Rahul Dravid- The solid rock plays 100th test

Rahul Dravid, 33, started his Test career at Lord’s in 1996 & is currently the rock of the side he now captains, with a career average that has moved up to 58, three runs better. Today, Dravid plays what is officially his 100th Test, although only 99 have been for India. The 34-year-old will become the sixth Indian player to appear in a hundred Tests. He joins an illustrious list, featuring Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble.

"It is special in the sense that I will be joining a list of five other players who have been legendary cricketers for India. From that point of view it is a great feeling. But it is just another Test as well. Our focus really is on playing some good cricket and trying to win the match," Rahul Dravid said on Friday The Karnataka batsman, from his 95 at Lord's to the 95 at Mohali is one of India's most consistent batsmen, scoring 8492 runs in 99 Tests, at 58.16.Asked what is the best thing to happen on attaining the milestone of 100 Tests, he replied: "I can't think of one. Probably, my parents and my wife being here is the best thing for me. To be able to play this Test with the team that I have as well to captain this team gives me a great compliment. Dravid's batting discipline, commitment and an open mind to different ideas tuned him to individual greatness. Always equipped with textbook technique, he removed the cobwebs in the mind to style his batting to the modern needs. He didn't have the ethereal fluency of Laxman, the blazing instinct of Virender Sehwag or the genius of Sachin Tendulkar, but developed an obsession for excellence. If innovation and soft hands were the order of the day, he practiced them within his limitations, till he was no longer bound by them. When he was asked to pick out some of his great knocks, Dravid mentioned his 180 at the Eden Gardens (in the second innings against Australia in 2000-01), 233 versus Australia at Adelaide, the two innings versus Pakistan at Kolkata and the 145 versus Sri Lanka at Taunton in the 1999 World Cup. Rahul Dravid is the kind of person whom young cricketers can look up to not only because of his success but also because of the way he conducts himself. His remarkable career is proof that nice guys don't finish last. He believes one can be ruthless on the field even while maintaining decorum. So today, as Rahul hits a new level in his game with a body of work that will now cross 100 Tests, let’s hope that Rahul not only has the numbers to prove that he is an all-time great, but also plays more match-winning and match-saving knocks in times ahead.