Rahul Dravid was probably one of the last classical Test match batters, and one of the greatest. after he made his debut in a One Day International o this day against Sri Lanka
His progress into the India side may have been steady and methodical rather than meteoric, but once there, he established himself at the vanguard of a new, defiant Indian side who were no longer easy-beats away from home.
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Armed with an orthodox technique, he became the cement that held the foundations firm while the flair players expressed themselves. Yet, for a man who came to be stereotyped as one-paced and one-dimensional, he could stroke the ball around when the mood struck him.
After impressing in a Lord's debut in 1996, where he was eclipsed by Sourav Ganguly, Dravid's breakthrough innings arrived at the Wanderers a few months later, against a South Africa attack accustomed to bullying visitors.