A Biography Of Rahul Dravid by Devendra Prabhudesai

Author:Devendra Prabhudesai [Prabhudesai, Devendra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9788129116505
Publisher: Rupa & Co
Published: 2004-12-30T18:30:00+00:00

The Zimbabweans took the confidence they had gained at Delhi into the one-day series, where they gained a 2-1 lead. The fourth game, a 'day-nighter' at Hyderabad, looked to be going their way when Rahul fell for a subdued 32. India at that stage needed a further 109 from 112 balls. With Sourav and Laxman already in the pavilion and Tendulkar and Sehwag not playing due to injury, Rahul's dismissal was seen as the final nail in the Indian coffin, but the 'Young Turks' rose to the occasion. Yuvraj Singh, recalled for this series after being dropped post-South Africa, and Mohammed Kaif batted superbly to square the series. Their partnership of 94 was the precursor to another outstanding performance later in the year. A magnificent 159 by Dinesh Mongia, another new face, in the final game at Guwahati settled the series in India's favour.

Sourav retained the number three spot in India's first Test on their tour of the Caribbean, which began a couple of weeks after the Zimbabwe series. West Indies batted first at Georgetown to score 501, with skipper Carl Hooper flaying 233. Although Tendulkar and Laxman scored fifties and there were frequent rain-interruptions as was always the case in Guyana, the Indians did not get out of jail until Sarandeep Singh joined Rahul at 275-7 and played the kind of innings that Shivlal Yadav, one of his esteemed off-spinning seniors, had patented during his playing days. Rahul was 59 when he ducked into a short-pitched delivery by Mervyn Dillon and received a nasty crack on the visor of his helmet. He had the option of coming off for repairs, but he chose not to and fought on after some cursory on-field treatment. He reached his hundred, the tenth of his Test career, with a gorgeous on-drive off Adam Sanford. His undefeated 144, a gritty match-saving effort, made his return to the number three slot a foregone conclusion.

The first innings of the next Test, an unforgettable one for India, witnessed a century-stand between the two top batsmen of the previous trip. Both Rahul and Tendulkar had scored plenty of runs in 1996-97 without reaching triple figures. Rahul had broken the jinx in the first Test of the 2001-02 series, and now it was Tendulkar's turn with his 29th Test hundred, which brought him on par with the Don. The other batsmen did their bit - Laxman with 69 and 74, and Sourav with 75 in the second innings. Superb bowling on the final day took India to a historic win, their first in the Caribbean since 1976. Against a West Indies outfit past its best, the Indians fancied their chances of creating history by winning the series, but not for nothing were they considered masters of self-destruction. They lost the next Test at Bridgetown, the third time since Bulawayo that they had won a Test overseas, only to lose the next. They were never in the game after their dismissal for 102 on the first day. Sourav waged a

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