Rahul Dravid's Profile

Rahul Dravid, a cricketer who seamlessly blends an old-world classicism with a new-age professionalism, is the best No. 3 batsman to play for India - and might even be considered one of the best ever by the time his career is done. He already averages around 60 at that position, more than any regular No. 3 batsman in the game's history, barring Don Bradman. Unusually for an Indian batsman, he also averages more overseas - around 60, again - than at home. But impressive as his statistics are, they cannot represent the extent of his importance to India, or the beauty of his batsmanship. When Dravid began playing Test cricket, he was quickly stereotyped as a technically correct player capable of stonewalling against the best attacks - his early nickname was 'The Wall' - but of little else. As the years went by, though, Dravid, a sincere batsman who brought humility and a deep intelligence to his study of the game, grew in stature, finally reaching full blossom under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy. As a New India emerged, so did a new Dravid: first, he put on the wicketkeeping gloves in one-dayers, and transformed himself into an astute finisher in the middle-order; then, he strung together a series of awe-inspiring performances in Test matches, as India crept closer and closer to their quest of an overseas series win. Dravid's golden phase began, arguably, in Kolkata 2001, with a supporting act, when he made 180 to supplement VVS Laxman's classic effort of 281 against Australia. But from then on, Dravid became India's most valuable player, saving them Tests at Port Elizabeth, Georgetown and Trent Bridge, winning them Tests at Headlingley, Adelaide, Kandy and Rawalpindi. At one point during this run, he carved up four centuries in successive innings, and hit four double-centuries in the space of 15 Tests, including in historic away-wins at Adelaide and Rawalpindi. As India finished off the 2004 Pakistan tour on a winning note, on the back of Dravid's epic 270, his average crept past Sachin Tendulkar's - and it seemed no aberration. Dravid's amazing run was no triumph of substance over style, though, for he has plenty of both. A classical strokeplayer who plays every shot in the book, he often outscores team-mates like Tendulkar and Laxman in the course of partnerships with them, and while his pulling and cover-driving is especially breathtaking, he has every other shot in the book as well. He is both an artist and a craftsman, repeatedly constructing innings that stand out not merely for the beauty of their execution, but for the context in which they come. By the time he entered his 30s, Dravid was already in the pantheon of great Indian batsmen, alongside Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar. In October 2005, he was appointed captain the one-day side, began with a thumping 6-1 hammering of Sri Lanka in a home series, and was soon given responsibility of the Test side as well, taking over from the controversy-shrouded Sourav Ganguly.

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2000

ICC Test Player of the Year 2004

ICC Player of the Year 2004

Full name
Rahul Sharad Dravid
Born
January 11, 1973, Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Current age
32 years
Major teams
India, Scotland, ACC Asian XI, ICC World XI, Karnataka, Kent
Batting style
Right-hand bat
Bowling style
Right-arm offbreak

Career statistics

Test debut
England v India at Lord's - Jun 20-24, 1996
Last Test
India v Sri Lanka at Delhi - Dec 10-14, 2005
ODI debut
India v Sri Lanka at Singapore - Apr 3, 1996
Last ODI
India v South Africa at Mumbai - Nov 28, 2005
First-class span
1990/91 - 2005/06
List A span
1992/93 - 2005/06

Indian Team For The World Cup 2007

India have named their final 15-man squad for the World Cup, which gets underway in West Indies this month. There are no surprises, with selectors deciding to stick with the same side.

Rudra Pratap Singh and Suresh Raina were also named as reserves.

India: R Dravid (c), S Tendulkar, S Ganguly, R Uthappa, V Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), D Kartik, Z Khan, A Kumble, H Singh, A Agarkar, I Pathan, Munaf Patel, S Sreesanth.

History Of World Cup Cricket

The ICC Cricket World Cup, generally referred to as the Cricket World Cup, is the premier international championship of men's One-day International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years. The tournament is one of the world's largest and most viewed sporting events. According to the ICC, it is the most important tournament and the pinnacle of achievement in the sport. The first Cricket World Cup contest was organised in England in 1975. A separate Women's Cricket World Cup has been held every four years since 1973.

The finals of the Cricket World Cup are contested by all ten Test-playing and ODI-playing nations, together with other national teams that qualify through the ICC Trophy competition. Australia has been the most successful of the five teams to have won the tournament, taking three titles. The West Indies have won twice, while India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have each won once.

The most recent Cricket World Cup finals were held between 9 February and 24 March 2003, in Southern Africa. Australia defeated India in the final to retain the championship.[5] The 2007 Cricket World Cup will be held in the West Indies and commences on 13 March 2007. The 2007 tournament will feature sixteen teams competing in a pool stage (played in round robin format), then a "super 8" stage, followed by semi-finals and a final.

Format

World Cricket League Official LogoMain article: Cricket World Cup qualification
The Test-playing nations and ODI-playing nations qualify automatically for the the World Cup finals, while the other teams have to qualify through a series of preliminary qualifying tournaments.

Qualifying tournaments were introduced for the second World Cup, where two of the eight places in the finals were awarded to the leading teams in the ICC Trophy. The number of teams selected through the ICC Trophy has varied throughout the years. Currently, six teams are selected for the Cricket World Cup. The World Cricket League (administered by the International Cricket Council) is the qualification system provided to allow of Associate and Affiliate members of the ICC more opportunities to qualify. In 2009, the name "ICC Trophy" will be changed to "ICC World Cup Qualifier".

Under the current qualifying process, the World Cricket League, all 87 Associate and Affiliate members of the ICC are able to qualify for the World Cup. Associate and Affiliate members must play between two and five stages in the ICC World Cricket League to qualify for the World Cup finals, depending on the Division in which they start the qualifying process.

Process summary in chronological order:

Regional tournaments: Top teams from each regional tournaments will be promoted to a division depending on the teams' rankings according to the ICC and each division's empty spots.
Division One: 6 Teams - All qualify for the World Cup Qualifier.
Division Three: 8 Teams – Top 2 promoted to Division Two.
Division Two: 6 Teams – Top 4 qualify for the World Cup Qualifier.
Division Five: 8 Teams – Top 2 promoted to Division Four.
Division Four: 5 Teams - Top 2 promoted to Division Three.
Division Three(second edition): 6 Teams – Top 2 qualify for the World Cup Qualifier.
World Cup Qualifier: 12 Teams – Top 6 are awarded ODI status and qualify for the World Cup.

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