Rahul Dravid is one of the few individuals who has toured South Africa as a player, captain, and coach. Dravid’s first tour to South Africa was 25 years ago in 1997 where a young Rahul Dravid was trying to make a name for himself in international cricket.
During the same tour, Rahul Dravid notched up his maiden ton in Johannesburg in a rain-affected test match. Dravid recalled how rain played spoilsport as India failed to clinch the 1997 affair despite his Player of the Match 362-ball 148, which set the foundation of India’s first-innings tally of 410. Much like his maiden triple-digit effort, pacer Javgal Srinath’s five-wicket haul that helped India wrap the Proteas for 321 also went in vain.
Dravid followed his first-innings show with a stodgy 81 off 146, with India setting the hosts an unlikely 356 for the victory. India had South Africa reduced to 228/8 but was denied by the weather on the final day to finish the series 0-2 as they had come after losses in Durban and Cape Town.
“I remember it raining and not us being able to win the game. That I remember well. It was nice personally in some ways to score the first Test hundred as an international player. It makes you feel you belong and achieved at that level,” Dravid said on the eve of the Johannesburg Test.
“On a personal level, that was really nice. In a lot of ways, it sort of set me up and gave me confidence for the rest of my career. But yes, the disappointment was it was raining on Day 4 and Day 5 and we didn’t have enough overs to win a Test match which we probably deserved. People like Srinath were there but we didn’t have the depth that we have right now. Still, we came close to really winning a Test match,” he said.
Rahul Dravid opens up on the famous win in Johannesburg in 2006
Rahul Dravid is the first Indian player to win a test match in South Africa as a player, captain, and coach. He recalled the famous Indian win that came in 2006 under his leadership. Even though Dravid did not have much success with the bat in that encounter – he scored 32 and 1 – he termed the Test triumph as a “lovely memory”.
“As far as what it means personally, it’s very different as a player and as a captain, having obviously won here when I led the team in 2006-07. That was a really lovely memory as well. You know, as a coach, our role is to support and help the team and it’s really their success. I know it would mean a lot to the group of guys to be able to win a Test match here,” he said.
Now a quarter-century later, Rahul Dravid is coaching team India in a high octane test series against South Africa as India search for their maiden test series win in the rainbow nation.
Highlights:
• Rahul Dravid credits his maiden test ton in Jo’burg for boosting his confidence.
• Dravid terms the test match win in Johannesburg in 2006 as a lovely memory.
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