Surprise, surprise!!
Unexpected update right, I know.
So anyways, here's chapter 3. Hope you like it.
Feel free to vote and comment.
Dedicated to Pradeep Dravidian Abhay.
Chapter 3
Early years: Success in Tests (part one)
After a successful Test debut in England, Dravid played the one-off Test against Australia in Delhi- The first edition of Border-Gavaskar Trophy and his first test at home. Batting at no.6, he scored 40 runs in the First innings.
Dravid batted at no. 3 position for the first time in the First Test of the three match home series against South Africa in Ahemadabad in November 1996. He was then promoted to the opening slot in the Second Test and later demoted in the batting order for the Third Test.
He ended the series as the third highest run getter for India with 175 runs at an average of 29.16.India won this series 2-1. Later that year, India toured South Africa for the second leg of their back-to-back test series. Chasing a target of 395 runs in the First Test, Indian team bundled out meekly for 66 runs on the Durban pitch that provided excessive bounce and seam movement.
Dravid top scored with 27 not out. Dravid was promoted to the no. 3 slot again in the second innings of the Second Test. Though he failed to make a mark scoring just 12 runs with India losing the match, the move finally paid rich dividends in the Third Test when Dravid scored his maiden test hundred in the first innings scoring 148 runs and scored another 81 runs in the second innings fetching a draw for India at the Wanderers.
His performance in this Test earned him his first Man of the Match award in Test cricket. Dravid top scored for India in the series with 277 runs at an average of 55.40. This series cemented his position at no. 3 in the Indian batting line up.
Dravid carried his form from South Africa to the West Indies where India toured to play a five match Test series. India lost the series 0-1. Dravid top scored for India with 360 runs at an average of 72.00 which included a fifty in each of the five matches except the fourth one. 92 runs scored in the first innings of the Fifth match in Georgetown earned him a joint Man of the Match award along with Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
With this series, Dravid concluded his first full test season having scored 852 runs in 12 matches at an average of 50.11 with six fifties and one hundred.
Dravid continued his good run in the next season scoring 604 runs at an average of 50.33. He scored seven fifties in eight Tests which included 6 fifties in consecutive innings(3 each against Sri Lanka and Australia).
The season started with a back-to-back home and away series against Sri Lanka. While he had a poor outing in Sri Lanka, he made up for it in the home series where he scored 304 runs at an average of 76.00.
By the time he completed his second full season in Test cricket with another decent show in the three Test home series against Australia, he had scored 15 fifties in 22 Tests which included four scores of nineties but just a solitary hundred.
The century drought came to an end in the ensuing season when he further raised the bar of his performance scoring 752 runs in 7 Tests at an average of 62.66 that included four hundreds and one fifty.
The first of those four hundreds came on the Zimbabwe tour. Dravid top scored in both the innings against Zimbabwe scoring 118 and 44 runs respectively. Despite his performance, India lost the one-off Test. This was to be India's only loss for the next 13 years in any Test match when Dravid scored a hundred.
Next up was a tour to New Zealand. The series that started with the first duck of his Test career in the first innings of the Second Test (First Test having been abandoned without a ball bowled) ended with twin hundreds in each innings of the Third Test in Hamilton.
He scored 190 and 103 not out in the first and the second innings respectively, becoming only the third Indian batsman, after Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar, to score a century in both innings of a Test match. During his innings of 190, he put up a record 144 run partnership against New Zealand for 8th wicket with Javagal Srinath. The match ended in a draw.
Later that month, India played a two Test home series against Pakistan. Dravid didn't do much with the bat in the series. India lost the First Test but won the Second Test in Delhi riding on Kumble's historic 10-wicket haul.
Dravid played his part in the 10-wicket haul by taking a catch to dismiss Mushtaq Ahmed who was Kumble's eighth victim of the inning.
Pakistan played another Test in India a couple of weeks later- First Test of the first ever Asian Test Championship. Dravid couldn't do much with the bat, and India went on to lose the riot-affected Test at the Eden Gardens.
India went to Sri Lanka to play the Second Test of the championship. Dravid scored a hundred at Colombo in the first innings and featured in a record breaking 232 run stand with Sadagoppan Ramesh for the second wicket against Sri Lanka. Dravid also effected a run out of Russel Arnold during Sri Lankan inning fielding at short leg.
On the fourth morning, Dravid got injured while fielding at the same position when the ball from Jayawardene's pull shot hit him below his left eye through the helmet grill. He didn't come out to bat in the second innings due to the injury. India could only manage a draw and failed to qualify for the Finals of the championship.
A/N- So how was it?
Ok, so I'd like to clarify one thing. The fourth morning refers to Day 4 of the test match.
It is not the date.
Next update, maybe around the 20th of March. Thanks guys
