It's good to see Rahul Dravid turn back the clock in Jamaica and produce a masterclass in patience in adversity, cementing the Indian innings while all around were falling by the wayside. He may be the oldest active Test cricketer in the business, and occasionally it shows, but class is permanent. He may have neither the adoration nor the world records of Sachin Tendulkar, 103 days his junior, but with his 112 he proved his worth to MS Dhoni's side today, and even struck a rare six towards the end of the innings before he was last out.
It is exactly 15 years ago this week when the 23 year-old Dravid made his Test debut at Lord's. The Little Master was already a veteran on the international stage at that time, albeit also 23, but remarkably another Indian batting legend also made his first five-day appearance in that 2nd Test match against England: Sourav Ganguly.
The game was drawn but Ganguly, a future captain, just about stole the honours by scoring the first of his 16 Test centuries, only the seventh Indian to do so in his debut innings. Batting at seven, Dravid wasn't far behind, falling just five runs short of three figures after six hours at the crease! England batted out the last day for the inevitable draw and so India didn't bat again. Jack Russell's 124 stole the Man of the Match award but the two debutants would go on to enjoy far greater successes over the years. One of their greatest days was in the 1999 World Cup, ironic given that one-day cricket was rarely their strongest point. I remember the TV being on in my office in London as the two men put on a then record 318 for the second wicket at Taunton against Sri Lanka. Ganguly struck seven sixes in his 183, while Dravid's 145 was almost as rapid. Later that same year, the latter shared an even greater partnership with Tendulkar, and their stand of 331 remains the world's best for any wicket in ODIs to this day. However, Ganguly's 26 century partnerships with Tendulkar make them the most prolific in ODI history by a huge margin.
Dravid and Ganguly also shared some considerable partnerships in Test cricket, alongside many with Tendulkar and Laxman, but Rahul has been part of two of the largest stands in history. The 410 made with Sehwag for the first wicket in the opening Test versus Pakistan five years ago ranks thirteenth on the all-time list. OK, so Dravid was outscored by two to one, but that's the quality of the man; prepared to play the anchor role while others go for their shots, although on his day he was a wonderful player to watch, elegant and classical in his strokeplay. With 12,000 Test runs at 52 to his name, he has a better record than Ganguly but both enjoyed being a part, along with Tendulkar and Laxman, of one of the most enduring Test batting line-ups in history. It's a shame that Sourav bowed out of Test cricket 2 1/2 years ago with a duck but he served India well and as captain laid the foundation of his country's rise to the top.
Fifteen years is a long time in cricket but it's good to remember the day it all started in England back in June 1996.
