The most coveted and one of the most important spot in a test squad has to be that of a one drop batsman. He’s the one who shapes up the innings and sets it up for middle order, sometimes even has to do a openers job if the first wicket falls too early. That is not an easy task by any means and thus countries have their best men bat at this position. Sir Don Bradman, Viv Richards, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, and Zaheer Abbas, are just a few of these greats. India had a few noticeable ones who staked rightful claim to that spot, however, one name that has undoubtedly dominated that spot for India is “Rahul Sharad Dravid”
Coming from a modest family, he grew up in central India and later in Karnataka. He was drafted into the domestic Ranji state squad, under the leadership of Syed Kirmani, and 
kept on performing consistently for five seasons. Selectors could no longer ignore him, and the door was open to him on the India’s tour of England in 1996. He debuted the highest level of cricket on June 20, alongside another young man named Sourav Ganguly. Rahul impressed with his copy book style batting, right from his first out at Lord’s. His first two test knocks came tantalizingly close to triple digits (95 and 84) but somehow that magic number eluded him. He didn’t have to wait too long, and about seven months later he mesmerized everyone with a breath-taking 148 at Johannesburg against Donald & Co.
Ever since then he made it a habit of performing better outside of India than at home, scoring 58% his runs and tons in away tests and scoring on average 8 runs per innings more in those tests than home. With a strong average of around 55, he has been the rock of Indian top order. Rahul’s great strength is taking on any challenge. I recall his first tour down under (1999-00) being a complete failure where couldn’t even reach a total score of 100 in six innings, and then came back on the next tour (2003-04) scoring 619 @ 103.16 in 4 tests, that included match winning scores of 233 and 72* at Adelaide. In a two-and-half year purple patch of his career, starting July 2002, he averaged 73.05 and scored 8 centuries in 26 tests.
Dravid never shied away from challenges. In his stint as the leader of side, on the Pakistan tour (2005-06), India faced a dilemma of finding an able opening partner to Viru for tests, and Dravid stepped up to take on the roll and produced twin tons and a monumental 410 runs opening stand with Sehwag at Lahore. Even as a captain, he was astute, with a clear vision for the future. He groomed Youngsters like Jaffer, Raina, Chawla, and Gambhir to name a few. It was under his leadership that Indian ODI side had record number of successful chases and also the very first test match win in South Africa, along with series wins in West-Indies and England. Perhaps, his coach’s relationship with some players and certain policies of national selection committee, both the factors irrelevant to team’s performance resulted in his resignation from the job as team’s leader. Barring the 2007 World Cup failure, Team India did extremely well under his able leadership.
Rahul still continues to be stronghold of India’s top order in tests. Though he’s not 
currently in the team’s scheme of things for ODIs, but he responded to the nation’s call, when selectors called upon his services in the absence of Sehwag, and forged a crucial opening stand (95) with Sachin, in the triangular series final in Sri-Lanka (2009-10) that India went on to win. Always a team-man, a great fighter, and filled with immense batting talent aided with loads of concentration. His hours long craft at the eden garden in a series changing stand with VVS Laxman, repeat of that in Adelaide, and his career best 272 at Lahore are just a few glimpses of his rock-solid determination to put a hefty price on his wicket. Dear friends, for over decade-and-a-half, Rahul truly has been “The Great Wall of India”
