Rahul
Sharad Dravid, the current captain of the Indian cricket team, has established
himself as an integral part of the team with his technical proficiency, stylish
strokes and sheer stability.
Rahul was born on January 11,
1973 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, to parents Sharad Dravid and Pushpa. He started to play cricket at the age
of 12. Dravid did well in the junior tournaments to merit selection in the State under-15, under-17 and under-19
tournaments. Meanwhile he finished his bachelors from
St. Joseph's College of Commerce.
He made his debut in the Ranji Trophy match against Maharashtra
at Pune in 1990-91. He was the youngest Karnataka player to score a maiden
century in Ranji. In 1995-96 he broke into the international team. He made
his debut in One Day Internationals against Sri Lanka at Singapore in 1996.
He is one player who has always shown stability and concentration and delivered
solid performances in all the games that he played.
Dravid was the highest scorer in the 1999 World Cup, when
he along with Sourav Ganguly created a new World record for the highest partnership
of 318 runs for any wicket. His abilities are not confined to batting alone.
He bowls right-arm off breaks and was a good reserve wicket keeper of Indian
team.
Rahul
keeps his cool even in a crisis and thus is a reliable anchor for the Indian
team. Since he started playing he has maintained a Test career average of
over 50. Technically his batting is flawless and he has improved with experience
especially in Test Cricket. He is, at present, ranked the 7th best Test
batsmen by the ICC in world cricket and has the highest Test batting average
of any Indian batsman in history.
Dravid has been honoured with the Arjuna Award by the President
of India. He was the 12th Indian to be named one of Wisden's five Cricketers
of the Year for the year 2000 after his splendid performance in the 1999 World
Cup in England. He became the 6th player in history and the 3rd Indian to
score 10,000 runs in the ODI cricket.
Rahul Sharad Dravid, is married to
Vijetha Pendharkar, a Nagpur-based doctor.
