Rahul Dravid remains the most underrated captain: Gautam Gambhir
Former opener Gautam Gambhir feels Rahul Dravid remains the most underrated captain and batsman in the history of Indian cricket. Speaking to Star Sports' show Cricket Connected, Gambhir said the veteran never got his due even after propelling India to new heights. He further added that Dravid played a crucial role in the overall development of Indian cricket. Here is more.
'Dravid doesn't get enough credit', says Gambhir
"It is so unfortunate that we do not give Rahul Dravid enough credit for his captaincy. We only talk about Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, now we talk about Virat Kohli, but Rahul Dravid has been a fabulous captain for India as well," said Gambhir.
Rahul Dravid in international cricket
Rahul Dravid is one of the most complete batsmen India have ever produced. He was known for his ability to win matches single-handedly, especially overseas. Notably, the 47-year-old is the only Indian batsman besides Sachin Tendulkar to have scored over 10,000 runs in both Test and ODI cricket. He amassed 13,288 and 10,889 runs in the two formats respectively.
Highest batting average outside Asia (Test cricket)
Nearly nine years after his retirement, Dravid still has the highest batting average outside Asia, among Indians. In 68 such Tests, he racked up 5,895 runs at an average of 54.58. He is only behind Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar (6,247), in terms of runs.
A look at Dravid's captaincy record
Dravid was named the captain of Indian cricket team in 2005 following the Ganguly-Chappell debacle. Under him, India won 42 out of 79 ODIs, which includes the world record of 14 consecutive wins while chasing. Although India had a poor outing under him in the 2007 World Cup, he led the team to Test victories in West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh and England.
Dravid as a wicket-keeper
During the early 2000s, Dravid stepped up when India lacked a regular wicket-keeper. He took the onus and continued to keep wickets until the Indian team management discovered Parthiv Patel, Dinesh Karthik and later MS Dhoni. As a wicket-keeper, Dravid affected 86 dismissals in 72 innings. He also holds the record of taking most number of catches (210) in Test cricket, as a fielder.
Dravid is the perfect role model: Gambhir
Gambhir said Dravid is the perfect role model for modern-day cricketers. "If you asked him to open the batting in Test cricket, he did, he batted at three, he kept wickets, he batted as a finisher, he did everything what Indian cricket asked him or what a captain asked him to do and that is the kind of role models you want," Gambhir concluded.
