New Delhi: Having fought many battles a wall, Rahul Dravid celebrates his 41st birthday on Saturday. Despite retirement from International cricket Rahul captained Rajasthan Royals in IPL until last year and now expected to play as a mentor in IPL's 7th edition this year.Post retirement Rahul took to commentary on sports channels. Lets have a look at his amazing career. Dravid was born in a Maharashtrian Deshastha Brahmin family in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. His family later moved to Bangalore, Karnataka, where he was raised. He did his schooling at St. Joseph's Boys High School, Bangalore and earned a degree in commerce from St. Joseph's College of Commerce, Bangalore.He started playing cricket at the age of 12 and later represented the state team at the under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels.Dravid made his Ranji Trophy debut in February 1991, while he was still attending college, Playing alongside future Indian teammates Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath against Maharashtra in Pune, he scored 82 runs Dravid made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in the Singer Cup, which was held in in Singapore immediately after the 1996 World Cup. He scored only three runs before being dismissed by Muttiah Muralitharan. He lost his place in the team to regain it for the tour of England.Dravid made his test debut with Sourav Ganguly in the second Test against England. He scored 95 runs and held his position on injured Manjrekar's return for the third Test, scoring 84. In that Lord's test, Ganguly hit a century to outshine Dravid.After a average performance in the home series against Australia and South Africa, Dravid was chosen for the 1996–97 tour of South Africa. He batted at number 3 in the third Test in Johannesburg, scoring his maiden century with 148 runs in the first innings, followed by 81 runs in the second. The top score in each innings got him the man of the match award. Dravid was appointed the vice-captain during 2003 World Cup, in which India reached the finals, playing as a wicket-keeper batsman to accommodate an additional batsman, a strategy that was well rewarded. Dravid was the captain during the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, where India had an unsuccessful campaign.Dravid established himself as one of the India's premier Test batsmen in 2002. In the April, in first Test match of the series against the West Indies Georgetown, he scored 144 not out in the first innings after being hit by one of Mervyn Dillon's deliveries. Later that year, he made four consecutive centuries, three against England and one against the West IndiesLater that year, Dravid made four consecutive centuries, three against England and one against the West Indies. In August 2002, at Headingley Stadium, Leeds, in the third Test against England, he scored 148 in the first innings, leading to an Indian win and making him man of the match. His 602-run total in the four-Test series against England also got him the man of the series award.In 2003–2004 season, Dravid scored three double centuries: one each against New Zealand, Australia and Pakistan.In the first innings of the second Test against Australia at Adelaide, India reached 85–4 in reply to Australia's 556, when Dravid and Laxsman made 303 for the fifth wicket. Laxman was dismissed for 148 and Dravid went on make 233, at that time the highest score by an Indian batsman outside India. He made 72 not out in the second innings, and India won.Dravid scored 619 runs in the four-match series against Australia with an average of 103.16, winning the man of the series award. During the later part of the season, in Ganguly's absence, Dravid led India to its first test victory over Pakistan at their home. At Rawalpindi, in the third and final match of the series, Dravid made 270 runs, helping India to win the series.During India's unsuccessful tour of England in 2011, in which their 4-0 loss cost them the top rank in Test cricket, Dravid made three centuries.On 4 May 2003 Rahul Dravid married Vijeta Pendharkar, a surgeon from Nagpur. They have two children: Samit, born in 2005, and Anvay, born in 2009.A purist's delight, Dravid is fondly remembered as someone whose batting was as perfect as a coaching manual and the numerous rescue acts he performed secures him a place on the wish-list of any international captain.
