is tremendous. He's showed tremendous commitment and discipline. The way he sets an example on the field for all the boys (is admirable). It's a great feeling to share the dressing room with him.
  - Yuvraj Singh
• The best thing to have happened to him is that he is now the captain of the side. It has toughened him up and shown us another side of his which was hidden. That is because being captain means taking tough decisions. I wish him all very well.
  - Ravi Shastri
• His nickname is 'The Wall'. He does take some getting past, doesn't he? He is a great example of how to play. And the tempo of his innings, he doesn't change at all. He loves batting and goes on and on.
  He averages 58 and you don't do that if you are not as good as he is. We have to preserve and get past the big bat of his.
  - Andrew Flintoff
• Dravid is quiet, soft-spoken and a wonderful human being, but he does have a tough edge and is a strong personality.
  To become captain is a great honour; a great challenge. It's probably one of the toughest jobs in cricket. India is lucky you have one of the toughest [in Dravid].
  Rahul is getting better as a skipper. He does the hard work and gets the respect of the boys for it. I really believe that at the end of his time as captain, he is going to be considered by many people to have been one of the best captains India has had.
  - Greg Chappell
• I think Rahul is a great player, he's played a 100 Test matches, averages 58, and so many hundreds. He books himself in for bed and breakfast every single time he goes out to bat.
  It's fantastic to be on the same park as him, and that's how I do it in terms of I like to watch players I respect, watch players who I feel privileged to be on the same field as. And I've seen how Rahul goes about his innings and that's something I want to get myself involved with.
  - Kevin Pietersen