Dravid 'The Wall' grows taller with 35th ton

Dravid 'The Wall' grows taller with 35th ton
New Delhi: The England roar has grown louder with every passing day of the tour and only one Indian has stood unflustered outside the lion's den – Rahul Dravid, whose 35th Test hundred on Sunday took him past Sunil Gavaskar and placed him at No. 4 in the list of top Test centurions.
India is down, and surely out as well, but nothing can be taken away from Dravid's contribution. His third hundred in this English summer may once again be in a losing cause, but blame it on other illustrious names – Sachin Tendulkar included.
Just when pundits thought the fire within Dravid had extinguished, a flame rose in the West Indies and travelled undoused to England, forcing selectors to avail the Indian technician's services even in the forthcoming limited-overs series against the Englishmen.
With his 35th century in Test cricket, an industrious Dravid has added another brick to his status as 'The Wall'. His copybook century at The Oval on Sunday left behind the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara – a feat achieved at the age of 38.
The list, which is dominated by the Australians (4), includes three Indian batsmen and is led by Tendulkar's 51 Test centuries.

1. Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), 51 centuries
2. Jacques Kallis (SA), 40 centuries
3. Ricky Ponting (Aus), 39 centuries
4. Rahul Dravid (Ind), 35 centuries
5. Sunil Gavaskar (Ind), 34 centuries
6. Brian Lara (WI), 34 centuries
7. Steve Waugh (Aus), 32 centuries
8. Mathew Hayden (Aus), 30 centuries
9. Don Bradman (Aus), 29 centuries
10. Mahela Jayawardene (SL), 28 centuries

It won't be wrong to admit that of all the aforementioned names, Dravid is the best in terms of technique in the modern era – and surely at par with, if not above, Don Bradman.
The studious intensity of Dravid's knock at The Oval on Sunday was no different than the one he walked in with on his first day in international cricket in 1996 – also in England.
As the big names continued to walk past him, Dravid stood like a well-guarded fort, with none of the English bowlers being able to breach his defence. It was only when he found some lost confidence in Amit Mishra that he decided to play a few strokes and eventually brought up his century in 168 balls, including 15 fours.
Though India folded up for 300 and were asked to follow-on, England couldn't go past Dravid who carried his bat through for 146 runs. Andrew Strauss enforced the follow-on, but what followed painted a picture of dedication, motivation and infinite concentration.
With Gambhir still concussed, Dravid came out to open in India's second innings as well, after a 266-balls-long marathon knock in the first innings - both just 10 minutes apart.
Though it has been mentioned before, we must reiterate today that Dravid remains indispensable for India, especially when it comes to touring countries like England, South Africa and Australia. There may be a Tendulkar, a Laxman or a Ganguly in Test line-ups over the years, but it's Rahul Dravid who has provided unparallel solidarity to the batting.

And it's not just about the runs he produces, his sheer presence in the dressing room can do a world of good to India's future that hinges on youngsters like Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli, who have a lot to learn about playing in challenging conditions.
What those youngsters also have to learn from Dravid is how to answer your detractors when things aren't working for you. With his century on Sunday, Dravid did that once again, in a typical Dravid manner.