Hey guys, so here you go. Sort of a part two of the chapter 3.
Feel free to vote and comment.
Chapter 3
Struggle in ODI's and comeback(part two)
In a stark contrast to his test career, Dravid had to struggle a lot to make a mark in the ODIs. Despite his twin failures in the 1996 Singer Cup, Dravid accompanied Indian team to Sharjah for the Pepsi Cup immediately after it. Dravid failed once again managing just 14 runs in the first two matches of the triangular series and was promptly dropped from rest of the games of the series.
On the 1996 India tour of England, he wasn't picked up for the first two games of the Texaco Trophy, but got a chance in the third ODI where he scored some quick runs towards the end of the innings, scoring 22 not out from 15 balls. India then went on to play a quadrangular series in Sri Lanka where Dravid could manage only 20 runs in two innings.
Dravid had the first taste of success in ODI cricket when India toured Canada to participate in the 1996 Sahara cup. Dravid scored 220 runs in five games against Pakistan at an average of 44.00. In the second ODI, Dravid and Azhar put on a record 3rd wicket partnership for India in ODIs adding 161 runs. He scored 46 runs in the low scoring third game which fetched him his first Man of the Match award in ODIs. Despite him emerging the top scorer of the tournament, India lost the series 2-3.
Following the Sahara cup, India played two triangular series- one involving Australia and South Africa in India and the other involving South Africa and Zimbabwe in South Africa. The two triangular series were played as a part of back-to-back home and away series between India and South Africa in 1996/97.
India also played a Mohinder Amarnath Benefit Match against South Africa in Mumbai sandwiched between the two triangular series. Dravid played in all the games. He had a moderate outing in India ending up as the third highest run scorer for India, much like the Indian leg of test series. Much like the South African leg of test series, Dravid emerged as the top scorer for India in the South African leg of triangular series as well. Dravid top scored in the Finals with 84 runs and was adjudged Man of the Match, in spite of which India lost the Final to South Africa.
Dravid accompanied the Indian ODI squad to the tour of Zimbabwe but didn't get a game despite a good performance in the previous triangular series in South Africa, though he got to play all the games in the following ODI series on the West Indies tour, thanks largely to a good performance in the test series preceding it.
