THE NICE GUY WHO FINISHED FIRST is a remarkable story of RahulDravid's illustriouscareer in internationalcricketfrom1996to2005—aperiodwhereinheexcelledhimselfforhisteamandcountry.

It tells the tale of a young man who has succeeded in his chosen professionthrough an ardent faith in the three 'D's of dedication, discipline anddetermination.

The biography reconstructs the incidents and events that have contributed tomakingRahulDravidoneofthegreatestcricketerstohaveplayedthegame,andanepitomeofgrace,humilityandcommitmenttohisteam'scause.Itisatributetoarolemodelwhohasrefusedtorestonhislaurels,andremainsasintenseinhisquestforperfectionashewaswhenhestartedout.

Rahul Dravid's moments of triumph are described, as also his trials andtribulations. The book narrates the epic battle, one that he eventuallywon, tobreak free of the stereotypes that haunted him in his early years at theinternationallevel.Hiseffortstoemergefromtheintimidatingshadowscastbyhis teammates and contemporaries are illustrated in great detail. The bookhighlights the physical, mental and of course, technical attributes that haveelevatedRahultolegendarystatus.

In this honest endeavour to recount the story of Rahul Dravid, the author isassisted by reminiscences from his mentors, seniors, teammates and evenopponents,allofwhomwitnessedthemakingofacricketinglegendfromclosequarters. Then, there are the photographs, some of the best ever, whichshowcase,quiteliterally,thegeniusofoneofIndia'sall-timegreats.

Itisanengaging,absorbingandsuccinctread.

Devendra Prabhudesai (b.1976) is a cricket writer based in Mumbai. He ispresentlyManager –Media Relations and Corporate Affairs, at the Board ofControlforCricketinIndia(BCCI).

HehasalsopennedSMG:ABiographyofSunilManoharGavaskar(2009)andCricketWorldCup:AroundtheworldinSeventy-and-a-halfDays(2007).

Tomygrandparents

Copyright©DevendraPrabhudesai2005

FirstPublished2005FirstinRupaPaperback2010

PublishedbyRupaPublicationsIndiaPvt.Ltd.7/16,AnsariRoad,DaryaganjNewDelhi110002

SalesCentres:AllahabadBengaluruChandigarhChennaiHyderabadJaipurKathmanduKolkataMumbai

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SponsoredbyCastrolAwardsforCricketingExcellenceCelebratingtheBestofIndianCricket

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CelebratingtheBestofIndianCricket

CONTENTS

PREFACE

TAKINGGUARD

HEROATHEADQUARTERS

WASIM,WAQARANDWHITELIGHTNING

BRANDED

BACKTOTHEFOREFRONT

ONTHEROLLER-COASTER

KENTANDTHECOLISEUM

ONEFORACRISIS

THEGREATQUARTET

ALL-ROUNDER

REDEMPTIONANDIMMORTALITY

RUNSN'REINS

INACLASSOFHISOWN

YESTERDAY,TODAYANDTOMORROW

Postscript:THETRI-SERIESINSRILANKA,2005

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

RAHULDRAVIDFACTFILE

BIBLIOGRAPHYANDREFERENCES

Index

PREFACE

WalterReginaldHammond representedEngland in 85Tests and scored 7,249runsatanaverageof58.45inagloriouscareer thatstretchedfrom1927-28to1946-47.Stupendousfiguresbyallmeans.Butunfortunatelyforhim,whateverhedid,hisAustraliancontemporaryDonaldBradmandidbetter.Inacareerthatbegan in 1928-29 and culminated in 1948, Bradman finishedwith 6,996 runsfrom only 52 Tests. He scored seven more hundreds than Hammond, andaveragedthesmallmatterof99.94runsperTest.

Cuthbert Gordon Greenidge, a destructive opening batsman from theCaribbean, made his Test debut against India at Bangalore in 1974-75, andscored93and107.Itwasmerelythebeginningofaremarkablecareer.Hehadamassed 7,558 runs from 108 Tests at an average of 44.7, inclusive of 19hundreds and 34 fifties, by the time he played his last Test in mid-1991.However,hewasunabletocommandtheadulationhedeserved.Itwasjustthathis career coincided with that of a cricketer named Isaac Vivian AlexanderRichards,whomadehisdebutinthesameTestasheandendedhiscareerafewmonthsafterGreenidgedid.'King'Richardsscored8,521runsfrom121Testsatanaverageof50.23andoutshonealmostallthebatsmenofhisera.

Gundappa Raghunath Viswanath was rated highly by cricket-loversthroughout his international career. His batsmanship won India many amemorable match at home and overseas in the 1970s and 1980s. He scored6,080 runs from91Tests at 41.93.Buthis teammate andbrother-in-lawSunilGavaskar scored 1,305more runs and 12more hundreds, and averaged 53.51from85Tests,besidesestablishingaplethoraofrecords,inthesameperiod.

The game of cricket has several written and unwritten rules. One of theunwritten ones is that cricketers find it difficult, in fact impossible, to emergefromtheshadowofacontemporaryor teammatewhohappens tobebestowedwiththatspecialtitle:'Legend'.

Butas is thecasewithevery rule, therehavebeenexceptions.We,cricket-loversof thenewmillennium,areprivilegedtohaveanexceptionaloneinour

midst.

RahulSharadDravidspentthefirstfewyearsofhisinternationalcareerintheshadows of a legend like Sachin Tendulkar, his much-loved teammate andformercaptain,adeityofthemassesanddarlingofthemedia.

Astheyearspassed,Rahulovercameseveralhurdles,sometechnical,othersmental,tocarveoutanicheofhisown.HistoolswerethesameasTendulkar's:self-belief, a passion for hard work, unwavering determination, and a fiercecommitmenttohisteam'scause.

Rahul has been one of the primary catalysts in the transformation of an'under-performing'groupofindividualsintoacompetitive,fightingunit.

As the reader peruses the following pages, he will discover and alsorememberthattheextraordinaryachievementsoftheIndianteaminthelastfewyearshavehadonecommonandprominentfactor.

DevendraPrabhudesai

20thJune1996...TheEnglishandIndiancricketteamslineduponeithersideofthewooden gate that separates the playing area of the Lord's CricketGroundfromtheMembers'Enclosure.ThesecondTestof the1996seriesbetween thetwocountrieswasthefinalinternationalassignmentofHarold'Dickie'Bird,oneof cricket'smost revered umpires. The players' 'Guard ofHonour' brought thespectators to theirfeetandtears toBird'seyes.Amongtheplayerssalutingtheveteranumpirewasayoungmanwithstarsinhiseyes.

Itwas a timeof turmoil in Indian cricket.The campaign towin theWorldCupearlierthatyearhadendedamidstashowerofstonesandbottlesatKolkataduring the semifinal against eventual winners Sri Lanka. The selectorsrespondedtothelossbydroppingManojPrabhakarandVinodKambli, twooftheteam'sprominentplayers,fromthesquadforthenexttournament,atri-seriesat Singapore. While Prabhakar's omission came as no surprise after hisannihilation by the Sri Lankans in a league encounter of theWorld Cup, theswashbuckling Kambli's axing was widely condemned. He was a popularmemberofthesideandcricket-loversdidn'ttaketookindlytotheclaimsmadeby'innersources'thathehadbeenpunishedforhis'indiscipline'.Thefuroreoverhisomissioncompletelyobscured thenewsof the inclusionof a twenty-three-year-oldBangaloreannamedRahulDravid.

'Rahul was always a good listener and learner, serious and dedicated. Hewould reach the nets earlier than any other player and have a knockwith theballboys before the practice session began. I don't remember him missing asingle practice session,' recalls illustrious Indian wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani,under whose leadership the seventeen-year-old Rahulmade his debut in first-class cricket in a Ranji Trophy encounter againstMaharashtra in the 1990-91season. In his very first innings, the teenager scored 82 and helped his teamreachatotalof638.JavagalSrinaththenrockedthestrongMaharashtrabattingline-upwithfiguresof7-93andKarnatakatookthedecisivefirst-inningslead.

Rahul's early elevation to first-class cricket was a consequence of thetransitionalphasethatKarnatakacricketwasgoingthroughatthetime.Quiteafew stalwarts who had served the state and in some cases, country, withdistinction,hadbowedoutintherecentpast;G.R.Viswanath,RogerBinnyand

Brijesh Patel, to name just three. Their absence was obviously being felt.KirmanireturnedtoKarnatakaafterabriefstintwiththeRailwaystotakeoverthecaptaincyandnurturethenextgenerationofplayers.HewascomplementedinthisendeavourbytheKarnatakaselectors,whoexperimentedwithyouthandendedupunearthingasmanyasfourspecialtalentswhowentontodothestateand country proud – Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble in 1989-90, andVenkateshPrasadandRahulDravidayearlater.WhileSrinathandKumblehaddebuted under Binny's leadership, Kirmani was Rahul and Prasad's first first-classskipper.

Rahulmadeittothefirst-classlevelfiveyearsafterhefirstattendedacricketcoaching camp – the KSCA (Karnataka State Cricket Association) campconductedbyformerfirst-classcricketerP.S.Viswanath.Rahulcaught theeyeofcoachKekiTarapore,whobecamehisguru.UnderTarapore'stutelage,RahulwentontodoexceptionallywellinlocalandregionalUnder-13,Under-15andUnder-17competitions.Thencamethecallfromthestateselectors.

Rahul followeduponhis82onhisRanjiTrophydebutwith an inningsof134, his maiden first-class hundred, in his second Ranji fixture, the 1990-91quarterfinal against defending champions Bengal. It turned out to be acontroversialgamethatKarnatakalostdespitescoring791-6duetothedubious'QuotientRule',whichwas to Indian cricket in the late1980s andearly1990swhat the infamous 'Rain-rule'was to the 1992WorldCup. Teams suffered insome cases, benefited in others, but quite unlike the rain-rule, some teamsmanaged to 'manipulate' the quotient rule far better than others, Bengal beingone of them. That game also provided Rahul with his first view of anothertalented teenager who contributed 74 to Bengal's score of 652-9 – SouravGanguly.

What distinguished Rahul from others in the same age-group was animpeccabletechnique,coupledwithaprodigioushungerforruns.Hebeganthe1991-92seasonwith126inKarnataka'sfirstRanjiengagementagainstGoa,and128 in thenext clashagainstKerala.His run-hunger and technicalproficiencyimpressedG.R.Viswanath,whowascloselyattachedtothestatesideasselectorandmanager in the early 1990s. Themaestro attributesRahul's success to hiscricketingoriginsandattitude.'Playingregularlyonmattingwickets,especiallyintheinitialstagesofone'scareer,makesthebatsmanabetterback-footplayer.The advantage of being a back-foot oriented batsman is that he gives theimpressionthathehasplentyoftimetoplayastroke.Moreover,executingshotssquareofthewicketcomesquitenaturallytothosewhonurturetheircricketing

dreamsonmatting.Ofcourse,onestillhastoworkhard,andRahulwasandisanextremelydiligentcricketer.ItdidnottakehimtoolongtoestablishhimselfasafrontlinebatsmanintheKarnatakateamafterhisbrilliantdebut,'Viswanath,wholikeRahulhadplayedallhisearlycricketonmatting,toldthisauthor.

Inthesameseason,RahulwasappointedcaptainofanUnder-19IndianteamforaseriesagainstateamofyoungstersfromNewZealand.Theresponsibilitybroughtoutthebestinhim.HeguidedIndiatoathrilling12-runwininthefirst'Test' and a draw in the second. His innings of 116 in the second 'Test' atMumbaiwas his first hundred against a team fromoverseas. The Indian boystook the 'Test' series 1-0 and won the one-day series 2-1. Rahul made animpressionnotonlywithhisbrilliantbattingandcannycaptaincy,butalsohisdeceptive bowling. He bowled thirty overs of off-spin in the three one-daygamesandbaggedfivewicketsfor99runs.

Ayearlater,ontheeveofthe1992-93Ranjipre-quarterfinalagainstMadhyaPradesh in Bangalore, Viswanath told the visiting captain, one of his formerIndiateammatesfromMumbai,whowasnowleadingMPasa'Professional',to'watchout'fortheboy.

'TherehasbeenatouchofclassineverythingthatIhaveseenRahuldosincethat first meeting,' says Sandeep Patil, who went on to become Rahul's first'coach'inthenationalteam.'WhenIsawhimin1992-93,thereseemedtobeastreakofarroganceinhim,whichisnotsuchabadthing.Buttherewasatouchofclasseveninthatarrogance!Hewassupremelyconfidentofhisabilities.'

Rahul's sequenceof scores in the1992-93RanjiTrophyprior to that gameread54,37,200*,56*,55,79and9.Thedoublehundred,thefirstofhiscareer,cameagainstAndhraPradesh,anddelightedViswanathasmuchasitdidRahul.

'IwaslongingtowatchalonginningsbyRahul,andheobligedwiththatperformance against Andhra. I was immensely happy for him, andconvincedthathehaditinhimtomakeitbig'–G.R.VISWANATH

Patil,agreatadmirerofViswanath,needednofurtherendorsementofRahul'stalentthanthemaestro'swords,buttheteenagerprovidedconclusiveproofofhisskillsbyscoring89inthefirstinnings.Inthesecondinnings,Karnatakaneeded238 to win when Rahul came in to bat at 48-2. Patil decided to tempt theyoungster togo for thebig shotsbybringing the field in.He succeededwhenRahulsuccumbedtothebait,givingacatchtomid-onwhenhehadscoredonly

seven.MadhyaPradeshwonthatgamebyonlyfiveruns,andPatilbelievesthatitwasRahul'sdismissalthatturnedthematch.

Thereweresomeimpressiveperformancesin1993-94aswell.Rahul's93fortheRestofIndiaintheIraniTrophyfixtureagainstPunjabearnedhimthepraiseofSanjayManjrekar,hiscaptainforthatgame.

Twelvemonthslater,Rahulscored132inhissecondIraniTrophyencounter,this time against Manjrekar's home-team Mumbai. Scores of 67 and 148 forSouthZoneagainstCentralZoneintheDuleepTrophyresultedinacall-upfromthe national selectors for the final two matches of a limited-overs tri-seriesagainsttheWestIndiesandNewZealand.ManojPrabhakarandNayanMongiahad been omitted from the team due to their controversial 'slow' batting in aleague game against theWindies, andRahul andwicketkeeper-batsmanVijayYadavwere summoned to fill their places in the fourteen.The Indian limited-oversoutfitwasfartoostar-studdedtoallowanydebutanttobreakin,especiallya batsman, butRahulmade themost of his apprenticeship and partook of thedeliriousvictorycelebrationsafterthehostsbeattheWestIndiesinthefinalatKolkata.

After scoring 191 against Andhra in the Ranji Trophy, Rahul touredBangladeshfortheSAARCCupasamemberofthePraveenAmre-ledIndia'A'side.HewasoneofthechiefarchitectsofIndia'striumph,withknocksof44,16,33and37.CoachSandeepPatilwasimpressedwiththe'transformation'inhim:'Hehadchangedcompletely from the time I first sawhim.Hewasdisplayingmaturityinwhateverhedid,whetheritwaswalking,talking,dresssenseandofcourse, batting. He seemed to be in control of every situation. Hismind wasuncluttered. There are many youngsters who have ten shots in mind for aparticulardelivery,andbythetimetheydecidewhichonetoplay,itistoolate.ThiswasneverthecasewithRahul.'

BackinIndia,RahulwasoneofthefewIndia'A'playerstoemergewithanycredit against thevisitingEngland 'A' side.The tourists swept the three 'Tests'andwon the one-dayers 2-1.Rahulwarmed upwith 84 and 49 for theBoardPresident's XI, and scored a fifty in each of the three 'Tests' and a 57 in thesecondone-dayer.Hewasoneof five Indianbatsmenwhoended the1994-95seasonwithover1,000first-classruns.

Thenextseasonwitnessedthe'comingofage'oftwocricketteamsinSouthAsia. The much-maligned Sri Lankans stunned the world by pocketing thegame'sultimateprize–theWorldCup.Theiraggressivetacticstookotherteams

by surprise, and pundits theworld over ravedover thewisdomofSriLanka'sadministrators to blood a number of talented youngsters in the previous fewyears and persist with them despite some initial reverses. Under the watchfulleadershipofArjunaRanatungaandAravindaDeSilva, theplayers repaid thefaith.

SomethingverysimilarhappenedinIndiaatthesametime.TheyoungmenwhohaddebutedforKarnatakaattheturnofthedecadevindicatedtheirbackerswithasplendidshowingintheRanjiTrophy.NotonlydidRahulcontributetothetriumph,thefourthinKarnataka'shistory,asabatsmanwiththreehundreds,includingoneeachinthesemifinalandfinal,buthealsodidafinejobascaptainintheabsenceofAnilKumble,whowasbusyonnationalduty.Kumblereturnedfor the final against TamilNadu, inwhichKarnataka gained the crucial first-innings lead. Rahul starred in another team triumph in the season. Heaccompanied the India 'A' team for the Interface limited-overs tournament inSharjah,wherehewasconsistentenoughtowin theManof theSeriesAward.Earlier intheseason,heshowedthathehadthestrokesandskill tosucceedatthehighestlevelwithaninningsof145fortheBoardPresident'sXIagainstthetouringNewZealanders. 'Thehundredagainst theKiwisattracted theattentionof the think-tankandselectors.Hisdeeds in the1994-95and1995-96seasonsclearlysuggestedthathewouldbepartofthenationalteamverysoon,'recalledViswanath, who by then had become the Chairman of the National SelectionCommittee.

Rahul did his best in the Challenger Trophy, the BCCI's annual one-dayseries that divided the top 36 players in the country into three sides – IndiaSeniors,India'A'andIndia'B'.Thetournament,playedinHyderabadinthelastweek of 1995, was a 'selection trial' of sorts for the 1996 World Cup. TheSeniors team was for all practical purposes the first-choice Indian XI saveTendulkar, who was leading India 'A'. Sachin's outfit stunned Azhar's at theleaguestage,buttheSeniorsrecoveredtomakethefinalagainstthesameteam.In thefinal, theSeniorsbattedfirstandscored213onaslowwicket. India 'A'were 55-3 when Rahul, who had scored 78 against India 'B', found anenthusiasticpartnerinSouravGanguly.Theywerepittedagainstanattackthatcomprised frontline India bowlers Prabhakar, Srinath, Prasad, Kumble andAashishKapoor,allofwhommadeittotheWorldCupsquad.Theyoungmenbatted superbly to raise the hundredof the innings andmovedon towards the150-mark.Ashockresultwasadistinctpossibilitywhen,withthescoreat148,RahuldroveSrinathtomid-offandcalledforasingle.Gangulyadvanced,thenchanged hismind and chose to stay put in his crease.BeforeRahul,who had

sprinteddownthetrackcouldrealisewhathadhappened,hefoundhimselfatthesame end as his partner, andwas comfortably run out. His dismissal was theturning point and India 'A' collapsed for 180. Mohammed Azharuddin, thereigningcaptainof India, accepted thewinner's chequeand the trophy,andhemightwell have thankedGanguly.Had the left-hander notmisjudged the run,Tendulkar might well have held the trophy, and it would have been prettyembarrassingfortheIndiacaptain,aHyderabadi,toloseonhometurftoateamcaptainedbyhisdeputy!

Viswanath andhis fellowpanellistsdidnotpickRahul for the1996WorldCup.Hewasdisappointed,butnotunduly.Hehadalreadyworkedout thathedid not have much of a chance to break into a line-up that comprisedexperienced heavyweights like Navjot Sidhu, Vinod Kambli, Ajay Jadeja,SanjayManjrekar,skipperMohammedAzharuddinand theredoubtableSachinTendulkar.HewasawarethattheselectorswouldbereluctanttoexperimentintheWorldCupofalltournaments.

'Whenyou knock on the door and the selectors do not open it, then knockharder,'hasbeenhisidolSunilGavaskar'srecurringadvicetoallyoungsters,andRahulsetouttodojustthat.Ashadalwaysbeenthecasethroughouthiscareer,he made the most of his practice sessions, goading the quicker Karnatakabowlerstobowlatfulltilt.InJavagalSrinath,VenkateshPrasad,DavidJohnsonandDoddaGanesh,hehadtherightmentopepperhimwithbouncy,fierystuffinthenets.

The deluge of runs in the Ranji Trophy knockout games ensured that thenationalselectorscouldnotignorehimaftertheWorldCup.Rahuldidnothingofnote in twolimited-overs tournaments inSingaporeandSharjah,hishighestscorebeingameasly11inhisfourthone-dayinternational(ODI).Therewastheoddwhisper about his 'unsuitability' to limited-overs cricket, and even hewasworriedthathehadblownhischancesforthetourofEngland.Buttothosewhounderstood the nuances of the game, it was obvious that he was a big-matchplayer, one who was ready for the big league after six seasons of first-classcricket.Viswanathandhisfellowselectorscertainlythoughtso.

Thepanellists–SambaranBanerjee(East),M.P.Pandove(North),AnshumanGaekwad(West),andKishenRungta(Central),hadallseenRahulexcelat thestate,zonalandIndia'A'levels.Rahul'ssuccessontwoprivatetoursofEngland,besideshistechniqueandtemperament,tiltedthescalesinhisfavour.Viswanathwasconvinced thatRahulpossessed thewherewithal tohandle thebounceandmovementinEngland.

Rahulwasdelightedwithhis inclusion,but far fromhappywith the cynicswhowerestuckupwithhisfailures in the limited-overs tournamentsandwerereferring to the 'Viswanath factor'. The derisive comments only made himdeterminedtoprovehisdetractorswrongandjustifytheChairman'sfaith.

TheIndianteamchosenforits13thTesttourofEnglandcomprisedasmanyas five Karnataka players. Srinath and Kumble, both of whom had hadsuccessful stints inCountyCricketwithGloucestershireandNorthamptonshirerespectively a year before,were themain bowlers.Venkatesh Prasad, a nippybowlerandcanny'mover'oftheball,hadalreadyappearedin33ODIspriortothe tourandhencecouldnotbecalled inexperienced.Then therewas the left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi,who in 1995-96 had become the first player to score500runsandtake50wicketsinasingleRanjiTrophyseason.

ThejobofanIndiancricketselectorwillbeafrontrunnerforthetitleofthe'mostthankless'intheworld.Theselectionofvirtuallyeverycricketteamdownthe years has sparked off a variety of extreme reactions from the media andpublic.But those that followed theannouncementof the team for theEnglandtourin1996wereunusuallystrongevenbyIndianstandards.

The media was enraged when the Chairman announced the selection ofSouravGanguly,aplayerwhohadadmittedlynotdoneanythingextraordinaryinthe1995-96seasontomeritselectionattheexpenseofKambli,whohada50-plus average in Tests.Kambli's fellow 'Mumbaikars'were aghast and a groupevenwent to theextentofburninganeffigyofViswanath.Theselectorswerehauledoverthecoalsforplayingthe'Bengal'cardonceagain,andthenamesofcricketers who had shifted to Bengal in the recent past and promptly been'rewarded' with places in the national teamwere splashed all over. Ganguly's'proximity'toSambaranBanerjee,underwhosecaptaincyhehadmadehisfirst-classdebut in1989-90,waswrittenabout,aswastheclosefriendshipbetweenGanguly's father and Jagmohan Dalmiya, then Secretary of the Board andConveneroftheSelectionCommittee.Themanintheeyeofthestormhitback,arguingthathehadearnedaplaceduetohisconsistentperformancesinthepastfewseasons.

RahulwithIndiaandKarnatakateammateJavagalSrinath

'I find it hard to believe that Gundappa Viswanath has endorsed thisteam,andIfinditevenhardertodigestthatAzharuddinhasapprovedofit'–KAPILDEV,TheIndianExpress,29April1996

The selectorswere also criticised for picking only three quick bowlers andfour spin bowlers for a tour to be undertaken in the first half of the Englishsummer, when the conditionswould be cold, wet and not at all conducive tobowlingof theslowervariety.Srinath,Prasadand the rookieParasMhambreyweretoshoulderthenew-ballburdenonahectictourthatcomprisedthreeTests,thesamenumberofODIsandelevenfirst-classmatches.Thisbizarreselectionironicallycametotheselectors'rescuewhentheydefendedGanguly'sinclusion.Theymentioned his ability as a right-handed seamer and claimed that he hadbeenpickedasan'all-rounder'.Needlesstosay,nobodytookthemseriously.

Ifthequickswereinforatoughtime,sowasthemanexpectedto'take'thembehind the stumps.Mongia was the only specialist keeper in the squad, withSanjayManjrekarandRahul,bothofwhomhaddoneabitofkeeping in theirformative years, expected to fill in as his deputies. Rahul, who had not keptwicketsfornearlyeightyearsapartfromacoupleofDuleepTrophygamesinanemergencysituation,wasn'tallthatthrilledwiththeadditionalresponsibility;butthen,youdon'tsaynotoanythingonyourfirsttour.

Itwas a fairly inexperienced squad that coachSandeepPatil had under hiswings.Sixmembersof the touringpartymade theirTest debutson the tour–

Vikram Rathore, Venkatesh Prasad, Sunil Joshi, Paras Mhambrey, SouravGanguly and Rahul Dravid. Patil naturally stood by the selectors, contendingthat the best 16 players in the country had been selected. He stated he was'extremelysatisfied'withthecompositionoftheteam.

Nine years later, Patil told this author that the team was in a 'rebuildingprocess'onthattour.Azharuddin,thecaptain,hadnotbeeninthebestofformonthefieldandontopofthepopularitychartsoffit.Theyear1996hadbeenastormyoneforhim.Hehadformallyannouncedhisseparationfromhiswifeonthe eve of theWorldCup, bywhich time every living Indianwas acquaintedwith his relationship with actor Sangeeta Bijlani. His indifferent form in theWorldCup,andthesemifinaldisasteratKolkatahadonlyaddedfueltothefire.The record books stated that hewas India'smost successfulTest captainwithelevenwins, but ten of those had been achieved at home, the eleventh in SriLanka. Itwasadecadesince IndiahadwonaTestmatchorseriesoutside thesubcontinent.Coincidentally,thelastvictoryhadbeenachievedinEngland,butthe teamof1996 lacked theexperienceandvariety in thebowlingdepartmentthatKapilDevhadathisdisposalin1986.Azhar'sboyshadalsofaredpoorlyinthe tournaments in Singapore and Sharjah that followed theWorld Cup, andtherewasmore thanan iotaof truth in theassumption thatAzharhadkepthisjob for the England tour only because the selectors themselves had appointedhim for one full year in September 1995. It was quite obvious that only anextraordinary performance on the tour would enable him to hang on to thecaptaincy. If thatwerenot tohappen, the inevitablewould follow, andSachinTendulkar,hisdeputyforthreeyears,wouldbeentrustedthereins.

TheIndianteamtoEngland,1996.Rahulisstandingfifthfromleft

The brilliant bowling of Anil Kumble on home pitches notwithstanding,every treatise and discussion on Indian cricket in the 1990s began and endedwith Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. By far the biggest draw in the game, cricketwritersandfansinEnglandcouldnotwaittoseehiminaction.AsthebabyoftheteamthattouredEnglandin1990,hehadscoredhismaidenTesthundredinthe secondTest atManchester and received two bottles of champagne for hisefforts.Thebottlesremainedunopened.Hewasonlyseventeenyearsoldatthetime!Then,hewasaboyonthethresholdofgreatnessandsuperstardom,butin1996, hewas the Superstar of Superstars, aman poised to lead Indian cricketinto the new millennium. Shortly after the England tour got underway, hereceived theultimateaccoladefromSirDonaldBradman, thegreatestbatsmanofall time. 'IfeelTendulkarplaysthesamewayasIplayed...hiscompactness,hisstrokeproductionandhistechnique,'theknightdeclared.

Everybody,Englishcricket-lovers included,wasecstaticwhenhebeganthetourwithamatch-winning108inthetraditionaltour-openeragainsttheDukeofNorfolk'sXIatArundel.Rahulplayedinthefirst twogames,one-dayersboth,butmissed the first three-day fixture againstWorcestershire.He played in thenextgameagainstGloucestershireanddidverywell,scoringanunbeaten86inthefirst innings.HeconcentratedongettingacclimatisedtoEnglishconditionsandplayinghimselfin,ratherthangoingforthebigstrokes.Hispartinthegamewasfarfromover,ashereturnedtothemiddleinadifferentsetofpads.Mongiahadbeengiventhegameoff.

It was the first time Rahul was essaying the dual roles of batsman andwicketkeeperforthenationalteam.

Itwasn'tthelast.

'I had seen Rahul in the Ranji Trophy before the tour. He was aperfectionist, a soundbuilderof innings.Even in those earlydays,youcould not miss the determination in his eyes. He was the same inEngland'–VENKATAPATHYRAJU

After the game againstGloucestershire, the Indians played Sussex, andRahulonceagainstoodbehindthestumpsandbattedbrightlyinthesecondinningstoscore 44.Off the field, hewas doinghis best to convinceSunil Joshi, a strictvegetarianwhowasvirtuallystarving, toeatat leastomelettes, ifnotanythingelse.Joshihadbeenhavingatorridtimeonthetour,andthebitingcoldwasn'texactlyaddingtohiscomfort.HewasfieldingatgullyagainstSussexwithhishandsinhispockets,whenthebatsmanslashedhard.Theballflewtowardshim,butbythetimehehadbroughthishandsoutofhispockets,itwastoolateandthe catch was spilt! Rahul's coaxing worked. As it turned out, Joshi likedomelettessomuchthathestartedeatingthemdayinanddayout!

Rahul was forced to take a break after the Sussex game as his teammatesreadiedthemselvesforthelimited-oversseries,whichwasacatastropheinmoreways than one. England dominated the rain-affected first fixture that even areservedaycouldnotsalvage,anddismissedIndiaforapaltry158inthesecondto win by six wickets. The desperate situation demanded a change, and bothRahulandSouravGangulywereincludedintheXIforthethirdgame,anotherencounter that spilledover to the reserveday.The Indiansbatted first anddidwellwithGangulyscoring46andRahulanunbeaten22.Butascoreof236-4from50overswasinadequate.Englandcompletedacleansweepoftheseriesinthe penultimate over. Back in the dressing-room, the Indians were hit by atornado.

Navjot Singh Sidhu, the senior-most member of the team, had decided toannouncehis retirement inprotest atwhatheperceivedashis 'humiliation' bytheteammanagement.PatilandAzharuddinstronglyrefutedhisclaimthatthat

hewaspaddeduponthemorningofthethirdgamewhenhewas'ridiculed'andinformed about his omission. They stated that both Sidhu andManjrekar hadbeeninformedthedaybeforethattheyhadbeenleftoutofthefinalone-dayerfortheirpoorrunningbetweenthewicketsinthesecondone-dayer.

Patil, who had incidentally contemplated retirement during India's tour ofEngland fourteen years previously, only to change hismind after encouragingwordsfromhisseniorsandarousinghundredinthesecondTestatManchester,triedhisbest toplacateSidhu,but invain. Ina formalstatement,Sidhu toldastunnedmedia that he had promisedhis late father that hewould lead his lifewithdignity.Thatdignity,heclaimed,wouldbecompromisedifhecarriedon.

Sidhu's walkout divided followers of Indian cricket into two categories –those who supported Sidhu and those who didn't•. The first group squarelyblamed the captain and coach, while the second deemed it unbecoming of asenior player to desert his team in the middle of such an important tour.However, what both groups agreed on was that it was something that shouldnever have happened. The selectors quickly summoned paceman SalilAnkolafromtheNorthumberlandleaguetoreplenish thefast-bowlingdepartment, inabidtocoveruptheirinitialgoof-up.

ThefirstTestwasprecededbyathree-dayeragainstLeicestershire,inwhichAzharuddinscoredawristy111andaddedanunfinished153withRahul,whocontributed58.AmongthebowlerswhosufferedwastheseamerSimonHughes,who remarked that 'bowling toAzharwas like bowling into a revolving door'(Sportstar,15 June1996).Rahul's fineknock failed towinhimaplace in theteamforthefirstTest,whichturnedouttobeanotherdisaster.

Rathore,whohadlookedunstoppableinthethree-daygames,fellcheaplytoseamer Dominic Cork in both innings. He was cross with his second-inningsdismissal,withtheumpiresnotinterveningevenwhenitappearedthatGraemeHick at second slip had clasped the ball after it had hit the turf. Save apugnacious52bySrinath,whobattedaswellashehadatMumbaiagainst theWest Indies a year-and-a-half ago, no Indian batsmanmade amark, and theymade only 214. Srinath and Prasad, India's newest new-ball pair then broughttheir team back into the match with a superb display of bowling. But theChennai-bornNasserHussain,whowasplayinghis firstTest in three seasons,heldfirmandscoredafine128.HetookEnglandtoaleadof99onadifficultpitch,andwhenChrisLewis,DominicCorkandAlanMullallyreducedIndiato68-5 in the second innings, it looked all over. But thatmanTendulkarwouldhavenoneofit.Heetchedoutanoutstanding122,butcouldnotpreventdefeat

byeightwickets.Joshi,unfortunatelyforhim,brokeafingerandwasruledoutfortherestoftheseries.

Tendulkarmissedthenextgame,athree-dayeragainstDerbyshirethatIndialostintwo-and-a-halfdays.ThefiascounderscoredIndia'stotaldependenceonhim.GeoffreyBoycottcouldnothaveputitbetterwhenhecommentedduringthe first Test that the Indians needed Tendulkar to bat at numbers one, two,three,four,fiveandsix.ThestatementoutragedmanyanIndiansupporter,butitwasn'tveryfarfromthetruth.

Allthatwastochange.

India's saving grace against Derbyshire was Ganguly (64), who had beeninformed that hewouldmakehisTest debut in thenext gameatLord's.As itturnedout,hehadcompany.

Manjrekarwasnursinganankleinjury,andhewastoundergoafitnessteston the morning of the Test. Rahul was told that he would play ifManjrekarfailedthetest.Tenminutesbeforethetoss,PatilwentuptoRahul.

'Itoldhimthathewillbeplaying.Hisfacelitup.Icannotforgetthatmoment'–SANDEEPPATIL

WhenVenkateshPrasadwishedhimluck,RahulpointedtowardstheboardsinthedressingroomthatborethenamesofalltheoverseascricketerswhohadscoredaTesthundredor taken fivewickets inaTest inningsatHeadquarters.'Youputyournameonthebowlers'board,andIwillputmineonthebatsmen'sboard,'hequipped.Adealwasstruck.

Sourav and Rahul could not have asked for a grander setting in which tomake theirdebut– theHomeofCricket.For thesecond time inaLord'sTest,Azharwonthetossandelectedtofield,althoughthepitchandconditionswerealotmorebowler-friendlythantheywerein1990whenEnglandamassed653-4afterheaskedthemtotakefirststrike.The'guardofhonour'forDickieBirdwasEnglish skipper Michael Atherton's idea, but the umpire was in no mood toexpresshisgratitude.HedeclaredAthertonoutleg-beforeintheveryfirstover!Atherton later remarkedwrylyon the ironyof itall.Whenaskedwhichstumptheballwouldhavehit,patcamethesheepishresponse:'Probablyallthree!'

England were pegged onto the back foot by another marvellous bowlingperformancebySrinathandPrasad.Unfortunately,asinthefirstTest,theyhad

little support, and the hosts rallied around keeper-batsman-artist Jack Russell,whoscoredafighting124inhisunconventionalandinimitablestyle.Hecameintobatat107-5,andhelpedtakethescoretoarelativelyhealthy344.TheIndiansneeded a good start but did not get it,withRathore being superbly caught byNasser Hussain at second slip off Cork. This brought Sourav Ganguly to thecrease. Mongia, promoted to open in place of Ajay Jadeja who had lookeduncomfortableandsusceptibletothenewballinthefirstTest,playedsomefirmstrokes,butwasdeclaredleg-beforewhenhepaddeduptoonefromChrisLewisthat broke back. Tendulkar then took command of the proceedingswith somecrackingstrokes.HelookedimperiousagainstallthebowlerssaveChrisLewis,whowasmaking theball talk.Anabsorbingduel followed,which endedwithLewisdeliveringabeautythatpitchedjustshortofalengthonoff-and-middle,forcedTendulkaronto thebackfoot,andthendartedawaytomiss thebatanddisturbtheoff-stump.TherewasnotmuchevenabatsmanofTendulkar'scalibrecouldhavedonewithadeliverylikethat.

Tendulkar'sdismissalshiftedthespotlightontoGanguly,whohadseeminglydecidedthateverybladeofgrassontheoffsidewasadetractorofhis.Athertonkept plugging thegapson theoffside andGangulykept piercing them. Itwasstroke-playat itsmostexquisite.Azharuddinfellcheaplywhenhepokedatanaway-going delivery by the left-handed Alan Mullally and was comfortablycaughtbyRussell.Theonlyplausible reasonwhy Jadejawas sent in aheadofRahulwasbecausethe'numbersix'slothadbeenluckyforhim.HehadbattedverywellintheWorldCupatthatposition,butthen,thiswasaTestmatch,notaone-daygamewhereaplayercouldhopetogetawaywithtechnicaldeficiencies.The score was 202-4 when he played all over a delivery by change bowlerRonnieIrani.Rahul'stimehadcome.

'It'sallrighttobenervous.EvenIwasnervouswhenIstarted.Juststaytherefor15minutesandthingswillimprove.'ThesewordsbyTendulkarkeptringinginRahul'smindashestrodedowntheflightofstairsfromthepaviliontowardsthe wooden gate, through theMCC enclosure. As he swung open the gate atcricket'sHQ,heexperienceda tingle inhisspine.Hewas livinghischildhooddream. He had been given an opportunity to fulfil his wildest cricketingambitions.Ashestrodeoutontothefield,hesaidtohimself:'Whateverhappensbeyondthispoint,IamaTestcricketer,India's207th,andnobodycantakethatawayfromme.'

Ronnie Irani bowled the first delivery Rahul faced in Test cricket. It waspitchedshort,andRahulessayedabackfootdefensivestroke.Theballhit the

middleofthebat,andhefeltreassured.Hefedoffhisco-debutantandpartner'sconfidence,whichby thenhad reached thestratosphere.The IndiansupporterswentberserkwhenGangulycompletedacenturyondebutwithacoverdrive,his17thboundary.NeverinthehistoryofIndiancrickethadanindividualsilencedhiscriticsinsuchresoundingfashionasSouravGangulyon22June1996.Rahulat the other end followed his vice-captain's advice to the letter. The first 15minuteswentbyandhegotintotheact,cover-drivingCorkbeautifullyforfour,hishead,feet,handsandbatswoopingdownupontheballinperfectharmony.Hefolloweditupwitharaspingsquare-cutoffIranithatfetchedhimfourmore.

'Afterhegotthroughthefirst15-20minutes,itbecamejustanotherRanjiTrophygameforhim'–VENKATAPATHYRAJU

WhenGangulywasbowledbyMullally,thepairhadputon94forthesixthwicketinabreathtakingdisplayofbatting,repletewithemphatic,butorthodoxstrokes.

Thebattlewasnotyetover,astheIndianswere48shortoftheEnglishtotalwhenGangulyfellforamagnificent131.Rahultookchargeandcontrolledtheinningssuperbly.Badlightendedplay22minutesbeforethescheduledcloseonthe thirddaywith India 324-6, 56of those scoredbyRahul.He returned to asportingovationbytheEnglishplayers.Theperformancesofthetwodebutantshad been powerful enough to elicit terms like 'fire in the belly' and

'determination' from theTVcommentators,whohadbeen at a loss for similarwordsafterIndia'sdismalshowinginthefirstTest.

'Solidity' was the first word that sprung to legend Sunil Gavaskar's mindwhen asked to recall Rahul's first Test innings nine years later. 'He looked awell-organisedplayer,soundandunruffled,whenIsawhimintheearlystagesofthetour.AtLord's,Souravbattedelegantlyasallleft-handersdo,whileRahulattheotherendwassolid.'

Rahul kept goingon the fourth day, even as all thosewatching asked eachotherwhenwas the last time twodebutants from the same teamhad scored ahundred in the sameTest.Therewasno such instance.Rahulwasgivengoodsupport byKumble andSrinath.But theEnglishmanaged to stem the flowofruns,andtherewasafrustratingperiodwhenRahulspentcloseto50minuteson79.Hegotthroughthisthough,andenteredtheninetieswithMhambreyholdingfortattheotherend.RahulhadgotwithinfiverunsofthemagicfigurewhenhegotanicktoLewis,andwalked.Thestadiumrosetohim,andhewaspassedonthe way back by the new batsman Venkatesh Prasad, who was probably asdisappointedasRahulhimself.Bytaking5-76inEngland'sfirstinnings,Prasadhad fulfilled his part of the 'deal'.His colleague had comewithin five runs offulfillinghis,onlytofalteratthefinalhurdle.Rahulgotasmuchcheersforhisinningsasforhis 'walk'withoutwaitingfortheumpire'sdecision.Whenaskedaboutit,hewasquicktostatethat'everybodyatthegroundhadheardthenick'.Hewasdeeplydisappointed,butpreferredto lookat thecupashalf-fullratherthanhalf-empty.Hemayhavemissedahundred,buthehadscored95pricelessrunstocementhisplaceintheteam.

'Youcouldsensethathehadthetalentandabilitytobearoundforalong,longtimeattheinternationallevel'–SACHINTENDULKAR

TheIndiannew-ballduoenjoyedfarbettersupportfromtheirco-bowlersinthe second innings.At 168-6, Englandwere in a spot of bother, as theywereonly83aheadwithfourwicketsinhand.ButAlecStewartbailedhisteamoutwithanobdurate66.Iraniscored41andRussellstonewalledfor38inanotherdifficult situation. The match was drawn, but the Indians had reason to feelsatisfied.

Not surprisingly, Sourav Ganguly, the Man of the Match, hogged theheadlinesofthesportspagesandcoversofsportsmagazinesinIndia.Thereasonone has to mention the country's name is because the Test series was

comprehensively overshadowed in England by the ongoing Euro '96 FootballChampionships. In fact,whenSouravandRahulweregoinggreatgunson thethirdday,playwasinterruptedbyraucouscheeringaftertheEnglishsoccerteambeatSpaininthequarterfinal!

The Indian team's next first-class engagement was against a BritishUniversities XI that included Chinmay, the son of Madhu Gupte who hadrepresentedMaharashtrawith distinction in the 1970s. Itwas another of thoseglorified 'practice' matches that 'die' unless the two captains contrive a resultwithmutuallydecided 'sporting'declarations.Nothingof that sorthappened inthisgame,but itwasasignificantone forRahul.Afully recoveredManjrekarandJadejascoredhundredsinthefirstinnings.Inthesecond,Rahulwentinatnumberthree,thefirsttimehehadbattedatthatnumberforIndia.Heplayedhisstrokes from theword 'go' and scored an undefeated 101.Any elation that hemay have felt evaporated in the next game againstHampshire,whenRathore,Tendulkar,heandManjrekarweresentpackingbyKevanJames,a thirty-five-year-old seam bowler, off consecutive deliveries! Rahul had the dubiousdistinctionofbeingthe'hattrick'victim.GangulyandKumblecametotherescuewithastandof155,andtheIndiansdeclaredat362-7.Jamesthencameintobatat number four and scored 103 to complete one of the greatest all-roundperformancesinfirst-classcricket.

Azharuddin elected to bat after winning the toss in the third Test at TrentBridge,Nottingham, inwhatwas a do-or-die game for him and the team.Histeam needed a win to level the series, and he needed a win to retain thecaptaincy. On a flat track, the Indians prospered after the early dismissals ofRathoreandMongia.GangulyandTendulkarcontinuedtheirdreamrun,adding255 for the third wicket. Sourav became only the third batsman after WestIndiansLawrenceRoweandAlvinKallicharrantoscorecenturiesinhisfirsttwoinnings inTest cricket.He scored 136, and his vice-captainmade 177. JadejahadbeendroppedtoaccommodateManjrekar,but itpuzzledmanytoseebothhimandAzharuddinbataheadofRahul.Manjrekarbattedsteadilybutslowly.Azharuddin failed once again, superbly caught by Min Patel at short-leg offLewis.

Lewis greeted Rahul with a bouncer, which the batsman ignored. Rahulquickly got into his stride and started playing his strokes. As at Lord's, hisadherence to thebasicscouldnotbe ignored–a stillhead, abacklift that likemostofthegreats,camedownfromsecondslip,andastraightbat.ThemannerinwhichRahultookhisstancewasreminiscentofacertaindiminutiveopening

batsmanwhohadn'tdonetoobadlyinacareerthatstretchedfrom1971to1987.Likehim,Rahulgroundhisbatat thesame timeasheplacedhis front foot inposition,andthenplacedhisright(rear)legalongsidetheleft.Likehim,Rahulmoved'backandacross'beforemeetingtheball.

Rahuladded61withManjrekarbefore the latter fell for53.For thesecondsuccessive time inhisTestcareer,Rahul foundhimselfmarshalling the lower-order,andonceagain,hedidthejobwithaplomb.

'AsatLord's,Dravid'sbathadamellowringtoitandevenhisdefensivestrokeshadthehallmarkofclass'–DAVIDFIELD,WisdenCricketers'Almanack,1997

Rahul scored 84 before falling toMark Ealham in the samemanner as atLord's.TheIndiansfinishedwith521.

'I would value his 95 at Lord's more than the 84 at Nottingham. TheLord'swickethadsomething in it for thebowlers,but theTrentBridgestripwas sodocile that evenmygreat-grandmotherwouldhave scoredonit'–SALILANKOLA

Thevisitorshad littlechanceof squaring theserieson thatwicketonce thehosts saw off the early threat posed by Srinath and Prasad. Atherton helpedhimself to160afterbeingdroppedbyRahul in theslipsearlyon,andHussainscored107,hissecondhundredoftheseries.ThegamewasalreadyintothefinaldaybythetimeEnglandwerealloutwithaleadof43.WithRathoreunabletobat due to injury, the think-tank promoted Manjrekar to open with Mongia,whichmeant that the teamhad twomakeshiftopeners.Sidhu's 'retirement'hadhit the team really hard. Manjrekar perished to a rising delivery on 11, butMongiaandGangulybattedattractively, andTendulkarcame in, as it seemed,withtheintentionofprovidingalovelypartinggifttohisfansinEngland.Muchtotheiranguish,hemistimedapullandwascaughtinthedeepforaglorious74,withhissecondcenturyintheTestjustroundthecorner.Hefinishedthatgamewith251runs,butthemediadidn'tseemtobeallthatthrilled.

The reason for their ambivalence was his stint as standin captain forpracticallythewholeoftheEnglandinnings,afterAzharuddinhadleftthefieldonthethirddaytotendtoaninjury.WhenEnglandgotofftoagoodstart,ithadbecome increasingly obvious that the game would be drawn, which in turn

meantthatAzharcouldcounthislastfewdaysascaptainwiththefingersofonehand.Thecaptain-designatenaturallybecamethecynosureofalleyes,and thetacticsheadopteddidnotpleasemany.To thewatcher, it seemedquiteoutofcharacterforTendulkartoslowdownthegameanddefendratherthanattack.Helater argued that India would have been in a spot of bother in their secondinnings had his bowlers dismissedEngland earlier than they did.He cited thepoorformofhismakeshiftopeningpair,theinexperienceofSouravandRahul,andtheinjurytothecaptaintomakehispoint.Itwascertainlya'baptismbyfire'fortheheirapparent.

India had lost yet another series on foreign soil, but there were plenty ofgains. The team seemed to have found its most potent new-ball combinationafterKapilDev-KarsanGhavriinthe1970sandMohammedNissar-AmarSinghin the1930s. In fact, therewere some striking similaritiesbetween the secondIndianteamtotourEnglandforaTestseries:in1936,ofwhichAmarSinghand

Nissarwere an important part, and the side that toured six decades later. The1936 tourwas taintedbyacrimonyand intrigue, just like its1996counterpart.LalaAmarnath, a prominentmember of the team,was 'sacked' from the 1936tour on disciplinary grounds. Sixty years later, there was another prematurereturntoIndiabyaplayerfromthePunjab,onlythistimeitwasself-inflicted.Mohammed Azharuddin was a far superior cricketer and a far inferiorMachiavellian compared to the Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram who led the1936side,buthewasprobablyasdistracted.C.K.Nayudu,thepremierbatsmanofthe1936side,consolidatedhisreputationwithaglorious81inthefinalTestatManchester, justasSachinTendulkarconsolidatedhiswithmasterlyknocksof122and177atBirminghamandNottinghamrespectively.The1936touralsosaw the advent of two batsmen who did Indian cricket proud in the years tocome–VijayMerchantandSyedMushtaqAli.

'Had Sourav and Rahul not performed the way they did, god knowswhereIndiancricketwouldhavebeenattheendofthattour'–SANDEEPPATIL

Rahul finished theTest serieswith 187 runs and an averageof 62.33 fromtwoTests, the third-highest tallyandaverageafterGanguly(315and105)andTendulkar (428 and 85.6) respectively. The first-class averages told the samestory,withRahulrankedthirdwith553runsfromninegamesatanimpressiveaverageof50.27.

Rahul's first tourhadbeenanunqualifiedsuccess.Whenhereturnedhome,hetoldaclosefriendthathedidnotwanttoberememberedasjustanotherTestcricketer. He wanted to acquire a stature similar to that of Gavaskar andViswanath,hisidols.

In Sachin Tendulkar, SouravGanguly and Rahul Dravid, India had finallygainedaneffectivemiddleorder,thebackboneofaqualitycricketteam,forthefirst timesince themid-1980s.Therewashopeandoptimismat theendof thetourthattheIndiancricketteamwouldnolongerbecondescendinglyreferredtoas'SachinTendulkarandtenothers'.

'Rahul's willingness to learn and expand his horizons has made him ahighlysuccessfulcricketer'–SUNILGAVASKAR

SachinTendulkarscoredahundredinhisveryfirstgameasIndiacaptain,aone-dayer in a quadrangular tournament in Sri Lanka against the home team. ButpredecessorAzharuddinapart,theotherbatsmenfloundered,andatargetof227wasnevergoingtoworrytheWorldChampions.IndiathenbeatZimbabweandtookonAustraliainwhatwaseffectivelythesemifinal.Forthisimportantclash,Jadeja,whohadopenedunsuccessfullyintheearliergames,wasrelegatedtothemiddle-order andMongiamoved up to open. Rahulwas promoted to numberthree.The think-tankclearly felt that theBangaloreanwasabetterbet toholdthe innings together in theeventof anearlydismissalonwickets,whichwerenotasbatsman-friendlyasmoststripsonthesubcontinentgenerallywere.

Itwason6September1996thatRahulbattedone-downforthefirsttimeinaninternationalgame.Hemadeonly13andIndiacouldscoreonly201,atotalthatAustraliaoverhauledwiththreewicketsinhand.

India's next engagementwas at a new venue, the TorontoCricket, Skatingand Curling Club in faraway Canada, where the cricket boards of India andPakistanhadagreedtoplayanannualfive-matchseriesforfiveyears.Thefirsttwo days of the 1996 edition were washed out by rain. An extension to thetournamentwas impossible, as both countries had a packed schedule, and thismeant that the first three matches had to be played on consecutive days.Tendulkarledfromthefrontinthefirstgame,acurtailed33-overs-a-sideaffair,takingIndiatoaneight-wicketwinwithasuperlative89.PakistanwonthetossthenextmorningandsentIndiain.Rahul,whohadscoredafine39lessthan24hourspreviously,wasinsplendidnick.

ItwasadayonwhichallthosehoursfacingJavagalSrinath,India'squickest,in the India and Karnataka nets, came in handy. Wasim Akram and WaqarYounis,twoofthemostdreadedfastbowlersintheworld,werequiteahandfulonamoisttrack,butRahulwasequaltothechallenge.Hescored90,adding161

withAzharuddin for the thirdwicket.While the veteranwas his usual wristyself,Rahuldisplayedtherichnessofhistechniqueandthrilledaficionadoswithhis cultured stroke-play. His innings included only six boundaries, whichreflectedthealacritywithwhichheandAzharuddin,oneoftheswiftestmoversof all time, darted for the runs. The Indians finishedwith 264-6, butmuch totheirdiscomfiture,theiropponentssnatchedawinoffthepenultimatedelivery.

The thirdgame turnedout tobe a low-scoring affair inwhich India scored191 and bowled out Pakistan for only 136. Prasad took three wickets andKumble a sensational 4-12, but there never was any doubt in adjudicator SirGarfieldSobers'mindabouttheManoftheMatch.'Anybowlercantakewicketson a turning track, only a great batsman can get runs on it,' the greatest-evercricketerproclaimed(rediff.com,21September1996),whileannouncingRahulas his choice for the individual award. Rahul had scored only 46, but for thesecond day running, he had held a quality attack comprising the two 'W's,seamerAzharMahmoodandspinnersMushtaqAhmedandSaqlainMushtaqatbay on a strip thatwas aiding the bowlers. In 1996, one-day cricket's year ofslam-bang batsmanship, Rahul's orthodoxy, even in the shorter form of thegame,hadbeenarevelation.

Sandeep Patil believes that the Toronto series marked Rahul's 'graduation'into international cricket. Harsha Bhogle, a member of the TV commentaryteam,rememberedthegraduate's'urgetolearn'onthattour:'...IanChappellwasone of our commentators and he was never too far from an interestingconversation. There was a crowd around him and on the fringe, was youngRahulDravid,hisneckthrustforwardlikealittlechild...Asthecrowdthinned,hegrewbold toaskafewquestionshimself ... Itwas thefirst timeIhadseenhimdoit.Ithasn'tbeenthelast.'(www.espnstar.com,9January2005)

But the Pakistanis fought back, like they always did against India in the1990s,andwonthelasttwogamestotaketheseries3-2.Therewashardlyanytime for Tendulkar and his young team to introspect, for the Indian cricketseasonwasuponthem.ItgotofftoabadstartwithPatilbeingsackedascoachafter only six months in the job. Those who criticised the move hoped thatMadanlal,hissuccessor,wouldgetsomemoretimeinthehotseat.

The 1996-97 season was one of the most hectic in Indian cricket history.Afteraone-offTest againstAustralia, the Indianswere toplay the same teamandSouthAfricainatri-series,tobefollowedbyathree-TestseriesagainsttheProteas. Then came another three-Test tussle against the same opponent, thistimeinSouthAfrica,andatri-seriesagainstthemandZimbabwe.Aweekafter

their return to India, the players were to fly to the Caribbean for a five-Testseries. Finally, there was a quadrangular tournament to celebrate the GoldenJubileeofIndia'sIndependence.Ofcourse,playerslikeRahulandSouravwhohad just begun their careers,were not complaining, for the surfeitwould givethemampleopportunitiestocementtheirplacesinthenationalside.

The one-off Test against Australia at Delhi was preceded by awhole newdebate on the opening position. Sidhuwas back in contention, but his 50-daysuspensionfrominternationalcricketforhis 'walkout'wastoendonlyafterthegame. The names being discussed for the opening slots included twomiddle-order batsmen who had little or no experience of opening. K.N. Prabhu, thatdoyenofIndiancricket-writers,statedthatthe'technicallyaccomplished'duoofSanjayManjrekarandRahulDravidwouldmakean idealopeningpair. ItwasthefirsttimeRahul'snamehadbeenmentionedinconnectionwiththeopeningslot. Therewas understandable confusion among his fans,who argued that hewas a middle-order batsman and had proved himself as o.ne The selectorseventuallydecidedtogivetheRathore-Mongiacombinationanotherchance.

IndiawontheTest,Tendulkar'sfirstascaptain,onawearingwicket,thankstoanine-wickethaulbyAnilKumbleandadour152byMongia.Rahulbattedatnumbersix,apromotionofsortsashehadbattedatnumberseveninhisfirsttwo Tests. After all, he always preferred to look at the glass as half-full!Tendulkar was a proud first recipient of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, whichwould henceforth be presented to the winners of all Test series betweenAustraliaandIndia.Thetwomenwhohadlenttheirnamestothetrophymadethepresentation.

Both Australia and India struggled against the meticulous and mercilessSouthAfricans in the tri-series that followed. IndiaedgedpastAustraliaat theleaguestageandtookonthefavouritesinthefinalatMumbai.Awalkoverhadbeen predicted, with the media hailing South African coach Bob Woolmer's'revolutionary' use of a laptop to guide his team to success, as much as theyhighlightedthebatting,bowlingandfieldingexpertiseoftheProteas.'Don'tyouthink you have peaked too early?' – a young Indian journalist had asked theSouthAfricanthink-tankafteryetanothercomprehensiveleague-stagewinandraised theirhackles.Tendulkarspokeon thesame lineson theeveof the finaland declared that the opposition's weakest link was its batting, and it couldcollapse.Whatthemediathoughtofhisdeclarationisbestillustratedbythefactthat itwas reportedonlyafter the Indian skipper andhis teamhadwalked thetalk.Chasingamodest221,theProteas'collapsed'for185.Rahulplayedhispart

withacrucial31inthemiddlestagesoftheinnings,ashehaddoneinthefinalleague encounter againstAustraliawith a stroke-filled 56. Interestingly,Rahulbeganthecompetitioninthenumberthreeposition,butlostitafterthreegamestononeother thanSrinath,whowaspromoted to 'get amoveon'.Rahul's lastgameas'numberthree',againstSouthAfricaatJaipur,wasanoteworthyoneforIndia,foritwasthefirstinwhichTendulkarjoinedforcesatthetopoftheorderwithSouravGanguly.ThepairwouldgoontobecomeIndia'smostsuccessfulopeningpairinone-dayinternationals.

AmajorgainforIndiafromthetri-serieswastheTrinidad-bornandChennai-basedRobinSingh,whohadplayed twoone-day internationals in1989beforebeingbanishedintothewilderness.Sevenyearslater,hewasback,providinganall-round option the Indians had all but forgotten about, with his aggressivebatting,restrictivebowlingandbrilliantfielding.

India won the first Test against South Africa, a low-scoring thriller atAhmedabad,with Srinath exploiting a deterioratingwicket to take 6-21 in thesecond innings.TheTestwasRahul's first in thenumber threeposition,but itwas only a stop-gap arrangement as Ganguly was not playing due to a calfinjury.ItwasanothersignificantgameforIndia,foritturnedouttobethelastTestplayedbySanjayManjrekar,abatsmanwhowasfirstletdownbyformandthenfate,afterabrilliantstarttohisTestcareerinthelate1980s.ItwasalsothefirstTestofayoungmanwhosenamewastobeinextricablylinkedwithRahul'sinthehistoryofIndiancricket.

'RahulandIsharedsomegoodpartnershipsforSouthZoneintheDuleepand Deodhar trophies in 1995-96. He kept telling me that I had thepotential toplay for India.When Imethim inAhmedabad,he advisedmetoplaymynaturalgame'–V.V.S.LAXMAN

Rahul,the'senior'player,scored24and34,andthedebutantcontributed51inthesecondinnings,aknockthatenabledIndiatotakeawinningleadof170.

TheProteas retaliated strongly andwon the secondTest atKolkata by329runs,butnotbefore India'sex-captainhadexcelledonceagainathis favouritegroundwithabelligerent109.Thateffortapart, theTestwasanordealbyfirefor the Indians. The return of Ganguly meant that Manjrekar, the mostdispensable member of the team, had to be dropped. Rahul was 'pushed up',quiteliterally,totheopeningslot.Hedidnotdotoobadly,asscoresof31and23 suggest, but was not at all comfortable with the unfamiliar challenge of

openingtheinningsinTestcricket.

'...Openingtheinningsisaspecialist'sjob...Iambasicallyamiddle-orderbatsmanandthat'swhereIwouldliketostay.'–RAHULDRAVID,Sportstar,1February1997

RahulwasrelievedwhentheselectorsrecalledTamilNaduopenerWoorkeriRaman for the final Test at Kanpur. Bob Woolmer's return to his birthplaceturnedouttobeinauspiciousforhisteam,asthevisitorscapsizedonaslowandlow pitch. As the Proteas searched for excuses for their 280-run loss, theyconveniently forgot that the Indians had made 400-7, that too in the secondinnings,onthesamewicket.Azharuddin,whohadreturnedtohisprolificways,remainedunbeatenwith163andRahulcelebratedhisreturntothemiddle-orderwith56.Therewasnotimetocelebrate,astheIndianplayerspackedtheirbagstodobattleonSouthAfricanpitches,whereretributionawaitedthem.

'Iwouldn'tsaytheteamwasbustlingwithconfidence.Theboysknewthattheconditions in South Africa would be diametrically opposite to those in India.They expected quickwickets and hostile fast bowling,' recalls Charu Sharma,whowaspartoftheTVcommentaryteaminSouthAfrica.

TheKanpurTesthadendedon12December1996.Amere12dayslater,theIndians tookon thesameopponentsonaDurbanpitch thatwas to theKanpurwicketwhatblackwastowhite.TocompoundtheIndianteam'swoes,theyhadplayedjustonepracticematchtogetacclimatisedtoSouthAfricantracks.

TherewerescenesofgreatjubilationalloverIndiawhenSrinathandPrasadbowled out the hosts for 235 afterTendulkar hadwon the toss and elected tobowl.Givingthemsupportwastheirstate-mateDavidJohnson,whohadmadehis Test debut in the one-off Test against Australia, andwas rated as quite aprospect.

ThosewereheadydaysforthereigningRanjichampionsanddeservedlyso.The touring Indian side comprised six Karnataka players – pacemen JavagalSrinath, Venkatesh Prasad, David Johnson and Dodda Ganesh, middle-orderbatsman Rahul Dravid and leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who was also the vice-captain.Aseventh–SunilJoshi–wouldjointheteamforthetri-series.

The smiles on the faces of Indian supporters vanishedwhenMessrs ShaunPollock,BrianMcMillan,LanceKlusenerand 'WhiteLightning'AllanDonald,whobowledthedeliveryofhiscareertoclean-bowlTendulkar,annihilatedtheirteam on a lightning-quick wicket. India made only 100. The Proteas batted

purposefully in the second essay and set India an unattainable target of 395.Beforethevisitorsrealisedwhathadhitthem,theywerebowledoutforapaltry66, to loseby328 runs.Therewasonlyoneconsolation–RahulDravid,whodelayedtheinevitablewitharesolute,unbeaten27.Thebattingpracticeagainst'short-pitched' wet tennis balls on the steps of the pavilion at Bangalore'sChinnaswamystadiumhadpaidoff.

At the end of the Test, Tendulkar tookRahul aside andmade an offer theBangaloreancouldnotrefuse.

'Wewantedsomebodytohanginthereandseeoffthefirstspell,sothatthestroke-playerscouldthengooutandplaytheirnaturalgame.Atthatstage,wefeltthatRahulwasbettersuitedtothenumberthreeposition'–SACHINTENDULKAR

Rahul,avoraciousreaderofcricketbooksandkeenstudentofthegamesincehis formative years, was well informed about the significance of the numberthree position, which is synonymous in cricket history with names like SirDonaldBradman, IanChappell, and for amajor part of his career, SirVivianRichards.

'IdofeelthathiselevationtonumberthreedidwonderstohisconfidenceoutthereinSouthAfrica'–CHARUSHARMA

It thereforewasananti-climaxwhenRahulhad toopenwithRaman in thefirstinningsofthesecondTestafterMongiawashitbyabailintheeyewhilekeepingwickets.TheSouthAfricans had amassed529-7 in their first innings,andtheearlylossesofRaman,Rahulandnight-watchmanPrasadbeforestumpson day two did not augur well for the tourists. The third morning was nodifferent.The scorewas58-5whenTendulkarandAzharuddingot together toaddabreathtaking222 runs fromonly40overs.But even thiswasn't enough,and India came apart in the second innings to lose by 282 runs.Rahul battedone-down in the second innings but did not impress, scoring only 12 beforebeingcaughtbehindofftheunorthodoxleft-armspinnerPaulAdams.

Theserieswaslost,buttheIndianswentintothethirdTestatthe'Bull-Ring'inJohannesburgwithapositivemindset.ItwasarelieftoseeRathore,whohadmademorecomebacksinaperiodofsixmonthsthanmostplayersinanentirecareer,survivetheinitialoversalongwithMongia.Adamswasbroughton,and

Rathorewascaughtbehindfirstball!Itwasthefirsttimeintheseriesthathehadbattedlongenoughtoconfrontaspinner,andhewasprobablynolongerusedtofacingbowlingof theslower type!Rahulcame inandgotoff themarkwithatuckdown to fine-leg for two.Cronje brought backDonald, butRahul playedhimwellonastriponwhichtheballwascomingontothebat.TheIndianslosttheirsecondwicketwhenMongiawasbowledby'WhiteLightning'.

Rahulhadlookedassuredfromballone.Histimingwasajoytobehold.Hedroveandpulledsuperbly,butthebestshotoftheinningswasonethatdidnotfetchhimanyruns.McMillanbowledawell-disguisedslowerball thatpitchedjustoutsidethelineoftheoff-stumpandmovedawayverylate.Rahul,whohadcommittedhimself toplaying it, loosenedhisgriponhisbatat themomentofimpact,andtheoutside-edgefellwellshortofsecond-slipasaresult.NoteventhedismissalofTendulkar,whowascaughtbyMcMillanoffCronje,coulddentRahul's determination.Hewas severe onCronje, off-driving him for four andthen essaying amighty pull to the boundary in the same over.WhenDonaldgave him width outside the off-stump, Rahul rolled his wrists and essayed astingingsquare-cutthatwouldhavedonehisidolG.R.Viswanathproud.

That SunilGavaskar andMohinderAmarnath, two of India's best batsmenoverseas, were commentating on Rahul's batsmanship on television, enhancedtheenormityoftheimpendingmoment.Itcameaftersixhoursofgrittybatting.ThespectatorsrosewhenRahulcompletedhismaidenTesthundred.HeraisedhisbatandkissedtheIndiacrestonhishelmet,agesturethatendearedhimtothenation.

'It was a gutsy effort against a quality attack. A first Test hundred isalwaysspecial.Hecompleteditwithacut.TheJohannesburgpavilionislocatedatbackwardpoint,andIcanrecalltheballbeatingJontyRhodesat point and coming towards us.He had come very close to scoring acenturyonearlieroccasions,buthadmissedout.Itwasarichlydeservedhundredandweweredelighted'–SACHINTENDULKAR

Rahulcarriedonfor148untilhewascaughtbyPollockoffCronje.

Itwashearteningtoseetwoyoungsterstakethefighttotheenemycampwithastandof145.Gangulybattedbeautifullytoscore73.Attheendofthesecondday'splay,SunilGavaskartoldRahulthat'hewouldgivehimdarkglassesifhewere the captain, to keep away the "glare" of success' (Sportstar, 1 February1997).

Forthefirsttimeintheseries,SrinathandPrasadhadrunstobowlwith,410of them. They responded well. Ganguly also took two wickets and the hostswere bowled out for 321 by stumps on the third day. The Indians expectedlywentforquickrunsonthefourth.Rahulcameinaftertheopenershadputon90and attacked from the start. Ganguly had his second productive outing of thegameandfullyjustifiedRahul'scelebratedcontentionthat'Ontheoff-side,firstthere was God and then there was Sourav'. Ganguly scored 60, and Rahulsacrificedhiswicketfor81whenaselfishapproachwouldhaveensuredanotherhundred.Indiacamewithintwowicketsofsnatchingawinonthelastday,onlytobethwartedbyrain,poorlightandDarrylCullinan,strictlyinthatorder.

TheIndianswerebelowparinthetri-seriesthatfollowed.RahulstruggledinthefirsttwogamesbeforebeingaskedtoopenwithGanguly.Hescored50and83inback-to-backgamesagainstSouthAfrica,butneitherwasamatch-winningeffort.Itwasn'tasiftheIndianswerecoveringthemselveswithgloryagainsttheZimbabweanseither.Aheroic inningsbyRobinSinghenabled them to tie thefirstofthreematchesagainstthe'minnows',buttheylostthesecond.Zimbabwebattedfirstinthethirdandscored240-8,leavingIndiawiththeoneroustaskofreaching the target in40.5overs toqualifyfor thefinal. Itwasasituation thatdemanded a Sachin special, and the skipper delivered. He returned to theopeningslotandsmashed104offonly97balls.Rahulcontributed17toathird-wicketstandthatproduced85,andhadthebestviewoftheglory.Indiacoastedtovictoryin39.2overs,andintothefinal.

Rain intervened in the final atDurbanwhenSouthAfricawere42-1 in the15thover,chasingamodest192.Thematchwasreplayedthenextday,andthistime,theProteasbattedfirstandscored278-8.Theskiesopenedonceagain,butnotfortoolongandIndia'stargetwasrevisedto251from40overs.Thismeantthat the Indians had to play their shots from the first ball.Ganguly fell in thethirdover.Rahulcameinnext,andessayedanemphaticpulloffPollockinthefifthovertoshowthathewasinfinenick.Donald,introducedinthesixthover,nearly bowled Tendulkar with his first ball, an inswinger that sailed over thestumps.TheIndiancaptain'sresponsewasa 'stroke'ofgenius.Thebowlerwasleft gaping as Tendulkar shuffled across to the off-side to tickle his nextdelivery, a short one, past short fine-leg for four.Rahul cover-drovePollock'sfirstballofthenextoverforfour,andthenflickedafull-tosstothemid-wicketboundary.Theoveryielded14 runs inall, andat61-1 fromseven, Indiawerefirmlyoncourse.

RahulcompleteshismaidenTesthundredatJohannesburg,1996-97

Thescorewas75-1whenDonaldranintobowlthefourthballofthetenthover. South Africa's ploy to bowl short to the Indians had backfired, and thebowlerdecidedtobowlasloweronetotryandbefuddlethebatsman.ButRahulpicked it early,went onto the front foot, brought his bat down in a flash anddeposited the ball over long-on. Itwas an incredible six, one that leftDonaldseething.

Thenextballwasshorterandquicker,and it rocketedoverRahul'shead. Itwas followed by another rocket, this time a verbal one. Donald was clearlyflustered. He had clearly not expected a young man in his first year ofinternationalcrickettobesodisrespectfulofhisfast-bowlingprowess.Donald'sfans,whosoughttojustifyhisverbalassaultafterthatshortballbyarguingthatitwasnothingbutafastbowler'stypicalrejoindertoacounterattack,werealsoleft speechless by what he did after bowling the next delivery, another shortdeliverythatpeggedRahulontothebackfoot.AlividDonaldstrodetowardsthe

batsmanandletthecursesfly.Itwasdisgracefulandinexcusablebehaviourbyasenior cricketer. Rahul responded with a deadpan look. He was clearly in nomood to takeabackwardstep.TendulkarhadawordwithCyrilMitchley, theumpire,andexhortedRahultokeepgoing.AnentirenationwasdismayedwhenBarryJarman,theICCReferee,allowedDonaldtogetawaywithmurder.

Cronjethenbaggedtheprizedscalpofhiscounterpart,whoglancedaslowerballtoRudiBrysonatshortfine-leg.Tendulkarneedn'thaveworried,forRahulwasonaroll.Amarnathnotedduringhiscommentarystint thatRahulwasnotcommittinghimself tothefrontfoot likehehadintheearliermatchesandhadrevertedtothe'backandacross'technique,whichwasgivinghimmoretimetoplaytheball.RahulnonchalantlyflickedDonaldtothemid-wicketboundaryofftheveryfirstballofthenextover,andthistime,thebowlerhadnothingtosay.He reachedhis fiftyoffonly44balls in the19thover. Indianeededonly108fromthefinal20overs.

JontyRhodesgavehisteamabreakthroughinthe25thoverwhenhedivedtohis left to catch Azharuddin off Pollock. Nevertheless, India needed only 86morefrom90ballsattheendofthatoverwithsevenwicketsinhand,butthatwicket had an inspirational effect on the Proteas. They came in hard at thebatsmenandbottleduptheruns.Jadejafellcheaply,andRahulwason84whenhe hitKlusener intoKirsten'swaiting hands at deepmid-wicket. The score atthatstagewas210-5.HisdismissalopenedthefloodgatesandtheIndianswiltedto234allout.Therewere twofactors thatmadeRahul's inningspoignant.Hisinnings would have won India the match and series had he received moresupport. Then, therewas the news of his father's ill-health. To have batted sowelldespitetheobviousmentalstrain,wassimplyoutstanding.

TherewerenodissentingvoiceswhenRahulwasnamedManoftheMatch.Thepresentationmarkedtheendofthemostsuccessfultourofhisshortcareer.Therewasnothingmoretheselectorsandhissupporterscouldhaveaskedfor.

'Morethanwhathesaid, itwaswhathedidnotsaythatmadehimspecial,'statesCharuSharma,whointeractedwithRahulonandoffcameraonnumerousoccasions during the tour. 'Therewas, and still is a calm self-assurance abouthim.Hewasareal"sweater" in thenetsandtookthegameveryseriously.Heattended theoddparty,but itwasalwaysacaseof "Let'sget thisoverwith. Ihave got to get back and sleep, as I have work to do tomorrow." He was acompleteprofessional.'

'Ineverhad to tellhimanything.Healwaysseemedtobe incontrolofwhathewantedtodo'–ANSHUMANGAEKWAD, coach, Indian cricket team, 1997-99,2000

The West Indies of 1996-97 were not the force they had once been, andTendulkar fancied his battle-hardened team's chances against them. He knewthathisnew-ballbowlersheldthekey.

'Ifanyoneofthem(SrinathorPrasad)breaksdownintheCaribbean,it'sgoingtobeverytough'–SACHINTENDULKAR,Sportstar,1March1997

Thesewords,uttereddaysbefore the tourbegan,wereprophetic,asSrinathwasdiagnosedwith a rotator-cuff injury tohisbowling shoulder and renderedunfitforsixmonths.

The selectors had attempted to resolve the 'opening' dilemma by recallingNavjotSidhu,and'creating'anopeneroutofV.V.S.Laxman,whohadreturnedearlyfromSouthAfricaafterbreakingafingerintheJohannesburgTest.

TheTestserieswasatediousaffairwithonenotableexception.IntermittentrainandslowscoringmarredthefirstencounteratKingston.TheWestIndiessetIndiaatargetof323onthelastday,butplaywasreducedto58oversandRahulmade the most of some friendly bowling to complete an unbeaten fifty. ThesecondTest followedmoreor less the samepattern.West Indies showed littleenterprise,andtheIndianswerenodifferent,althoughSidhubatteddoggedlytoscore his first double hundred in Test cricket. Rahul retained his consistencywithaknockof57.

The teams thenmoved toBridgetown, historically a happy hunting groundfor thehosts.Ahamstring injury toCourtneyWalshhadgivenBrianLara the

chance to lead the West Indies for the first time, and there was tremendousexcitementat theprospectof the twopremierbatsmenof the1990spittingnotonlytheirtalent,buttheirbrainsagainsteachother.Tendulkarmadeagoodstartbywinningthetoss.Heoptedtobowl,theideaobviouslybeingtoletPrasadandthethree-TestoldAbeyKuruvillahavefirstuseofaspitefulstrip.Theflipsidewas that his team would have to bat last on a wicket that was expected todeteriorate.

AsuperbbowlingdisplaybyPrasad(5-87)helpedrestricttheWestIndiesto298.TheIndianslosttheiropenerscheaply,butTendulkarandRahulbattedwelltoadd170for the thirdwicket.Rahul lookedevery inch the 'Rock' thatCharuSharmahadchristenedhimas,butitseemedthathehadtakentheappellationalittletooseriously.Hetook243ballstoscore78,andwhilenooneexpectedhimtoscoreatarun-a-ballinaTest,thegeneralviewwasthatheoughttohavegotatleastfiftymore.Admittedly,theWestIndiesbowledwellwithFranklynRose(4-77)beingthebestofthelot.Tendulkarwasunluckytobegivenoutcaughtinthegullyoffano-ballfor92.TheIndianstookaslenderleadof21,whichcouldhavebeengreaterhadthebatsmenwhofollowedTendulkarandRahulshownalittlemore enterprise.Kuruvilla bowled his heart out in the second innings todismissfivebatsmenonawicketthathadturnedspiteful.Indianeededonly120towinwithonefulldaytospare.

Streetlights in India were being switched on at around the time the teamsarrivedatBridgetown'sKensingtonOvalforthefifthday'splay.AlloverIndia,cricket-loverswerebracingthemselvesforthemomentwhentheywouldrunoutof theirhomesand lightcrackers tocelebrate India's firstTestwinoutside thesubcontinent since 1986. Thousands of miles away, the Indian batsmen werepreparing to leave thedressing room,not to achieve a victory, but to look fordevils.Thosethattheywereconvinced,existedinthewicket.

'Thepitchwasn'tthebest,andtherewasnowayyoucouldhavesurvivedby just defending. Some strategising could have helped. Two or threebatsmenshouldhavebeen told toattackand theothers instructed tobewatchful.But therewasnoplanning,andeveryone just seemed towaitfortheinevitable,unplayableball'–CHARUSHARMA

The final Indianwicketwent down for 81 and theWest Indians celebratedlike therewasno tomorrow.The 'captaincy round' of theLara-Tendulkar duelhad ended in a comprehensivewin for theTrinidadian,whosehandlingof the

bowlersonthefinaldaywaspraised.

ThelasttwoTestswereruinedbyrain,whichmeantthatWestIndiestooktheseries byvirtueof theirwin atBridgetown.Ashehad inSouthAfrica,RahultoppedthebattingtableforIndiawith360runsfromfivegamesatanaverageof72.His only disappointmentwas not being able to convert at least two of hisfourfifties–the78atBridgetownandthe92inthefinalTestatAntigua–intohundreds.Themedia christened him 'Rahul "Well left"Dravid'.While the tagestablishedRahul'sexcellent'judgement',italsoimpliedthattherewasroomforimprovement.

'Dravidadmitsthatheneedstoplaymoreshotsandthatshouldhelphimtakeastepclosertodevelopingintoacompletebatsman'–VIJAYLOKAPALLY,Sportstar,31May1997

AllthosewhobelievedthatIndiacouldn'tgetanyworseatsnatchingdefeatfrom the jaws of victory were at a loss for words after the third one-dayinternationalatStVincent.Atthatpoint, theserieswaslevel.TheWestIndiesbattedfirstandscored249-9.Tendulkarfellearly,butGangulyandRahulbattedsplendidly,adding130beforeRahulwasbowledbyOtisGibsonforafine74.SouravcarriedoninthecompanyofJadeja,andtheIndianslookedoncoursetogo2-1upintheseries.Thescorewas185whenGangulywascaughtbyCurtlyAmbroseoffRosefor76.RobinSinghandwicketkeeper-batsmanSabaKarim,competentbatsmenboth,occupiedthenexttwoslotsinthebattingline-up.Buttheunthinkablehappened.

TheshotsthattheIndiansplayedwouldhavegiventhe 'Kamikaze'pilotsoftheSecondWorldWaraninferioritycomplex.ButwhiletheJapanesepilotsdidwhat theydid for a cause, the Indians looked listless andclueless.Therewerethreerun-outsandtheinningsendedat231.NotoneplayerhadthecouragetoconversewithanincensedTendulkaratthedinner-tablethatevening.TheWestIndieswon the fourthand finalgamewithease towin theone-dayseries, andIndiaendedyetanothertourwithtalesof'whatmighthavebeen'.

TheIndependenceCupbeganbackhomeinIndiapreciselysixdaysafterthefourthone-dayerintheCaribbean.Itwascausticallysuggestedbysomethatthemenbehindthetournamentoughttobemadetostandinthemiddleofacricketgroundinathree-piecesuitasapunishmentforsubjectingthecricketerstotheheat and humidity of muggy May, after more than six months of relentlesscricket.Thedecisiontoplayallthematchesunderfloodlightsto'avoidtheheat'didn'tmakemuchofadifference.

Itwasthefirsttimesince1984-85thatMohammedAzharuddinhadbeenleftout of an Indian squad for a full series. The selectors felt that they had hadenough of his 'carefree' hitting that in the Caribbean had bordered on the'careless'.Itturnedouttobeonlyatemporary'break'andhewasbackwhenthenewseasonbegan.

The Indians won their first game of the Independence Cup against NewZealandwithTendulkarscoringahundred,andlostthesecondtothechampionSriLankanside.Gangulyfellfirstball,andtheinningswasindirestraitsat29-3whenRahulandJadeja launcheda recovery.Theyadded95beforeRahulwasbowled by Muralitharan for 61. The Indians scored 225-7, and Sri LankancommentatorRanjitFernandodeclared thathis teamwouldfinish thematch in40overs.SanathJayasuriya,amanwho'loved'theIndianbowling,bludgeonedanunbeaten151andletFernandodownbyamerefiveballs.

India's third and final league game was a 'semifinal', as both India andPakistanhadbeatenNewZealandandlost toSriLanka.Pakistanwonthe tossandbattedfirstonaChennaibelter,andforthesecondconsecutivetime,aleft-handedopenerenjoyedhimselfagainsttheIndianbowling.SaeedAnwardidnotstopatahundred,andgottowithinstrikingdistanceofthefirstdoublehundredinone-dayinternationalsbeforefallingfor194,thehighest-everindividualscorein the shorter version.His teammates batted around him, and formost of theinnings,ShahidAfridiranforhim.With328towin,Indiawereupagainstit.

TheearlydismissalofTendulkar toamagnificentcatchbyInzamamwasasetback,butlikehehadatDurban,Rahulpickedupthebaton.HelostGangulywhen theKolkatanwascaughtbySaqlainoffAaqib Javed fora rapid-fire33.Comeback-manVinodKambli then gave Rahul spirited support. They bravedthebowlersand thehumidity toadd134beforeKambli fell for65. Jadeja fellalmost immediately, but the tiring and cramping Rahul found another ally inRobinSingh.SuchwasthequalityofRahul'sstrokesinfrontandsquareofthewicket that even his tough-as-nails opponents,who had earlier objected to hiscaptainrunningforhim,wereimpressed.WhenRahulcrampedandsprawledontheground,MoinKhan,thePakistaniwicketkeeper,wasthefirsttorushtohisaid. By the time he completed his first limited-overs hundred, Rahul lookedgutted.Buthis teamneededhim tocarryon.However, thatwasn't tobeashewascaughtbyAfridioffAaqib,whoalongwithSaqlainhadbeenheldbackfortheslogovers.Rahulleftfor107andthePakistaniswonby35runs.

Thus endedRahul's first year in international cricket, a successful one. 'HehastherighttechniqueandtemperamenttobecomeoneofIndia'sfinestbatsmen

ever,'CliveLloyd, the thenmanagerof theWestIndies team,hadremarkedattheendoftheCaribbeanseries.

The twenty-five-year-old had established himself in the national team, asIndiancricket'sblue-eyedboyandIndia'slatestpin-upboy.Cricketconnoisseurswerecaptivatedbyhis technicalandmental skillsand the fairergenderbyhislooks.Lifecouldn'thavebeenrosier.However,thebattlehadonlyjustbegun.

Rahul andSouravwere expected to tideover the 'second-seasonblues', thebaneofmanyadistinguishedcricketer.Souravdid,withsomebigscoresinTestcricket and a magnificent all-round performance in the annual Toronto seriesagainst Pakistan later in the year, but Rahul didn't. He had 'problems' in theshorter version of the game, in which he had done so well in his first year.Ironically,mostofthese'problems'wereimposedonhim.

Heacquittedhimselfcreditablyintheone-dayersonIndia'stourofSriLankain mid-1997, with scores of 69, 78 and 42 from six of eight one-dayinternationals (hedidnotget tobat in two). In theAsiaCup thatpreceded thebilateraltussleagainsttheLankans,IndiabeatBangladesh,butthegameagainstPakistanwasrainedoff.

Azharuddinwas India's best batsman in the one-dayerswith a century andthreefifties,andalltheotherbatsmenhadatleastonegoodperformancetotheircredit, which placed them in the same boat as Rahul. But for some strangereason, some people had started questioning Rahul's presence in the one-dayside,thattooonlytwomonthsafterhisinningsatChennai.

TwotwentiesinthesecondeditionoftheannualTorontotournamentfurtherjeopardisedRahul'scase.Itdidnotmatterthattheserieswasalow-scoringone,playedonlivelypitchesthatassistedthebowlers.Indiawon4-1largelyduetoSouravGanguly,whowontheManoftheSeriesaward(afterwinningfourManoftheMatchawards)forhis222runsand15wickets.EvenmorespecialwasthetitlebestowedonhimbyGeoffreyBoycott:ThePrinceofKolkata.TheelatedIndiancricketersthenwenttoPakistanforathree-matchone-dayseries,wherethey played the first game on a slowwicket atHyderabad (Sind). The Indianbatsmenstruggled,withoneexception.Rahulcameinat61-3andcontrolledtheinningsbrilliantly.Itwasn'telectrifyingbatting,butitwaseffective.HeheldoneendupasAzharuddinandJadejaplayedtheir'naturalgame'attheother.Rahulwaseighthoutat169foraroundhalf-ton,andtheinningsendedonerunlater.ThePakistanisdidnothaveiteasy,andtheIndiansmadethemsweatuntil the

target was achieved in the 45th over. Once again, Rahul had delivered in ademandingsituation.

NobodyhasexplainedwhyRahulplayedhisnextone-dayinternationalthreemonths after this fine innings, and why he was left out of the one-day teamsubsequently.

Sunil Gavaskar reckons that the move to drop Rahul from the one-dayerscouldwellhavebeenapartofanexperiment.'Theone-daygameisnotaneasygame. It isnevereasy tobeable tobeappreciatedbyeverybody.This iswhyone-dayteamsareexperimentedwithmorethanTestteams.'

Ironically,theveryqualitiesthathadcontributedtoRahul'ssuccesswerenowbeingconsideredhisweaknesses.Hisdetractorsactuallyblamedhis rock-solidtechniqueandabilitytothinkabouthisgame.'Bahutsochtahain'(Hethinkstoomuch),theycomplained,asifitwereacrime.

'Theselectorshavealwayshad theirwhimsandfancies.ButRahulhadby and large played well in the one-dayers and ought to have beenpersistedwith'–ROBINSINGH

Rahul's supporterswereconvinced that therewasa 'conspiracy' toousthimfromthesquad.Theyclaimedthathispopularityandcommercialendorsementshadmadeothersjealous.TherewerealsoclaimsthatRahul,alongwithsomeofhisstate-mates,hadbecomeavictimofvendetta.C.Nagaraj,thesecretaryoftheKSCA, had apparently voted against the group that came to power in theSeptember1997electionsof theBCCI.Karnatakaplayerswerebeingmade topayforhis'impertinence'.

Evenastheinsinuationsandallegationspiledon,Rahulbecameincreasinglyconcernedabouthisfutureininternationalcricket.

'It was in mid-1997 that I met him first,' recalls Sports Psychologist B.P.Bam,withwhomRahulhasenjoyedafruitfulassociationsince. 'Hevoicedhisfearsaboutbeingdroppedfromtheone-daysideandlaterbeingedgedoutoftheTestsideaswell.Itoldhim,"Thisisthelasttimeyouhaveutteredthesewords.Nevertalkwithyourtongueonthisissue.Letyourbatdothetalkingforyou."Iencouragedhimtofocusonhisstrengths,hisskills.Itoldhimthatadaywouldcomewhenhewouldcarrytheteamonhisshoulders.'

MaybeRahulwasbeingovertlypessimisticasfarashisplaceintheTestside

wasconcerned,buthealsohadproblemsinthelongervarietyaswell,albeitofadifferentkind.Hescoredonefiftyinthetwo-TestseriesinSriLanka,whichwasobscuredbyhundredsfromhis teammatesandaplethoraofbattingrecordsbytheLankans.WhentheislanderstouredIndiaforaTestseriesattheendoftheyear,Rahul's sequenceof scores read34, 92, 93 and85.Hehadmissed threecenturiesforthetaking.

B.P.Bamtoldthiswriterthatitwasperfectlynormalforabatsmantothinkaboutalandmarkwhenhenearsit.'Buthavingdoneso,heshouldreturntotheimmediate objective, which is to face the next delivery. The batsman shouldthinkabouthishandmovement,backlift,etc,anythingthatwillhelphimfocuson the next ball, and try and make these thoughts stronger than any otherthought.Thesecrettobreakingthejinxofgettingoutintheeightiesandninetiesis to continue playing each ball on merit. A bad ball has to be punished,irrespectiveofwhetheryourscoreiszeroor99.Acenturyshouldbetreatedasjustanintermediategoalonthewaytobuildingupahugetotal.'

Rahul,aquicklearner,didnottakelongtoabsorbthis.Thebigscoreswerearoundthecorner.

HewasincludedintheelevenforIndia'sthirdandfinalleaguegameofthequadrangular Champions Trophy at Sharjah in December 1997. The Indians,whohad lost their first twogames toEnglandandPakistan respectively,wereshockinglyundoneonaturningtrackbythreespinnersfromtheLandofPace.Carl Hooper, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Rawl Lewis took eight wicketsbetweenthemasIndiawerebowledoutfor188to loseby41runs.Rahulwascriticisedfortaking45ballstoscore31,aswasAzharuddinforrunninghimselfoutinamannerthatborderedontheirresponsible.Theoutcome–Rahullosthisplaceintheone-daysquadandAzharuddinwasreinstatedascaptainofIndia!ItwasatimeinIndiancricketwhentheselectorswereat their illogicalbest,andRahulwasn't theonlysufferer.Theyhad justified thesackingofTendulkaronthe grounds that the captaincy was affecting his batting, convenientlyoverlooking the fact that he had accumulated four-figure aggregates in bothformsofthegameinthecalendaryearof1997!

On the eve of the Challenger Trophy in 1997-98, Rahul accosted SandeepPatil,coachoftheIndia'A'sideofwhichhewasapart,andaskedhimwhathewasdoingwrong. 'ThatwastheonlytimeIsawhimshortofconfidence,'Patilremembers.'ItoldhimthatIwoulddefinitelylethimknowifIfelthewasdoingsomethingwrong.(author'sitalics)'

Thepointwas, therewaspreciouslittlethatRahulwasdoingwrong.Itwasjust that the pressure that had been 'imposed' on himwas getting to him.Theonlysolution,asB.P.Bamhadadvisedhim,was to 'lethisbatdo the talking'.Rahul's bat got an opportunity to 'talk' in the Tests against Australia in early1998.

Tendulkarwonhismuch-awaitedboutwithShaneWarnewith a knockout.Heseizedtheadvantagewithadoublehundredinathree-daygamepriortothe

first Test, and then scored a scintillating 155 in the first Test at Chennai,repeatedlyhittingWarne into thegapsandover the top.His teammates,Rahulincluded,metedoutthesametreatmenttotheleg-spinner.

'Wehaddecided tounsettleWarnebyattackinghimfrom thestartandgethim thinking.Wewereconfidentofhandling the restof theattack,whichwasratherweak'–NAVJOTSIDHU

Rahul scored 52 and 56 at Chennai, and held three catches in the secondinnings in which India's resurrected spin trio of Kumble, Raju and Chauhansnaredninewicketstobowltheirteamtoa179-runvictory.RahulmissedoutonanotherhundredinthesecondTestatKolkatawhenhewasdismissedfor86.Infact,threeotherIndianbatsmen–Sidhu(97),Laxman(95)andTendulkar(79)–narrowlymissed a hundred in the game. The only centurionwasAzharuddin,whoscoredhisfifthTesthundredattheEden.

Rahul had proved his versatility as a batsmanwith these performances.Hehadshownthathewasascomfortableagainstqualityspinonaturningtrackashewas against genuinepaceon agreen top.But the selectors chose to ignorehim for the one-day series against Australia and a tournament at Sharjah thatTendulkar single-handedly won for India. Rahul utilised the 'break' mostproductivelytoleadKarnatakatovictoryintheRanjiTrophy.Hescored71inanail-bitingsemifinalagainstHyderabadthatKarnatakawonbyonewicket,andthen215inthefinalagainstUttarPradesh.SunilJoshiremembersthatknockforthequalityofhisstroke-play.'Hewasabsolutelybrilliant.Thatinningssilencedmanywhohaddubbedhima"slow"player.'

Rahul was recalled to the one-day side for a tri-series against Kenya andBangladeshinMay1998,inwhichseveral'fringe'playerswerebeingtriedout.AnshumanGaekwad,whohadtakenoverascoachoftheIndianteamearlierthatseason, pleaded with the selectors to give Rahul at least threematches. Theyagreed, and Rahul produced scores of 5 and 49 in the first two. India's thirdmatchwasplayedatMumbaion25May1998.Nomiracleswereexpectedfromthe Bangladeshis, and they did not disappoint by being bowled out for 115.Tendulkar, who had been included for this game, much to the delight of hishomecrowd,gotIndiaofftoaflyingstart.Hewasoutwhenhisteamwasonly42short,with40oversstilltobebowled.

Rahulcameinnext.Hehadbeentoldbyhiscoachtotakeiteasy.Thetargetwasn't a stiff one and there were plenty of overs left. It was an excellent

opportunitytorecoverlostgroundinone-daycricket.Orsohethought.Hekeptstroking the ball fluently, but the ball kept going to the fielders. As dot ballfollowed dot ball, the spectators turned restless. The Mumbai maestro hadwhettedtheirappetitewithhiscleanhitting,andtheycouldn'tquiteunderstandthetacticsofthenewbatsman.Theirrestlessnesssoongavewaytofrustration,andthenderision.Rahulcouldnotbelievehisearsasthecapacitycrowdstartedabusing and willing him to get out. For probably the only time in hisinternationalcareer,heallowed thepressure toget tohim,andwasbowledbyleft-armspinnerMohammedRafiqueforoneoff21balls.ItwasalmostasifthematchwasbeingplayedinDhakaandnotMumbai,asthespectatorsroaredliketherewasnotomorrow.

'I got a tremendous amount of grief from the selectors after that.Theyhadthis"we-told-you-so"expressionontheirfaces'–ANSHUMANGAEKWAD

Exactly one year and four days since he had scored that 107 at Chennai,Rahul'sreputationasa'misfit'inlimited-overscrickethadbeensealed.

'Rahulhasalwaysfoundtimetoworkonhismistakes,eveninthesedaysof non-stop international cricket. He is quick to spot mistakes andquickerinrectifyingthem.Thishasenabledhimtogetoutofabadpatchquickerthanothers'–G.R.VISWANATH

Althoughtheindifferenceoftheselectorswasunnerving,Rahuldidnotcrumble.Rejection,heloathed,buthetookitasachallenge.

'Notbeinginthesidewasobviouslynotaverycomfortablesituationtobein.Ihadtheconfidence,however,thatIwouldreturn'–RAHULDRAVID,TheOutlook,18January1999

The 1998-99 season beganwith a coaching camp atChennai for the thirtyprobableswhowere to be divided into two teams, oneofwhichwas to fly toTorontoforthethirdeditionoftheannualtournamentagainstPakistan,andtheother toKualaLumpurfor theCommonwealthGames,wherecrickethadbeenincludedforthefirsttime.AspecialfeatureofthecampwasthepresenceofBobSimpson, former Australian captain and coach, who had been signed on as a'Consultant'tohelptheteamprepareforthe1999WorldCup.

The Indian limited-overs sidehadwoneverything in sight in the first eightmonths of 1998, save a tri-series againstAustralia andZimbabwe at home.AvictoryatTorontowouldhavebeentheproverbialicingonthecake.Butitwasnottobe.TheIndianOlympicAssociationdemandedthatthe'best'Indianteambe sent for the Commonwealth Games. A jealous fraternity that has alwaystreatedcricket likeapunchingbagandregrettablynotasayardstick,slammedthe BCCI and cricketers for their 'lack of national pride' and 'obsession withmoney'.TheBCCIrelented,andtherabble-rouserskeptquietthemomentitwasannouncedthatSachinTendulkarwouldgotoKualaLumpur.Amidstallthetalkof national pride, the fact that Pakistan, then very much a part of theCommonwealth, had decided to send a second-string squad to Kuala Lumpurandits'best'teamtoToronto,andEngland,the'motheroftheCommonwealth',haddecidednottosendateamatalltoMalaysia,wasoverlooked.

Navjot Sidhu believes that no Indian player tried as hard to implementSimpson's tips asRahul.Batting tips apart, Simpson imparted some secrets oftheartofslipfielding,ofwhichhewasamaster,toanenthusiasticpupil.Bothdidnotknowitthen,butadaywouldcomewhenthepupilwouldbeconsideredthebest'slipper'intheworld.

ItwasduringthecampthatAnshumanGaekwad,whowastoaccompanytheTorontoteam,askedRahulto'beready'fortheseries.

'HethoughtIwasjoking.ButIwasserious.Iwantedhimintheteam.Iarguedwiththeselectorsthatitwasfareasierforatechnicallyproficientbatsman whose basics were right, to adapt himself to one-day cricket,andinnovateandimprovise...Theyfinallyagreed,probablybecausetwoteamswerebeingpicked'–ANSHUMANGAEKWAD

RahuldidnotsettheTorontoCricket,SkatingandCurlingClubonfire,butneitherdidhisteammates.Infact,hehadahorrendousrunwithscoresoffour,18,nineandone,andwasdroppedfromthefinalgame.Hehadabitofillluckaswell.MohammedZahidbowledhiminthethirdmatchwithasuperbyorker,andShahidAfridiranhimoutinthefourthwithabrilliantthrowfromthedeep.Hisfailuredemoralisedevenhisdie-hardfans.

'Fate presented himwith onemore chance, andDravid abdicated.Twodismissals that owed to good cricket by the opposition, and twoothersthat owedmore to his own inner tensions, and there is an air now offinalityaboutDravid'sone-daycareer'–ASHISHSHUKLA,rediff.com,22September1998

ButhehadnotimetoponderoverthefutureastheteamflewtoZimbabwefor a short tour. Rahul was included in the eleven for the first ODI, and heshowed a welcome return to form with an innings of 64. In the same game,Tendulkar became the highest century-maker in one-day internationals bysurpassingDesmondHaynes'tallyof17.

Indiawontheone-dayseries2-1,butplayedpoorlyintheone-offTesttoloseby61runs.Theirfailuretoachieveatargetof235onthelastdayunderscoredthe fact that talent and flair can more often than not be upstaged bydetermination and application, both of which the hosts displayed in plenty.Unlikehisteammates,Rahulappliedhimselfwelltoscore118,hissecondTest

hundred,inthefirstinnings.Healsotop-scoredinthesecondwith44.

These performances ensured his presence in the squad for the next twolimited-overstournaments–thefirstICC'Knockout'championship(renamedtheChampionsTrophyin2002)inDhaka,andatri-seriesinSharjah.Rahulfiguredin both games that India played in the Knockout, but was relegated to thereserve-benchesinSharjahforallthematchesbutone.Itwasafrustratingtime,butheoptedforthepracticalapproachofacceptingthattherewereotherswhohad proved themselves in one-day cricket with consistent performances, andhence had the right to be picked ahead of him. He did not waste his timereflecting on the reality that those players had enjoyed the confidence of theselectorsfarmorethanhehad.

TheIndianteamtoZimbabwe,1998-99.Rahul,whoscoredhissecondTesthundredonthetour,isstandingfourthfromleft

Thenext assignmentwasa tourofNewZealand,where the conditions andwickets were not unlike those in England.With the Tests preceding the one-dayers,Rahulsawapotentialspringboardtobagaplaceintheone-dayside.ThefirstTestatDunedinwasabandonedwithoutaballbeingbowled,andtheteamsmoved to Wellington, venue of the Boxing Day Test. There, India failed todelivertheknockoutpunchfortheumpteenthtimeintheircrickethistory.NewZealand needed 213 to win a low-scoring game, and Srinath and Kumblereducedthehoststo74-5inthesecondinnings.Alltheyneededtodowasbreakthe McMillan-Cairns association and then attack the tail-enders, but theycouldn't,andlostbyfourwickets.BrillianthundredsbyAzharuddininthefirstandTendulkarinthesecondinningswentinvain.

NewZealand,asked tobat firstonagreenHamiltonstrip in the thirdTest,

battedwell toscore366. Indiawere in troubleat17-2with theopenersJadejaandSidhu(whoselastTest itwas),backin thepavilion.RahulandTendulkar,thetwoIndianbatsmenbestequippedtohandletheconditions,added109beforethegods smiledon seamerDionNash,whowona leg-beforedecisionagainstTendulkarthatcouldwellhavegonetheotherway.Wicketsthenfellatregularintervals,butRahulwassteadfast.

'Hesucceedsoverseasbecauseheplaystheballlate'–SUNILGAVASKAR

On a wicket where the ball was doing a fair bit and the bowlers wererampant,Rahulwasassuredandunruffled.WhenSrinathwalkedin,thescoreaperilous211-7,Rahulrequestedhimtojuststayinthemiddlewhilehewoulddothe rest. The crowd rose to him as he scored a hundred, his third overall andsecondinconsecutiveTests.Hebattedfor490minutesuntilhewasoutfor190.

'Hehasa lovelystyleofbatting.Hehassilkenstrokesandtomelookslikeatraditionalplayer.Iwouldgoanylengthtowatchhim'–MARTINCROWE,Sportstar,23January1999

Astheaccoladespouredin,Rahulreiteratedhisbeliefin'playingeachballonmerit'.Whathedidnotsaywasthathehadstartedlookingatacenturyas'justanintermediategoal'.

'SportsPsychologyisuselessunlessthesubjectbelievesthatitcanhelphim.Rahulhasalwaysbeenaveryseriousandcommittedindividual,andhehadthecouragetoimplementallthatwediscussedatthehighestlevelof the sport, that too against quality opposition. The real challenge incricket is to"live"everyball.Everyball isauniqueevent in itself.Notwo consecutive deliveries are alike. A professional approach is onewhereinthebatsmanconcentratesoneveryballandhandlesitonmerit.Heneedstostartfromscratchforeveryballbeingbowledtohim'–B.P.BAM

This is aview thatSandeepPatil seconds: 'Thosewho treat everyball as aseparateeventareboundtosucceed.'

In the second innings, with the match drifting towards a draw because ofsomepoorIndianbowlinginthesecondinningsandadelayeddeclarationbytheKiwi skipper Stephen Fleming, Rahul and Sourav enjoyed themselves against

somepedestrianbowlingtoscorehundreds.Rahul's103madehimonlythethirdIndianbatsmanafterVijayHazareandSunilGavaskartoscoretwocenturiesinaTest.

Rahulalsocompleted2,000runsinTestcricketinthesamegame,whichwashis25thTest.Hehad taken just11Tests toproceed from1,000 to2,000.Hisaverageof57.45wasthehighestamongIndianbatsmenwhohadplayed20ormore Tests, and his 'away' average of 65.90 from 15 Tests the highest by anIndianbatsman.

'Irelishthespecialchallengeofcominggoodinalienconditions.It'salsojustthebeginning.It'sjustthesethreeyearsthathavebeengood.IhopeIcankeepthisrecordgoing'–RAHULDRAVID,TheOutlook,18January1999

Rahul could not be denied a place in the one-day side, and he went in atnumberthreeinthefirstgameofthefive-matchone-dayseries,playedatTaupo.He arrived at thewicketwith only three runs on the board, Tendulkar havingdepartedwithouttroublingthescorers.The 'Classof96'thenadded116beforeGangulyfellfor60.Itwasthe26thoveroftheinnings,andtheIndianshadbeengivenaperfectplatform fromwhich toget abig score.But the latterbatsmenfailedtorisetotheoccasionandRahulwaslefttoplayalonehand.Hebattedright through, striking the ball magnificently and running brilliantly to finishwithanunbeaten123,hissecondhundredinone-dayinternationals.ButthelackofsupportmeantthattheIndiansscoredonly257-5,atleastthirtyrunslessthanwhattheyshouldhavegotafterthatstart.TheKiwiscoastedtoaneasywinaftertheir targetwas revised due to a floodlight-failure. For the second time in hiscareer,RahulwontheManoftheMatchawardinaone-dayinternationaldespitebeingonthelosingside.

His38 in thenextgamehelped India level the serieswithanexciting two-wicketwin.Hescored68 in the rain-affected thirdgameandamatch-winning51 in the fourth. These performances provided conclusive proof of hisproficiencyin theone-daygame.Infact,hewasa lotmoreattractive towatchthan the boom-boom 'one-day specialists', with his penchant for playingaggressive,butorthodoxstrokeseveninthe 'instant'versionofthegame.Mostsignificantly,heshowedthathewascapableof'rotatingthestrike'.

During their search for chinks in Rahul's armour in 1997, his 'inability torotate the strike' was an allegedweakness the selectors had latched onto. ButRahul retained theconstructiveapproachevenwhileworkingon this 'chink' in

hisarmour.

'Iexplainedtohimthatitwasrelativelyeasiertosetafieldtohimsincehe was a classical, technically correct batsman. This was in the dayswhen he was being accused of being unable to find the gaps in one-dayers.Middlingeveryballwashisstrongpoint,buttryingtoscoreonlythroughstrokeswouldgetevenaclassbatsmanlikehimnowhere.Rahulthenadoptedapolicyofmodifyinghisstrokesandplacingtheball intothegapsinstead'–B.P.BAM

At theendof theseries,anecstaticGaekwadconfronted theselectors,whohad so vociferously opposedRahul's selection in the one-day squad. 'All theysaidtomewasthatRahulhadchanged,'herecalls.

Theonlychangewasintheareabetweentheears.

'Byearly1999,hehaddevelopedaverystrongself-image.Henolongerapprehendedbeingdroppedfromthe team.Hehadgainedconsiderablyinself-confidenceandthatshowedinhisperformance'–B.P.BAM

AmanasdelightedasRahulhimselfwasSachinTendulkar.

'Letusacceptthattherewasatimewhenhestruggledtorotatethestrikein one-day internationals.His strike-ratewas not upto themark.Everyplayer goes through such a phase, but the better ones comeback hard,andRahuldidjustthat'–SACHINTENDULKAR

'Idon'tthinkhewasbotheredtoomuchaboutwhatwasbeingsaidabouthimwhenhewasout of theone-day side.Hedidnotmake anymajorchangesinhisgame.Heworkedonafewshots,workedonpickingmoreonesand twos,and thatwas it.Hecarriedhis formfromtheTests intotheone-dayersinNewZealandin1998-99'–ROBINSINGH

'WhatdidIndiagainfromthe tourofNewZealand?They lost theTestseries,anddrew theone-dayseries2-2.But theydidnot returnempty-handed.Theyunearthedalosttreasure.RahulDravidwasalwayspartof

theteam,buthistalentswerenotbeingrecognised.Notanymore'–CRICKETTODAY(Hindi),February1999

TheIndian teamhadbarelyaweek to recharge thebatteriesand regroupatthecauldron thatwas theM.A.ChidambaramstadiuminChennai, for the firstTest of a historic series against Pakistan. Itwas the first time the two nationsweremeetingeachother inTest cricket since1989-90,anda lotwasat stake.The serieswas supposed tobegin in thecapital,but thevenueswere switchedaftermiscreantsvandalisedthepitchatDelhi'sFerozeshahKotla.

Althoughtheitinerarystatedthattheteamsweretoplayatwo-Testseries,tobe followed by another Test at Kolkata thatwould be a part of the inauguralAsianTestChampionship,cricket-loversinbothcountrieswereviewingitasathree-Testtussle.ThetussleendedwithPakistanwinningtwoTests,bothfromlosingpositions,toIndia'sone.

The outcome could well have been 3-0 in India's favour had Rahul notsuccumbed to twoof the deadliest deliveries ever bowled inTest cricket.Thefirstwas in the second innings atChennai. India,needing271 towin, lost theopenerswithonlysixrunsontheboard,andTendulkarjoinedRahul,whohadscored53inthefirstinnings.Theduobattedtillthecloseonthethirdday.TheyhadaddedtenonthefourthmorningwhenWasim'Wizard'AkrampropelledoneatRahulthatpitchedoutsideleg,andasthebatsmanwatchedinhorror,dartedacrosshimtocliptheoff-stump.Itwasadeliverynottoodissimilar,inimpactandeffect,tothetwoconsecutive'jaffas'deliveredbythesamebowlertodevourAllanLambandChrisLewisinthe1992WorldCupfinal.India,atonestage17short of victory with four wickets in hand, ended up losing by 12 runs. Adisconsolate Tendulkar, who had battled incredible pressure and debilitatingbackspasmstoscoreanepic136,onlytoseehisteamlose,refusedtocollecttheManoftheMatchaward.

India drew level at Delhi, where Anil Kumble produced the greatestindividualperformanceinthehistoryofTestcricket.HisandJimLaker'sfeatofbagginga'ten-for'inaninningswillremainthemostoutstandinguntiltherulesareamendedtoallowabowlertotakeelevenwicketsinaTest innings!Rahulcontributed to the feat by taking a simple catch at gully to dismiss MushtaqAhmed,Rumble'seighthvictimoftheinnings.

The action then shifted to Kolkata, venue of the first game of the Asianchampionship.TheIndianbowlersmadeadreamstart,reducingPakistanto26-6intheopeningsession.MoinKhan,afightertothecore,scored70andtookhisteam to 185. The Indians lostmakeshift openerV.V.S. Laxman early, but theTamil Nadu opener Sadagoppan Ramesh, who had begun his Test career atChennai twoTests ago, battedwell alongwith night-watchmanAnilKumble.Rahulcameinat91-2.Hehadadded56withRameshwhenShoaibAkhtar,whohad replaced Waqar Younis for this game, bowled him a lethal yorker thatspread-eagledthestumps.IncameTendulkartoatumultuousreception,onlytomeetwiththesamefate.TheIndiansweresuddenly147-4,andtheycollapsedto223allout.

What was galling for Rahul was that he had anticipated Akram's gem atChennai aswell asShoaib'smissile atKolkata, keeping inmind thewaybothbowlershadoperateduntilthatstage,andyethadfailedtodoathing.Thefactthat both deliveries penetrated his seemingly impregnable defence speaksvolumesforAkram'swizardryinthefirstinstanceandShoaib'srawpaceinthesecond.

Pakistan's second inningswas dominated bySaeedAnwar,who carried hisbat for 188, and Javagal Srinath,who took eightwickets tomake it 13 in thematch.Ramesh andLaxman got their team off to a good start, adding 108 inpursuit of a targetof279,but the rest of thebatsmen showed little resistance.The crowd reactedviolently toTendulkar's run-out, convinced that the bowlerShoaibAkhtar had impeded him deliberately. It took awhile for the game toresume, but the damage had already been done. The breakmeant that Rahul,

whowastheotherbatsmanwhenthecontroversyoccurred,hadtogethiseyeinalloveragain.Fourrunslater,heedgedShoaibtoMoinKhananddepartedfor13. TheKolkata crowdwas asmuch to blame for hiswicket as the Pakistanibowlers.

Therewasanotherfusilladeofbottlesandstonesonthefifthmorningwhenthe second-last wicket fell with the target still 48 runs away. The policeretaliatedbydrivingthespectatorsoutoftheground,andPakistancompletedthelastritesinavirtuallyemptystadium.

IndianeededanoutrightwinoverSriLankatostayintherunningforaplaceinthefinal,buttheywereletdownbyaplacidColombopitchandineptfielding.Indiascored518-7,withRahul(107)andRamesh(143)scoringhundreds.Thehostsrepliedwith485,andtheirfirst inningslastedtill thefinalsessiononthefourth day, rendering a result impossible. It was obvious that Pakistan wouldprefer toplaySriLanka in the final,and the latterdulymade it to thesummitclash by garnering enough bonus points from their game against Pakistan atLahore,toshutthedooronIndia.TheIndianscriedfouloverPakistan'salleged'gifting'ofbonuspointstoSriLanka.However,inlettingPakistanrecoverfrom26-6 atKolkata and giving double-centurionMahela Jayawardene asmany asfive'lives'atColombo,theyhadonlythemselvestoblame.

Pakistan thrashed Sri Lanka by an innings and 175 runs in the final at theBangabandhustadiuminDhaka,thefirst'neutral'TestvenuesinceTrentBridge,Nottingham,whichhadstagedthethirdAustralia-SouthAfricaTestofthe1912TriangularTestChampionshipbetweenEngland,AustraliaandSouthAfrica.

ThethreeAsiangiants thenmetfora limited-overstri-seriesonIndiansoil.IndiamadeabrightstartwithRahulandSouravaddingarecord230againsttheLankansatNagpur.Rahul's116wasamonghisbetterone-day innings,buthewasovershadowedbySourav,whofollowedhis130withafour-wickethaulthatsealedawinbyeightyruns.AlthoughtheIndianshadthebetterofSriLankaandlater England in another tri-series at Sharjah, they were clearly inferior toPakistan,whooutclassed theminfivegamesoutofsix, including thefinalsofboth tournaments.Pakistan'smarginsofvictory inboth finals said it all–123runsinBangalore,andeightwicketsinSharjahafterdismissingIndiafor125.

Pakistan'sdreamrunstretchedrightuptothefinaloftheWorldCup,whichwas played in the United Kingdom in May-June 1999. One of the mostsignificant reasons for their transformation in the first half of 1999 after adisastroushomeseriesagainstAustralia in late1998was their threeTests and

six one-day internationals against India. As many a Pakistani stalwart hasclaimed over the years, playing the old enemy 'brings the players together,makesthemforgettheirdifferencesandhelpsthemfocusonthegoalofvictory'.

India were severely handicapped in both the tri-series by the absence ofTendulkar,whooptedtotendtohisback,andAzharuddin,whodroppedoutofthelattergamesofthefirsttri-seriestorestapainfulshoulder.

The tri-series in Sharjah witnessed a significant 'event' in Rahul's career,whichhaditsoriginsinanepidemicofsorts.

TheIndiansarrivedinSharjahwithhalfthesidestrickenbyviralfever.Therewereonly14playersintheteam,whichmeantthatsomeofthesickboyshadnooptionbuttoplaythefirstgameagainstPakistan.OneofthemwaswicketkeeperNayanMongia.Pakistanelectedtobat,andMongiabattledonforanhouruntilitwastoomuchforhim.Rahul,withhardlyanykeepingpracticesincethe1996Englandtour,thendonnedtheglovesandpadsandwatchedthePakistanisamassamatch-winning279-8.IndiasetEnglandatargetof223inthenextgame,andthematchwas interestingly poisedwhenMongiawas struck in the face by aKumbledeliveryandhad to leave the field.That led to a rare instanceof two'substitutes'onthefield,bothofwhomwereactuallypartoftheplayingeleven;Rahul as thewicketkeeper, and Jadeja as the acting captain in the absence ofAzharwhohad injuredhis footwhilebatting.Rahuldidprettywell, stumpingthe dangerous Graeme Hick and later catching England's top-scorer NeilFairbrotheroffJadejatosealthegameinhisside'sfavour.

Rahul struck form in the next two gameswith 63 against England and 81againstPakistan,bothofwhichturnedouttobematch-winningefforts.HealsostoodinforMongiaforthethirdtimeinthetournamentafterthelattercollidedwith ShahidAfridi in the last league encounter and had to go off for repairs.Indiaraisedexpectationswithavictoryinthatgame,buttwostrikesbyWasimAkramintheveryfirstoverofthefinalreducedIndiato0-2.Afighting50byGanguly apart, the Indians were never in the hunt. They made only 125 andPakistan coasted to victory with 22 overs to spare. Rahul was the second ofAkram'svictimsinthatfirstover,outleg-beforefirstballafterRameshhadgoneinidenticalfashion.

Themoraleof the teamwas at a lowafter these reverses, but the returnofSachinTendulkarusheredinatideofoptimismontheeveoftheWorldCup.

'ThepresenceofSachinTendulkarshouldbeaninspirationtoeveryone.The likes of Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly should take over the

mantle, and reduce thepressureonhim.DravidandGangulyhaddonewellonourlasttourtoEnglandin1996andtheyshouldbefamiliarwiththeconditions...'–MOHAMMEDAZHARUDDIN,Sportstar,15May1999

'Foralongtime,alotofpeoplehavethoughtofRahulastheirheroforhiscricketingabilitiesandthefactthatheconductshimselfwithgraceonandoffthefieldandtakesnothingforgranted'–CHARUSHARMA

Two'Operations'werethetalkofallIndiainmid-1999.Regrettably,'OperationEncore'mademoreheadlinesthan'OperationVijay',intheinitialstagesatleast.That India hadwon theWorld Cup the last time it was played in theUnitedKingdomwashighlightedandemphasisedrepeatedlybythemedia,andlappedupbythepublic.

The men expected to be Tendulkar's sidekicks in 'Operation Encore' werequite happy to returnwhere it had all begun for them three years previously.Rahul andSouravmade a good startwith scores of 54 and 97 respectively inIndia's first game against the Proteas, but their colleagues failed to click andIndiacouldmakeonly253-5,atotalthatthestrongSouthAfricanbattingline-upoverhauledinthe48thover.Itwasn'tthebestwaytostarta'winning'campaign.

Thewheelscameapartinsensationalfashionfourdayslater,whenIndialosttoZimbabwe atLeicester by three runs. Itwas a nightmarishday; the playerswoke up thatmorning to learn that Tendulkar had returned to India the nightbeforeforhisfather'sfuneral.Thencamethedefeat,theirsecondintwogames.As shattered as the playerswere the sponsors,whohad spent an astronomicalamountofmoneyinthelead-uptothetournament,inundatingeventhemembersofthe1983teamwithendorsements!

India,quite simply,needed towinall its subsequentmatches to stayafloat.TendulkarreturnedintimeforthenextgameagainstKenya,andmovedeventhemost hardened of cricket-watchers with a century. The innings was bound toovershadoweverythingelse,andso itdid, includingaknockof104byRahul,hisfourthlimited-overshundredandfirstintheWorldCup.Indiafinishedwith329-2andregisteredtheirfirstwin.

The next game was against Sri Lanka at Taunton, headquarters of theSomersetCountyCricketClub,situatedrightnexttotheriverTone.

Itwas a knockout game for all practical purposes, for both teamshadwononeandlosttwooutofthree.ArjunaRanatungawonthetossandsentIndiain,obviously fancyinghisbowlers' chancesof exploitingwhatevermoisture therewas in the pitch. S. Ramesh struck a boundary in the very first over, butChamindaVaasdisturbed the timberwithhis fifthball. IncameRahul, India'sbestbettosteertheteamoutofchoppywaters.Itwasadaywhentheoarsmanwasathismostoutstanding.

ItwasadaywhenRahulDravidwas'inthezone'.Fromhisstance,asalwaysacricketcoach'sdelight,thetwitchingofhisheadbackwardstotryandkeepitasstillaspossibleashefocussedontheapproachingball,thebackliftthatcamedownfromsecondslip,theinitial'backandacross'movement,precisefootwork,andfluentstroke-play–everythinghedidwaspicture-perfect.Itturnedouttobeadaywhenhisbatonlyhada'middle'.Hewarmedupwithaneffortlesson-driveoffEricUpashantainthefourthover.

RanatungareplacedUpashantawithPramodyaWickremasinghe in thesixthover. Wickremasinghe's first ball was a long-hop outside the off-stump thatbeggedtobepunished.Rahulobligedwithasearingsquare-cuttothefence.Thenextdeliverywasoverpitched,andRahulessayedagorgeouson-driveforfour.The fourth ballwas another offering, pitchedon the feet, andRahul flicked itdelectablytothemid-wicketboundary.Theoveryielded15inallandIndiawererockingat40-1 fromsixovers.The tempowasmaintainedandRahul reachedhisfiftyinthe15thoverwithasizzlingcover-driveoffWickremasinghe.Indiawere94-1attheendofthe15thover.

Rahul'stiminghadbeenimmaculateinallsenses.Hecouldnothavechosenabettergameorarenatoshowcasetheskillsthatmadehimaspecialbatsman.Hewas driving his side to an imposing score in a win-at-all-costs game with adisplayfittoberankedalongsidethebestinningsplayedbybatsmenlikeGregChappell,SirVivianRichards,SunilGavaskar,MartinCroweandIanBotham,allofwhomhadrepresentedSomersetintheEnglishCountyChampionshipandforwhomTauntonhadbeenahomeground.Rahul'son-driveswereaselegantasChappell's,hisstraight-drivesasgracefulasGavaskar's,hiscutsasflawlessasCrowe's,hiscover-drivesasstunningasthoseplayedbyRichardsandthelofteddrivesheessayedlaterintheinningsasspectacularasBotham's.

RahulraiseshisbataftercompletinghishundredatTaunton

Sourav,whowasinnomeanformhimself,wasquitecontenttoletRahulhogthelimelightandthestrike,andtheSriLankanswereattheirwits'endagainstalefthand-righthandcombination.

The introductionofMuralitharan into theattackpeggedback the run-rateabit,and led to theonlyalarminRahul's innings,whenheplayedaballon theleg-sideandcalledforarun,onlytobesentbackbyhispartner.RahuldivedtomakehisgroundandgaveSouravaglare.Theduowouldhaverememberedthe1995-96ChallengerTrophyfinal.ButalotofwaterhadfloweddowntheTonesince!

Sourav completed his fifty in the 23rd over. What followed was anexhilaratingduelbetweenthetwobatsmenattheexpenseofthehaplessbowlers.There was nothing the Sri Lankan bowlers could do, save go through themotionsofcompletingthe50oversandhopethatJayasuriya,KaluwitharanaandAravinda De Silva would bat as well later in the day. Rahul completed hishundredinthe36thovertobecomeonlythesecondbatsmanafterMarkWaughtoscoreback-to-backhundredsintheWorldCup.HethentookonMuraliwithabrilliantinside-outstrokeinthe38thoverthatclearedthecoverboundary.Two

sixesbySouravimmediatelyaftercompletinghishundredinthe39thover,gavehimaleadoverRahulforthefirsttimeinthematch.

RahulregainedtheleadwiththreeboundariesoffVaasinthe44thover.Thefirst,aloftedstraightdrivethathittheboundary-boardsandreboundedhalfthedistance, made their partnership the highest-ever in one-day internationals,surpassingthe275-runstandbetweenteammatesAzharuddinandJadejaagainstZimbabwe in 1997-98. An improvised square-drive and chipped shot later,Rahulhadmoved to142,withSouravsevenrunsbehind.Sourav then tookanunassailable lead in the very next over, with three boundaries and a six offconsecutivedeliveriesbyUpashanta,tocompletehis150inresoundingfashion.

Rahulwasrunoutinthe46thoverfor145,scoredoffonly129ballswith17boundariesandthat'inside-out'sixoffMuralitharan.HeandSouravhadaddedarecord318forthesecondwicket.SouravcontinuedthemassacreandsurpassedKapil Dev's 175 to become India's highest individual scorer in one-dayinternationals. He was two sixes away from overhauling Saeed Anwar's 194whenhefell in the lastover.Thelast15overshadyieldedanastonishing170runs,thelastten128.Indiafinishedwith373-6,andSrinathrubbedsaltonSriLanka'swoundsbyrunningoutJayasuriyainthethirdover.Therewasneveranydoubtabouttheresultafterthat.

RahulhadbeendesignatedkeeperforthismatchafterMongiahurtafingerinthe previous game. This made him only the third 'keeper' after ZimbabweansDaveHoughtonandAndyFlowertoscoreaWorldCuphundred.

'ItwasRahulwho initiated the onslaught. Thatwas the day he provedbeyonddoubtthathewasascapableofoverpoweringabowlingattackinaone-dayinternationalasanybodyelse'–ANSHUMANGAEKWAD

Whentheirbatstalked...RahulandSouravGangulyafteryetanotherboundary,Taunton,1999

Rahul top-scored with 53 in India's next encounter against England.Disciplined bowling by his teammates elevated it to the status of a match-winning innings, and the Indianswere through to the 'Super Six' stage. Theirfansstartedweavingfantasiesalloveragain,onlytoseethemgoupinsmokeinthe very first game against Australia, who like India, needed to win all theirmatches to win the tournament. The Aussies scored 282-6 and then GlennMcGrath produced a devastating spell to send back Tendulkar, Rahul andAzharuddin, while Damien Fleming bowled Ganguly at the other end. Indiawere17-4intheseventhover.TheIndianswereneverinwithachanceafterthatearlyburst,althoughJadejaandRobinSinghfoughthard.

'OperationEncore'wasallbutover,but'OperationVijay'hadaddedawholenewdimensiontoIndia'snextencounter,againstitstraditionalfoeatManchesteron8June1999.

The third Ind-Pak tussle inWorld Cup history began withWasim AkramshockingGeoffreyBoycott and an entire subcontinent by calling it a 'practice'match.ThePakistanicaptainprobablyhadhisrecentsuccessesagainstIndiain

his mind, as also his team's winning streak in the World Cup itself, but hisproclamation still seemedway off themark.Contrary towhat players of bothsides have claimed over the years, there has always been a needle in India-Pakistanmatches. By the same analogy, therewas a 'sword' in this particulargame,becauseofallthatwashappeningonthebattlefront.

ForthethirdtimeinthreeWorldCupgamesagainstPakistan,Indiawonthetossandelectedtobat.Rahul,whowaskeentoatoneforhisfailureagainsttheAussies,cameinat37-1andgot intoagroovealmost immediately.Hescored61,Azharuddincontributed59andtheIndiansfinishedwith227-5.Muchtothedelightof theirfansandsoldiers,Indiawonby47runswithVenkateshPrasadtaking5-27.

Itwas India's lastmoment of joy, and they ultimately finished sixth in thepoints table at the end of the 'Super Six' stage. But therewas a silver lining.Rahulhadaccumulated461runs,thehighestinthecompetition.SteveandMarkWaugh,whoplayed twomatchesmore, finished secondand fourth in the run-getters'tablewith398and375runsrespectively.WithTendulkaraffectedbyapersonaltragedy,theteamneededsomeoneto'standin'forhimandassumetheresponsibilityoftakingtheinitiativewiththebat.Rahulhaddonesoadmirably,that too in cricket's biggest event. At the end of the tournament, it wasannounced thathehad topped theCEATWorldCupRatingwitha tallyof22points. He received the CEATCricketer of theWorldCup award later in theyear.

'Rahul's technique was ideally suited to English conditions, whichprovidesomeassistancetothebowlers.InEngland,bowlerslooktotakewicketsandsetattackingfields.Butthiscreatesquiteafewgapsinthefield.A batsmanwhohas the ability to keep the good balls out, and awiderangeofstrokesforthebadballs,isboundtosucceed'–ROBINSINGH

Rahul capped a memorable tour by doing an impressive commentary stintduring the finalbetweenAustraliaandPakistan.Manyviewersconsidered it asignofthingstocome.

'IrememberdoinganinterviewwithhimbeforethetourofSouthAfricain1996-97.OneofthequestionsIaskedhimwaswhathewouldliketodoafterquittingthegame.Hewassurprised.Remember,itwasonlyhisfirstyearininternationalcricket!Butheregainedhiscomposureandsaid

thatthejob"youguysaredoingiswhatIwant".Itseemseasyenough,hesaid!Iwouldsay,"Commentators,watchout!'"–CHARUSHARMA

But the Board was not so impressed, and made him the second IndiancricketerafterBishanSinghBedi(1974)tobereprimandedforappearingonTVin England without prior permission. They were apparently upset with hisassertion during his commentary stint that the team had no knowledge of therules of the 'Super Six' format. The fact was that the Boards of all theparticipating countries had received the playing conditions and rules of thetournament well in advance. This meant that there had obviously been acommunicationgapbetweentheBCCIandplayers.

After theWorldCup,SachinTendulkarwasofferedthecaptaincywhentheselectors decided that they could no longer persist withAzhar. Ironically, theChairman of the Selection Committee at the time was Ajit Wadekar, one ofAzhar'sstaunchestsupporters,whoascoachhadsavedhiscaptaincyintheearly1990s. Tendulkar seemed to be reluctant initially and said as much, but hechangedhismindafter48hoursofsilenceandintrospection.

Thebiggesttestforthe'new'captainandhisteamwasthetourofAustraliaattheendoftheyear.ThequalityoftheoppositionandtheIndians'unfamiliaritywith the bouncy Australian wickets had several pundits recommending anextensive preparatory camp. The Board, on the other hand, had decided to'prepare'theteambymakingitparticipateinfourinconsequentiallimited-overstournamentstobeplayedinthreedifferentcontinents,followedbyaTestseriesathomeagainstNewZealand.

India'sperformancesintheone-daycompetitionswereaverage,saveathree-match series against theWest Indies atToronto thatwasorganised after Indiarefused toplayPakistanpost-Kargil.TheWest Indies consequentlyplayed thesubcontinentalgiantsintwoseparatethree-matchseriesandlostboth.TheIndia-WestIndiesleginTorontobeganjustthreedaysafterthefinalofatri-seriesinSingaporebetween the same teams, inwhichRahul scored amagnificent103,whichlookedamatch-winningknockuntilRicardoPowellarrivedatthewicketwithamissiontoclearthegroundasmanytimesaspossible.

With both Tendulkar and his deputy Ajay Jadeja nursing injuries, SouravGangulywas appointed captain for theToronto series aganst theWest Indies.Rahul,whowasmadevice-captain, scoredadazzling77 in the thirdand finalgameandheldfourcatchestotakeIndiatoan88-runwinanda2-1triumphin

the series.These catches he held as a fielder, as distinct from the five he hadsnappedaswicketkeeper from fivematches a fewdays earlier.The think-tankhad decided to bolster the batting during the first tri-series in Sri Lanka bydropping specialist-stumperM.S.K. Prasad.Rahul accordingly keptwickets intwo of India's four matches in Sri Lanka, and then in three more games inSingapore.Ofcourse,hecouldnothavebeenfaultedhadherefusedtoshoulderthe additional responsibility. After all, there was no way he could have beentouchedafterhisperformancesintheWorldCup.

'Rahulisaplayerwhowillwalkonbrokenglassifhisteamtellshimto'–NAVJOTSIDHU

Rahul was effusive in thanking his teammates for their support when hereceived the Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year Award for 1998-99 at afunctioninDelhiinNovember1999.HisperformancesinNewZealandandtheWorldCuphadpromptedamajorityofformerIndianTestcricketerstovoteinhisfavour.

ThereweretwonewappointmentsintheIndianteamontheeveoftheseriesagainstNewZealand.KapilDevsucceededGaekwadascoach,andAustralianAndrewLeipusjoinedtheteamasphysiotherapist.

'IknewSrinath from1997,whenhehadcome to theCentre forSportsMedicineinJohannesburgtotendtohisrotator-cuffinjury.Iwasapartof the centre then.Naturally, "Sri"was the first person Iwent tomeetafterjoiningtheIndianteambeforetheNewZealandseries.Thosewerethedayswhen theplayersshared rooms,andRahulhappened tobehisroommate.That'swhereImethimfirst.Inmyinitialdayswiththeteam,Iwouldlooktoidentifysomeenthusiasticguysandworkhardonthem,hopingthattheimprovementstheywouldmakewouldinspiretheotherswhowerenotasenthusiasticaboutfitnessortraining.RahulwasoneoftheenthusiasticplayersIidentifiedasa"leader"'–ANDREWLEIPUS

Asticklerforfitness

So intensewas the speculation overwhat Tendulkar andKapilDevwouldachieve in tandemthat itoutshone thecriticismemanating fromsomequartersover the dropping ofAzharuddin andMongia from theTest side.KapilDev'sfirstdayascoachwasnotahappyone,withtheNewZealandseamersbowlingIndia out on a greenish and nippy first-daywicket atMohali for a paltry 83.AlthoughtheIndiansrecoveredinthesecondinningswithcenturiesfromRahulandTendulkaranddrewthegamefairlyeasily,theirfirst-inningscapitulationonawicketthathadsomethinginitforthebowlerswasnotagoodportentbeforeatourofAustralia.HadRahulandTendulkar fallenearly in thesecond innings,anything could have happened. Rahul's 144, another fine innings wherein histechniquewas testedby somehostile bowling,washis fifthTest hundred, butfirstonIndiansoil.

The Test was followed by a three-day game between the visitors andKarnataka,the1998-99Ranjichampions,atBangalore.Leipus,whotravelledtoBangalore along with the Karnataka players in the Indian team, was touchedwhen Rahul invited him home for dinner along with Stephen Fleming, DionNashandDanielVettori, threeNewZealandcricketerswhoRahulhadplayedagainst in the Under-19 series in 1991-92. 'It was a wonderful gesture bysomeoneIhadjustmet,'Leipustoldthiswriter.

Theseriesreturnedto'Indian'waysinthesecondTestatKanpur,wheretheIndiansprevailedbyeightwicketson adustbowl.The first doublehundredofTendulkar's career put them in another winning position in the third Test atAhmedabad, but the think-tank strangely decided not to enforce the follow-onafterbowlingout theKiwisfor308andtakingafirst-inningsleadof275.Thevisitorsbattedwellinthesecondinningstosavethegame,thusgivingIndiatheseries1-0.

Theone-dayserieswentrightdowntothewirewithIndiawinning3-2.Rahulproduced another Taunton-like display in the second game at Hyderabad, inwhich he andTendulkar added 331 for the secondwicket, and obliterated therecordsetbyhimandSouravafewmonthsearlier.Rahulscored153,hishighestinone-dayinternationals,andTendulkarscored186todisplaceSouravasIndia'shighestindividualscorerinone-dayinternationals.

'Nosuccessful cricketer's life is completewithout a stellarperformanceinAustralia'

–G.R.VISWANATH

Not many teams in Test history have had three batsmen with a 50-plusaverage in Test cricket. The Indian trio of Tendulkar, Rahul and Gangulybelonged to this exclusive club, and expectations were huge when the Indianteam boarded the plane for Australia. But the series was an anticlimax. Theyweredrubbedinall threeTestsbyarampantAustralianteamintheprocessofestablishinganewrecordforthehighestnumberofconsecutiveTestwins.IndiahadlostitspreviousseriesinAustralia(in1991-92)0-4,buttheteamhadcomeclosetowinningtwoTestsonthattrip.Thistimeround,theywereneverinthepicture.TheylostatAdelaideby285runs,atMelbourneby180,andatSydneybyaninningsand141.

'ThestrategyoftheWestIndiesinthe70sand80swastoputthecaptainunderpressure. Ifhestartsworryingabouthisownform, the teamwasboundtosuffer'– JOEL GARNER, Rookies, Rebels and Renaissance, ABC Books,2004

Australia,inheritorsofthe'invincible'tagthatbelongedtotheWestIndiesinthe1970sand1980s,werefollowingthesametactic.TendulkarwasputunderenormouspressureonthefieldbytheAustralianplayers,andoffthefieldbythemedia.Healsoendedupgettingacoupleofdebatableumpiringdecisions.Itisareflection of his talent and character that he didn't quite capsize, and scored amasterly116atMelbourne.V.V.S.Laxmanscored167outof261inthesecondinningsatSydney,butthematchstillendedonthethirdday.

ThebiggestdisappointmentofthetourwasRahul,whoscored93runsfromsixinningsat15.50.Ifviewedinthecontextofthelawofaverages,hisslumpcouldhavebeen explained as a badpatch after a productive12-monthperiod.However,itwasn'tquitesostraightforward.

He was dismissed twice each by Brett Lee, who made his debut atMelbourne, andGlennMcGrath. They gave him hardly anymargin for error,stickingtothecorridorofuncertaintyjustoutsidetheoff-stump,forcinghimtoplayatdeliveriesuntilhenickedoneandwassnappedupeitherbythekeeperortheslips.And then, therewasShaneWarne,whomRahulhadhandledwell inthe previous series. But things were different this time. He dismissed Rahultwice at Adelaide and came away convinced that he had 'the wood' on him.Given the form theAustralian bowlerswere in, a batsmanhad to be assertive

enough to exploit the rare badball and competent enough tomake evengoodballscount.Rahulwasn'tathisbest,andpaidtheprice.

'Onthattour,Rahulwasjabbingandpushingatdeliveries'–SUNILGAVASKAR

Anurgetosucceedmayhavecausedthis.ItwasprobablyoneofthoserareinstanceswhenRahul's perceptive nature actually backfired on him.Hemightwellhavegotobsessedwiththethoughtthatallhisachievementswouldamounttonothing ifhedidnotpass the sternestexamination in theworld.Thiscouldhaveinadvertentlymadehimapprehensiveoffailure.Thenthelawofaveragesstruck,andtheconsequenceswerecatastrophic.

'RahulhadatoughtimeinAustralia,buthenevergaveup.Hecontinuedtoworkhardinthenetsandpickupnewpoints.Theresultswereseenonthenexttour'–V.V.S.Laxman

By the time Rahul pulled himself together to score three fifties in thetriangularseriesagainstthehostsandPakistan,itwastoolate.TheIndiansfailedtoqualifyforthebest-of-threefinalsandflewhomelickingtheirwounds.

Three weeks had elapsed since their last game of the tri-series when theIndiansmettheProteasatMumbaiinthefirstTestofatwo-matchseries.Spiritswerestilllow,andTendulkar'sdecisiontoquitascaptainattheendoftheseriesonlyaddedtothegloom.InwhatwasanotherdebaclefortheIndians,theylostboth Tests, and Tendulkar finished his second innings as captain as the firstskippersinceKapilDevin1986-87toloseaTestseriesathome.Ironically,theonlycenturionintheTestserieswasTendulkar'stwo-timepredecessorandone-timesuccessor. Itwasevenalleged thatTendulkar'sdecision toabdicatehadalot to do with Azharuddin's return to the squad. The stylist scored 102 atBangalore,the99thTestofhiscareer,whichturnedouttobehislast.

The think-tankdida low-on-confidenceRahulno favoursbyaskinghim toopenatBangaloreafterLaxmanhadbeendropped.Onceagain,itwasn'taverypleasantexperience.Hescored17and18,althoughhelastedforquiteawhile–75ballsinthefirstinningsand61inthesecond.

'Dravid'sproblemtodayisnotsomuchtechniqueortalent,butamentalblock that does not permit him to play his natural game. A defensive

mindset isnot thebestantidote to failure.Sometimes itmakessense totakethebullbythehornsanddamntheconsequences'–RAVISHASTRI,CricketTalk,30March2000

Rahuldidtakethebullbythehornsintheone-dayseries.A73inthethirdgameatFaridabadand79inthefifthatNagpurboostedhisconfidence,althoughIndiadidnotwineithergame.Buttheydidwintheseries3-2.SouravGanguly,India's new skipper, led from the front with a succession of swashbucklingknocksatthetopoftheorder,andTendulkar,withscoresof122and93inthelasttwogames,appearedtobeenjoyinghimselfwithoutthecaresofcaptaincy.

TheeuphoriaofIndianfansoverthelimited-overstriumphsoonevaporateddue to all the damning disclosures thatmade 2000 cricket's year of the 'GreatBetrayal'.

'The six months of county cricket in England came at the right timebecause Ineeded togetaway toanewenvironmentwhere Icould justrelaxandbemyselfandjustplaycricketandenjoyit.Iwasonmyown,andIlearnedthingsaboutmyselfandmygame'–RAHULDRAVID,WisdenAsiaCricket,January2004

'Hansiegate' and the can of worms it opened, tainted reputations and in somecases,endedcareers.Thecharges levelledagainst theIndiancoachwereneversubstantiated, but the initial damage was done. He broke down during a TVinterviewandinsistedthattheIndianteamwasnotintherightframeofmindfortheAsiaCup,whichwas tobeplayed inDhaka inMay2000.Hisworst fearscametruewhenIndiafailedtoqualifyforthefinals,losingtobothSriLankaandPakistanandwinningasolitarygameagainstBangladesh.

TheIndiansquadinDhakacomprisedthreeplayers-Ganguly,KumbleandRahul -whohad flown in fromEngland,where theywere engaged inCountycricketforLancashire,LeicestershireandKentrespectively.

Englishcrickethadundergoneasteadydecline in the1980sand1990s,butwhathadnotchangedwasthefact thatacricketer'sabilitiesweretestedto thefullest on the varied pitches and fluctuating weather conditions in England.Rahul was keen to further his cricketing education by playing in the CountyChampionship. The year 2000, when India had no major internationalcommitment during thewhole of theEnglish season fromApril to September(theAsiaCupwasn'tscheduledthen),wastheidealyearinwhichtodoso.OnIndia's tourofNewZealandin1998-99,Rahulhaddiscussedthepossibilityofhis playing County cricket with John Wright, the former Kiwi opener andincumbent Kent coach, who had been particularly impressed with his twohundreds in the Hamilton Test. A formal offer to represent Kent in the 2000seasonfollowed,whichRahulhappilyaccepted.Itturnedouttobeamemorablestintbothfortheclubandtheplayer.

'Rahulwasaveryquietindividualbutfittedintothegroupverywellandwaswellliked.Hehadatremendousworkethicandsetanexamplefor

otherstofollow'–SIMONWILLIS,CoachingCoordinator,KentCCC

Rahul and Sourav, who had made their Test debut together, made theirCountydebutinthesamegame,albeitonopposingsides.Gangulyscoredaduckand Rahul scored an unbeaten two in a draw. In his next game, against thetouringZimbabweans,Rahulscoredasparkling182,thebestperformancebyanIndian within Kent borders since Kapil Dev's 175 at TunbridgeWells in the1983WorldCupagainstthesameteam.

The182markedthestartofapurplepatch.Rahulscored90againstSomersetinhisfirstgameafterreturningfromDhaka.Inthenextclashagainstthesameteam,hescored88and95.

On 19 July 2000, Kent took on hosts Hampshire on a Portsmouth pitchpreparedwithShaneWarne,thehometeam'sstrikebowler,inmind.Rahulcamein to bat late on the first day, his team reduced to a precarious 15-2 after thehostshadscored320.Daytwowitnessedaclashoftwomasters-aleg-spinnerout to deceive, against a batsman out to defend, disturb and destroy. Thebatsmantriumphed.Notforthelasttime,Warneandhiswaresweresubjugatedby a pair of Indian wrists. Rahul's 137, scored over six hours of studiedbatsmanship,washisfirsthundredintheCountyChampionship.

Warne took 4-81, but he would have willingly traded his four wickets forRahul's. The innings inspired Min Patel, Kent's left-arm spinner and Rahul'sclose friend, to take 5-46 and send Hampshire hurtling to 136 all out. Kentneeded205towin,atargettheydulyachievedforthelossofonlyfourwickets.Rahulremainedunbeatenwith73andWarnewentwicketless.

Laterintheseason,KentneededonebonuspointfromtheirlastgameagainstKumble'scountyLeicestershire toavoidrelegation to the lowerdivisionof theCountyChampionship.Rahuldeliveredwhenitmatteredwithapriceless77thatenabledhisteamtoscorethe200runsitneededtostayintheupperdivision.

Hefinishedwith1,039runsfrom15Countymatches,thehighestbyaKentbatsman that season.Counting the 182 againstZimbabwe, his tallywas 1,221from 16 first-class matches at a splendid average of 55.50. His bestperformances in the limited-overs variety were an unbeaten 60 off 43 ballsagainstLancashireanda104offonly98deliveriesagainstWorcestershireintheUnionNationalLeague.RahulelicitedcomparisonswithAravindaDeSilva,theSri Lankan maestro, who had plundered an astounding 1,661 runs from 15gamesasKent'sprofessionalin1995.

'They(RahulandDeSilva)bothpreferredplayingwhenthesunwasout!Whenever theysawagoodpitch, theyknewwhentomakethemostoftheir opportunities and made sure they got as big a score as possible.More importantly, they both played match-winning innings. Theypossessed"bigmatchtemperament"'–SIMONWILLIS

The immediate challenge for Sourav Ganguly at the start of the newinternational seasonwas to regain the faithof the fans.The teamdeparted forNairobi inKenyafor thesecondeditionof thebiennial ICCKnockoutwithoutthe customary pre-season excitement. Cricket-lovers in the country were still

disillusioned,althoughtheinquiriesandinquestshadnotthrownupanychargesagainstthebigfive-Sourav,Rahul,Srinath,KumbleandTendulkar.ApiquedKapil Dev had resigned as coach, having declared that he would 'never wearwhitesagain'.Gaekwadwasbackinthehotseat.

IndiagotofftoaquietstartwithawinoverKenyaon3October2000.Theirnext encounterwas scheduled four days later against theworld champions. Itwasn'tallthatsurprisingthatpeopleinIndiaweremoreinvolvedinthe'Dassera'celebrationsthantheactionontheTVon7October.

Thosewhocared towatchwere left gapingasTendulkar tookonMcGrathwith his bat and mouth. But the middle-order faltered. The score was 130-4whenYuvrajSingh,whosebattingand fieldinghadplayedamajorpart in theIndianUnder-19team'sWorldCupvictoryearlierthatyear,arrivedatthewickettoscoreamagnificent84.Indiatotalledahandsome265-9,withnumberelevenVenkateshPrasadlashingasixoffthelastballoftheinnings.

The events of the next three hours were a watershed. The Indians bowledsuperbly, fieldedbreathtakingly and caught sensationally to complete a 20-runwin,whichwas invigoratingenough for the fans todigout the fireworks.ThehorrificmemoriesoftheGreatBetrayalwereconsignedtotheflamesalongwiththe effigies of the demon-king Ravana, and an entire nation renewed itsrelationshipwithcricket.

IndiaoutclassedtheProteasby95runsinthesemifinal.Gangulyledfromthefrontwith141,withRahul(58)helpinghimadd145forthesecondwicket.TheIndian vice-captain delighted everybodywith his batting except seamerRogerTelemachus,whobarged into himas he completed a run, and incurred a one-matchsuspensionfordoingso.

Theway the Indianswere playing, only a performance of a lifetime couldhavethwartedthem.Unfortunatelyforthem,asemi-fitChristopherLanceCairnsdeliveredoneinthefinal,witharestrictivespellandthenasplendidhundredtoregisterNewZealand's first victory in amajor limited-overs competition. TheIndiansweredismayed,but tookheart from theadventofYuvraj and the left-armpacemanZaheerKhan.

Itwasduringthenexttournament,atri-seriesatSharjah,thatRahulsustainedthefirstmajorinjuryofhisinternationalcareer,damagingafingerwhilegoingforacatchinaleagueencounteragainstZimbabwe.Earlier,hehadopenedthebattingandscored85afterhiscaptainstrangelydemotedhimselfdespitescoringhundredsinthesemifinalandfinaloftheICCKnockout.Rahulmissedtherest

of the series, and was thus spared the ignominy of being in the eleven thatcollapsedfor54inthefinal,leavingSriLankavictorsby245runs.

On 10 November 2000, Sourav Ganguly became India's 27th official Testcaptain, when he led the team onto the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka tocommenceBangladesh's inauguralTest. Indiawon thegamerathereasilyafterconceding a first-innings lead, but their frontline batsmenmissed out on runs.Rahul compensated by scoring tons of them against the Zimbabweans whotouredIndiathatwinter.

The two-Test series against Zimbabwe marked the start of John Wright'stenureascoachoftheIndianteam.Rahul,oneofhis'wards'atKent,wasamongtheseniorplayerswhohadrecommendedhimfor the job.Wright'swasnotanauspiciousstart,withseveralformerIndiancricketerspubliclydisagreeingwiththeappointmentofaforeigner.Theyarguedthattherewasnodearthofexpertsinthecountry.ThemenbehindthedecisiontogiveWrightthejobreactedonlywhenitwastimetohavethelastlaugh.

Rahul 'welcomed'Wrightwith an innings of 200 in the first Test atDelhi,during the course ofwhich he passed the 3,000-runmark inTest cricket.Thegame, which at one stage looked headed for a draw, was enlivened by adeclaration immediately afterRahul completed the first double hundred of hisTestcareer.Indiaatthatstagewereonly36runsahead,butthenewcaptainandcoachweredeterminedtobepositive.Afive-wickethaulbySrinathinthethirdinningslaidthefoundationofaseven-wicketwin.IndiabattedfirstinthesecondTestatNagpurandscoredawhopping609-6.Rahulcontributedamammoth162toa249-runstandwithTendulkar,theirseconddouble-centuryassociationafterapartnershipof213atDelhi.Thevisitorswerebundledoutforonly382,butledbyAndyFlower,theybattedpluckilyinthesecondtoforceadraw.Sourav,whohad timed the declaration perfectly at Delhi, was pilloried for delaying thedeclarationatNagpurtoenableTendulkartocompletehisdoublehundred.Thisincidenthadaninterestingpostscriptthreeyearslater!

Indiadominatedthefive-matchone-dayseriesthatfollowed.Thehometeamhad already clinched the serieswith threewins from four gameswhenRahulexercised the captain's prerogative of delivering a team-talk on the eve of thefinalone-dayeratRajkot.HewaselevatedtothehelmwhenSouravwasaskedto'takeabreak'bytheICCReferee,aftersomepetulantbehaviourinthefourthgame at Kanpur. The new recruits made Rahul's debut as captain of Indiamemorable.HemangBadani,amiddle-orderbatsmanfromChennai,top-scoredwith77,andReetinderSodhigot53.AjitAgarkarclobbereda21-ballfiftyandtookthetotalpast300.TheZimbabweansfellshortby39runs.

Rahul'sdebutascaptainofIndia.TossingthecoinatRaikot,2000-01

TheIndians thenhadan intensivecampon theeveof their 'contest'against

theAustralians,whowereseeingitmoreasanimminent'conquest'.Ontheeveof the series,Australian skipper SteveWaugh,with 15 consecutive Testwinsbehindhim, christened India as the 'FinalFrontier', a territoryAustraliahadn't'conquered' since1969-70.This statementmadeasmuchnewsas the shoulderinjurytoAnilKumblethathadforcedhimtowithdrawfromtheseries.

ThemanearmarkedbySouravtofillKumble'sshoeswasatwenty-year-oldoff-spinner who hadmade his Test debut onAustralia's last visit in 1997-98.HarbhajanSingh'sbriefcricketingcareerhadbeenaratherturbulentone.First,thelegalityofhisactionwasquestioned,andhewasaskedtoundergoremedialtreatment.Thencamethedeathofhisinspiration,hisfather,andhis'rustication'fromthenewly-establishedNationalCricketAcademyinBangaloreforallegedinsubordination.Theyoungsterandmanyotherswereconvincedthathiscareerwasover.But the Indian captain thoughtotherwise.Hebadgered the selectorsandwon.

ThefirstTestatMumbaibeganonatragicnotewiththedemiseofSirDonBradmanforty-eighthoursbeforethegame.SteveWaughwonthetossandsentIndia in onwhat looked a 'sporting'wicket by Indian standards,meaning thatthere was something in it for the fast bowlers, but nothing that would deterbatsmenwhoplayed to theirpotential.Rahulfoundhimself in themiddlewithonlysevenontheboard,afterAdamGilchristsnappedupaRameshmishookoffMcGrath.

Notaverycommonsightin2001!

'DravidisfastbecomingthenewRaviShastriofIndiancricket,lovedbyfemale fansandhatedbymale fans (whowant toseequick runs).AndlikeShastri,alwaystheretoscorerunswhentheteamneedsthembadly'–B.VIJAYKUMAR,CricketTalk,2December2000

Therewasanotherreasonthemen'hated'Rahul.TheysimplywantedhimoutofthewaysothattheycouldseeSachinTendulkar,thenextbatsman,inaction!

Rahulhadprovidedenoughammunitiontohis'haters'bytaking350ballstoscore201againsttheZimbabweansatDelhi,whileTendulkarhadtakenjust281deliveries to score one run less at Nagpur.What the so-called 'cricket-lovers'who had dubbed him a 'slow' batsmanwere not appreciatingwas that he andTendulkarweredifferenttypesofbatsmen,bothequallyimportanttotheside.Inanageofinstantgratificationwherethe'moneybags'mobsterwasupstagingthecricketconnoisseur,acricketer likeRahulwas trailing in thepopularity stakesbehindanextraordinaryindividualwhopossessedtheabilitytodrawgaspsfromtheaficionadosaswellasroarsfromthemasses.

At Mumbai, Rahul obliged the mobsters by nicking the first delivery ofDamienFleming'ssecondspellintoGilchrist'sgloves,andthestagewassetfortheentryofthemanwhohadremindedBradmanofhimselfFortheumpteenthtime in his short international career, Rahul felt that his ears were going toexplode moments after he was dismissed. The cheers welcoming the newbatsmanweredeafening.

Tendulkar's incandescent76wouldhavedonetheDonproud,buthiswasasolo effort and the Indians were bowled out for a pathetic 176. Australia toolooked in some strife at 99-5whenGilchrist andMatthewHayden decided tohaveawildpartyattheexpenseoftheIndianbowlers.TheAussiesamassedaleadof173.Indiawereintroubleat57-2inthesecondinnings,whenTendulkarandRahul stageda revivalof sorts.The scorewas103whenRahulessayedafull-blooded pull offGillespie, only to seeMichael Slater at shortmid-wicketdive in front and claim a catch. Rahul stood his ground and the TV replaysconfirmed that the catchwasdoubtful.What followedwasdeplorable.A lividSlater strode towards the batsman and virtually demanded thatRahul 'believe'him.Rahulwasnot amused,norwasS.Venkataraghvan, theumpire.CammieSmith,theMatchReferee,strangelytooknoaction,springingtolifeonlywhenSlatercontinuedhis tiradeinaradiointerview.HefinedSlaterhalfhismatch-feeandhandedhima'suspended'sentenceforsixmonths.

DisasterstruckafterTendulkarcompletedhissecondfiftyof thegame.The

scorewas154-2whenhestruckafull-bloodedpulloffMarkWaugh,whowasbowling off-breaks. The ball ricocheted off forward short-leg fielder JustinLanger's left shoulder into the short mid-wicket region, where Ricky Pontingflung himself to clasp it inches from the ground. In keeping with the thenprevalent tradition of Indian cricket, Tendulkar's fall triggered a collapse. TheIndian captain ran himself out just two runs later. Laxman, who hadmade itclearbeforethestartofthenewseasonthathewouldnotopen,fellat174,asdidRahul.HewasbowledbyWarne, thesixth timehehadbeendismissedby theleg-spinnerinsevenTests.

Indiawerealloutfor219andtheAustralianscompletedaten-wickettriumphon the third day. Itwas their 16thTestwin on the trot andWaugh'swarriorswere just one step away from crossing 'The Final Frontier'. Sourav, a captainbeset by a lean patch on the field and alleged turmoil on the personal front,insistedduringthepresentationceremonythathisteamwould'comeback'.

But thehopesofeventhemostoptimisticIndiansupporterhadsunkbytheend of day two of the second Test at the Kolkata coliseum, a hattrick byHarbhajanSinghondayonenotwithstanding. Indiawere128-8 in response toAustralia's445,andcricket-writersalloverIndiawereengagedinanunofficialcontestforthemostcreativeadaptationofthe 'Obituary'ofEnglishcricketthatappeared in the 'In Memoriam' section of The Sporting Times on 30 August1882, after they famously lost a Test to Australia by seven runs. Among theeightIndianbatsmentocomeandgowasRahul,whowas,onceagain,bowledbyWarne,playingalloverawell tossed-updelivery.Laxman,whohadbattedentertaininglyonthesecondevening,waslastoutonthethirdmorningfor59,and Steve Waugh, his team 274 runs ahead, walked across to the Indiandressing-roomandaskedhiscounterparttobatagain.

Ramesh andShivSunderDas gave India amuch better start in the secondinningswithastandof52.Ramesh'sexitbroughtLaxmanback to themiddle.The think-tank had asked him not to take off his pads at the end of the firstinnings,andpromotedhimtonumber three. Itwasa littlehardonRahul,whohadmannedthatspotwithdistinctionforyears,butWrightandSouravweretwomenwhobelieved in living in thepresent.Laxmanhadbattedbetter than anyotherIndianbatsmaninthegame,andtheteamneededhimtospendalotmoretimeinthemiddle,iftheyweretodelaytheinevitable,ifnotsavethegame.

Dasbrokehisownwicketat97,andTendulkarfailedtogetpasttenforthesecondtimeinthegame.EnterSourav,whodisplayedgreatcharacterinaknockof48.Hestayedwhile117runswereadded,withLaxmanpersonifyingelegance

andebullienceattheotherend.

ItusedtobesaidofKenBarrington,England'sgreattechnicianofthe1950sand1960s,thathisopponentscouldseetheUnionJackwavingbehindhimashecameintobat.Rahul'sopponentsofthelate1990shadhadsimilarvisionsoftheIndian tricolour whenever he came in to bat, but on that late afternoon inKolkata, the Aussies would have seen the tricolour flying at half-mast, anindicatorofthestatetheIndianteamandRahulhimselfwerein.Astheoutgoingbatsman passed the incoming, Sourav paused and gave his deputy anencouraging tap on the back.As hemade hisway to the centre,Rahulwouldhave heard thewords 'slow', 'dull' and 'fair-weather', all epithets bestowed onhimbyhis'friends'inthemedia,ringinginhisears.Hewantedtomakethemeattheirwords,andhehadawonderfulopportunitytodoso.Thesituationwhenhebeganhisinningswasasgrimasgrimcouldbe.Ifhefailed,hisdetractorswouldnot be surprised; if he flourished, even theywould not stop talking about hisbatsmanshipforalong,longtime.

LaxmanandhesawIndiathroughtothecloseonthethirdday,atwhichpointthe scorewas 254-4withLaxmanhaving completed his secondTest hundred.India were only twenty runs behind and the country was relieved that therewouldbenoinningsdefeat.

Dayfourdawnedbrightandclear.ShortlyafterIndiatookthelead,Laxmantook four boundaries off a JasonGillespie over. The firstwas a lucky inside-edge, but he compensatedwith amagnificent off-drive, an exquisite cut and agorgeouscoverdrive.His137runsat thatstagecomprised25boundaries.Thecrowdsatthecoliseumroaredinappreciation.Buthowlongwouldthislast?

Then Rahul on-drove Kasprowicz beautifully and stroked two fours off aWarneover.Notasinglewicketfellinthefirstsession,andthebatsmencarriedoninthesameveinafterlunch.

'Wewere constantly encouraging each other. Therewere timeswhen Iwastiringandnottimingtheballwell,andhewouldexhortmetokeepgoing.Ididthesamewhenhestartedtiring.Ourteammates,thecrowd,everyonewassoinvolved'–V.V.S.LAXMAN

The partnership passed 100, then 150, both men looking more and moreconfidentwitheverypassingover.Rahulbroughtupthe200ofthestandwithanimperiouson-driveoffGillespiethatbeattwochasingfielders-themid-onand

thedeepmid-wicket-tothefence.Laxmanthencompletedhisown200withastunningdriveoffMarkWaugh.WhiletherewasnodoubtthattheIndianswerebatting brilliantly, theywere helped greatly by the rigidity of theAustralians,whopersistedwithanattackingfieldandlefttheboundarieslargelyunmanned.Theywereplayingtothebatsmen'sstrengths,andthelatterweren'tcomplaining!

Rahul's big moment came, quite appropriately in a Warne over. He camedownthewicketandessayedanon-drivethatbroughtuphisfirstTesthundredagainstAustralia.AsWarnehimself led theapplause,Rahul staredhardat thepress-boxandcommentaryenclosures,wheresomeofhis 'friends'wereseated,andbrandishedhis'mouthpiece'thathad'talked'splendidlytosilencethem-hisbat.

Hisonlyworryatthatstagewashisoldscourge-cramps.

'I remember John (Wright) yelling atme after Rahul's calf went. "Gethimfit,"Johnshouted.Itwasimportantforusthathestayedoutthere.IgaveRahulabright red-colouredVitaminBpill,which I toldhimwas"anti-cramping".Now,thereisnothingsuchasananti-crampingpill.ButRahulbelievedme,andcarriedon.Iamnotsayingthatmylieworked.Rahul'sfortitudeenabledhimtopushhimself–ANDREWLEIPUS

Thecorneredtigerwhofought...RahulcompleteshishundredagainstAustraliaatKolkata,2000-01

Leipusswungintoactionagainafterthetwobatsmen'swaggered'backtothepavilionatstumpsondayfour,andputbothofthemonsalinedrips.Laxmanlayon the masseur's table and Rahul on the lunch-table after the cutlery andcrockeryhadbeencleared.Notasinglewickethadfallenthatday.

Thestandendedonthefifthmorningat608,afterRahulandLaxmanhadputtogether 376, the second-highest association by an Indian pair in Test cricket.Laxmanfellforamonumental281,thehighestindividualscorebyanIndianinTestcricket.Thelower-orderwasinstructedtostepupagearandRahulwasrunoutfor180intheensuingscramble.Hehadtaken353ballstoscorethoseruns,butnobodywascomplaining.

'India were down in the dumps when Rahul played that innings. In asituationlikethat, it takesstrengthofcharacter, talentandtemperamentto play to your strengths and not get overawed by the blazing strokesbeingplayedattheotherend'–SUNILGAVASKAR

Sourav declared 383 runs ahead, and out came a hungry Indian side. Not

satisfiedwith all the records their teammates had set, theywantedmore. TheAustralianswereonlythreedownattea,butTendulkarinitiatedanunbelievablecollapsewiththreeprizedscalps,thoseofGilchrist,HaydenandWarne,thelasttoanincrediblegoogly.Thewicketstumbleddramaticallythereafter,andwhenGlenn McGrath padded up to a Harbhajan delivery and umpire S.K. Bansalraised his finger, there was bedlam. India had squared the series with theirgreatest-everTestwin.

The decider atChennaiwas a humdinger.Rahul (81)was outstanding in apartnershipof169withTendulkar,whowasdeterminednottofinishtheserieswithoutahundred.OfthemanyfabulousshotsRahulessayed,theonethatstoodoutwasastraightsixoffGillespie,whichillustratedhisnew-foundconfidenceinhisaggressivecapabilities.TheAustraliansdeniedvehementlythattheywereclueless against Harbhajan, but the statistics told a different story. The off-spinner bagged 15 wickets at Chennai, in addition to the 13 he pocketed atKolkataandfouratMumbai.

Indians needed only 155 to win, and with Tendulkar and Laxman in themiddleat101-2,thecelebrationshadalreadystarted.ButtheAustralianswouldnotgiveup.TheyplayedonthenervesoftheIndians,bottlinguptherunsandluringthestrokemakerstotheirdoom.Sixwicketsfellinaheap,thehighlightsof the collapse being SteveWaugh's diving catch atmid-off to dismissRahulandhistwin'sblinderatshortmid-wickettodispatchLaxman.DebutantSameerDigheplayedsomegrittystrokes to takehis teamto the threshold,butall fourresultswerepossiblewhenMcGrathsteamedinatnumbertenHarbhajanSingh,the target amere two runsaway.Harbhajandeftlydugoutan intendedyorkerand placed it just wide of point. The batsmen completed a 'two' to spark offfrenziedcelebrationsintheIndiandressing-roomandoutside.

The ecstatic Indians ran a lap of honour around the M.A. Chidambaramstadiumwith theBorder-GavaskarTrophy.HarbhajanSingh,with a record32wicketsfromthreeTests,wasthetoastofthenation,aswasLaxman,whohadfolloweduponhis'KolkataOpus'withscoresof65and66atChennai.ThefansheapedaccoladesonTendulkar,whohadscored125atChennaiandtakenthreevitalwicketsatKolkata, andofcourse,SouravGanguly,whohad inspiredhisteamtooutdotheAustraliansineveryaspect-technical,mentalandverbal.Hehadnotallowedhispoorformtoaffecthisleadershipskills.

Rahulhadendedtheseries,asuccessfuloneforhim,asanunsunghero.Ofcourse,itwasn'tasifhewasn'tusedtoit.

'Rahul respects the game,which iswhywe cricketers respect him.Hedoesn'tplay"games"withthegame'–ASHOKMANKAD

Rahul's best performance in the one-day series againstAustralia that followedtheepicTestserieswasamatch-winning80inthefirstgameatBangalore.Helost the race for the individual award to a twenty-year-old playing in only hissecond international, who scored 58 and took three wickets. His name wasVirenderSehwag.

Notonememberof theIndian teamthatarrived inZimbabweinMay2001knewwhatitfeltliketowinaTest,letaloneaseries,outsidethesubcontinent.Itwas a dubious distinction the players were determined to erase. They dideverythingrightinthefirstTestatBulawayotowinbyeightwickets.Rahul,anawesomenumberseven(hebattedbelownight-watchmanSrinath),scored44inhisonlyouting.However,complacency,theIndianteam'soldbane,cametothefore in the second Test at Harare. India were bowled out for 237 in the firstinnings.Dasimpressedwithaknockof57andRahulscoredadefiant,unbeaten68.Thevisitorshadmanagedtotakealeadof119inthesecondinningswhenRahul was caught behind off Andy Blignaut for 26. This triggered off aprocessionofsorts,andIndiaslidfrom197-3to234allout.Zimbabwewonbyfourwicketsandsquaredthetwo-Testseries.

The teamcameback in thesubsequent tri-seriesagainst thehometeamandthe West Indies with a 100 percent success record in the league games.However, theWestIndiesprevailed in thefinal,andTendulkarsustaineda toeinjury that rendered him unfit for the subsequent tour of Sri Lanka. But hisabsencewasn'tasdemoralisingas itwouldhavebeenbefore theseriesagainstAustralia, as the team now comprised others who had delivered in crunchsituations.

ThetourofSriLankacommencedwitha tri-seriesbetweenIndia, thehosts

and New Zealand. India began badly with three straight losses, two to NewZealand and one to Sri Lanka. Rahul's unbeaten 49 off 81 balls in the defeatagainstSriLankawasa throwback to thedarkdaysof1997-98,butheset therecordstraightwithmatch-winningknocksof43and47inthenexttwogamesagainst the hosts. He led India in the first of those games following Sourav'ssuspension for onematch. The captain of India had incurred thewrath of theICCRefereeonceagain,thistimeforexpressinghisdispleasureatbeinggivenoutleg-before.

Rahul's twin forties were complemented by fine knocks of 87 and 98 byV.V.S.LaxmanandYuvrajSinghrespectively.Bothbatsmencameinforpraise,Laxman fordefyingaknee-injury that forcedhim tomiss the restof the tour,andYuvrajforhisfirstnoteworthyinningssincethe84againstAustraliaintheICCKnockout.Millions ofTendulkar fans had a sense of déjà vu in the finalleaguegameagainstNewZealand,aftertheIndiansweresetastifftargetof265.IncameVirenderSehwag,the 'TendulkarofNajafgarh',whotooktheKiwistothe cleaners with a sizzling 69-ball hundred. Rahul (57) and Badani (35)completedwhathehadstartedbysecuringacomfortablewinwith4.2overstospare.

The final against Sri Lanka sealed India's reputation as the 'chokers' of thecricketingworld.Theylostby121runs.Itwastheireighthstraightdefeatinthefinalofalimited-overstournamentinvolvingthreeormoreteams,startingwiththelosstoPakistanatBangaloreinMarch1999.

TherewasanotherthrashinginthefirstTestatGallebyaquadrangularseamattack and Muttiah Muralitharan. India went down for only 187 in the firstinnings,andajoyousJayasuriyabangedacentury.MuralitharantiedtheIndianbatsmeninknotsafterSriLankahadsecuredaleadof175.TheperformanceoftheIndianbatsmeninbothinningswasabysmal,withoneexception.

'NoneofthebatsmenexceptDravidshowedanyapplicationandmostofthemwereout to injudiciousshots.Dravidstoodlikearockamongtheruins,displayingalotofcharacteranddeterminationtofight'–THETRIBUNE,Chandigarh,17August2001

India were a hopeless 130-8 at stumps on the third day, still 45 runs inarrears.WithSrinathnotslatedtobatduetoafinger injury, theLankanswereonlyonewicketawayfromcompletinga'hattrick'ofinningswinsatGalleafterhumiliating South Africa and England in similar fashion in previous series.Rahul and Venkatesh Prasad salvaged some pride by wiping out the deficit,

althoughthefinalleadwasonlyfive.

Thedefeatintensifiedthepressureontheout-of-formSourav.Theonuswasonhimtorallyhisdespondentteamandsilencehiscritics.HestartedthesecondTestatKandyonapositivenotebywinningthetossandelectingtofieldona'juicy'pitch,toppedbyanovercastsky.Mostcaptainswhoweredown0-1inanoverseasserieswouldhaveoptedfortheconventional'bat-first'approach,moretoprotect their side from themenaceofMurali on adeterioratingpitch in thefourthinningsthananythingelse.Butthen,Souravwasdifferent.

Indiascored232inresponsetoSriLanka's274,andthehostswere52forthelossofJayasuriyaintheirsecondinningsattheendofdaythree.'Theonlywaythehome teamcan lose is bygetting complacent,'RaviShastri, former Indiancaptain-turned-commentatorstatedbeforethestartondayfour.

MuchtoSourav'sdelight,that'sexactlyhowthingsturnedout.ThebatsmenplayedsomeloosestrokesandcameapartagainstIndia'snew-ballduoofPrasadandZaheerKhan.At 157-9, a famous Indianwin seemed on the cards,whenMuralitharan played one of the most entertaining, and for the Indians,exasperatingknocksofalltime.Hegotto64beforeHarbhajanhadhimcaughtin the deep. The 'chokers' needed 264 to win. Memories of their struggle atChennai earlier in the year were relatively fresh, and not many gave them achance.

DasandRameshstartedwell,adding42beforetheformerplayedatMurali,missedandwasbowled.Theendof theday'splaywasonlyafewoversawayand the light poor. It was a situation in which most teams with a defensivemindsetwould have sent out a night-watchman to 'protect' themainstays.ButRahul, by now restored to the number three slot, thanks to a series ofexhilaratingLaxmancameosthatpromisedalotbutcouldnotbecomeclassics,walked in. Itwas a boldmove.He got off the blockswith a fluent on-drivenboundaryoffMurali,andheldonuntiltheumpiresofferedthelight.

Rahul and Ramesh took the score to 103 on the fourthmorning when theopener fell,caughtbyJayasuriyaoffFernando. IncameSouravGanguly,withmuchmorethanthematchatstake.

It was a day when the seniors needed to summon all their reserves ofconcentrationandresolveagainstateamalreadyleadingintheseries,havinginitsranksoneofthegreatestwicket-takersofalltime.Rahulessayedaclassic.HeplayedMuralilikeamaster,hiseyesrivetedonthebowler'swristashereleasedtheball,hismindtickingawaytopickthevariations,hiseyesthenfollowingthe

cherry itself as it descended onto the pitch and hissed off it. Rahul defieddeliveriespitchedonmiddle-and-offwithhisbatwellinfrontofhisfront(left)pad.Hethrustouthisfrontfoottoturnersthatwerepitchedwideoutsidetheoff-stick, offwhich therewas no possibility of the umpire upholding a leg-beforeshout.HeutilisedMurali's prodigious turnbrilliantly,waiting till thevery lastmomenttonudgeincomingdeliveries'roundtheleg-sidecorner'forsinglesandtwos.TherarebadballthatMuralibowled,hegaveitthetreatment.Hegotsixof his first eight boundaries offMurali.Rahul's footworkwas immaculate, histimingprecise.

ButMuraliwouldnotlethimrelax.Inthe46thover,his14thoftheinnings,hebowled twoviciousdeliveries thatpitchedoutsideoffandskidded inwards,whichRahuljustaboutmanagedtokeepout.Rahul'sgritinspiredSouravtotakeon the off-spinner. The Indian captain confoundedMurali in his next over byusinghis feet.Murali,whosestockballwas theone that spunawayfromleft-handers,hadnotexpectedanout-of-formsouthpaw to leavehis creaseagainsthim.Perplexed, thebowler respondedwithashortdelivery,expecting the left-handertocomedownthewicketagain.ButSouravleanedbacktocutit totheboundary.ItwasTestmatchcricketatitsgloriousbest.Indiawentintolunchat151-2. All they needed to do in the second session was to maintain themomentumofthefirst.

Rahul executed two scintillatingboundaries after thebreak; anon-driveoffMuraliforfour,andacover-driveoffJayasuriyathatwasplacedjustwideofthemanpostedatshortextra-cover,withno'cover'behindhim.AnenthrallingduelendedwhenRahul committedhis firstmajormistakeof the innings,playingastraighterdeliverybyMuraliwithhisbatalongsidethepadandnotinfrontashehaddoneallalong.Theballhithispad,thenhisbat,andthesilly-pointfielderdidtherest.Hehadscoredanimpeccable75.

SouravbattedsplendidlyinthecompanyofMohammedKaiftoknockofftheremaining70runs.Theskipperwasunluckytoremainunbeatenon98,butithadbeenadefining'Test'ofhisaptitudeasbatsmanandcaptain.ItwasthehighesttotalchasedbyIndiatowinaTestsincethesuccessfulpursuitof403atPortofSpainin1975-76.Theenormityoftheachievement,India'sfirstTestwininSriLankasince1993,couldbegaugedby the fact that the teamwaswithout fourfrontlineplayers:Tendulkar,Laxman,SrinathandKumble.

ThesmilesonIndianfacesvanishedinfourdays.IndiastartedsuperblyonafeatherbedinthethirdTestatColombowithopenersputtingon97,butMuralithenputthemthroughtheshredderwithasensationalbowlingdisplay.Hetook

eightwicketsinallatacostof87runs.TheIndiansthenbowledatrociouslyandfieldedabysmallytoallowfourSriLankanbatsmentoscorehundredsandtakealead of 376.But all hopewas not lost, as the track did not seem to have anydemons in it. For the second time in the game,Ramesh andDas gave a goodaccountof themselveswithacentury-stand.Das'dismissalat107set thestageforanotherback-to-the-wallperformancebyRahul,whohadgot36inthefirstinnings.Headdedafurther40withRameshbeforeMuralidislodgedthelatter'soff-bail with what was described as the off-spinner's equivalent of ShaneWarne's'BalloftheCentury'.TheballpitchedonlegandspunpastRamesh'sbatto take the off-bail. India needed the captain and vice-captain to repeat theirKandyduet,butMarvanAtapattuplayedspoilsportwithadirecthitatthenon-striker'sendtorunoutRahul.Onceagain,aSourav-Rahulstandhadendedwitharun-out,andyetagain,Rahul'sdismissalwasfollowedbyacollapse.Thescore186-3became211-6,andtheinningsendedat299onthefourthdayaftersomeenterprising hitting by Zaheer Khan. The Kandywin apart, a positive for theteamwasRahul'scompletionof4,000Testrunsinonlyhis48thTest.

ThedefeatinSriLankanotwithstanding,SouravGangulywasahappymanas the team boarded the plane for SouthAfrica inOctober 2001,where Indiaweretoplayatri-seriesandthreeTests.ThereturnofSrinath,Kumble,Laxman(for theTests) andTendulkarmeant that hewas leading a full-strength Indianteamfor thefirst timesincehisappointmentasTestcaptain.Buta lowerbackinjurytoSadagoppanRamesh,whohadforgedagoodopeningcombinationwithDas, upset the apple-cart, as did a mediocre showing in the tri-series thatpreceded the Tests, wherein the team's performances oscillated from theawesometotheawful.

During the tri-series, Rahul, who had been troubled by a pain in the rightshoulderforfouryears,decidedtoconsultadoctor.

ABOVE:Anemphatichookduringhismatch-saving87inthe'Denness'TestatPortElizabeth,2001-02

BELOW:RahulgivesformerSouthAfricanskipper£haunPollockthetreatmentduringthe2001-02series

Thecompletebatsman-equallyproficientonbothsidesofthewicket

OPPOSITE,TOP:Upandabout-araspingsquare-cut

BELOW:Down,butcertainlynotout

ABOVE:India'spremierall-rounderofthenewmillennium

OPPOSITE:AtributetoG.R.Viswanath-athumpingsquare-cutinthe2003WorldCup

BELOW:Multan,April2004-hisfirstTestwinascaptain,Rahul(secondfromleft)celebrateswithhisteammates

Thetransformationofa'Test'specialist...

TOP:Rahulathomeinthe2003-04tri-seriesinAustralia

BELOW:Inthe2003WorldCup

OPPOSITE:Adelaide,16December2003

Anothertypical'one-daystroke'-adriveafter'makingroom'inthe2002ICCChampionsTrophysemifinalagainstSouthAfrica

'Cricketers tend to develop shoulder-niggles because of persistentthrowingwhile fielding.Rahulhadwhat is called aLabrum tear inhisright shoulder. The doctorwhomwe approached advised an operation,

butRahul and I decided to adopt the conservative approachof trainingand rehabilitation. We reasoned that he would not be doing much ofthrowing,ashefieldedintheslipsmostofthetime.Rahulstarteddoingsome special exercises.He then spent amonth in SouthAfrica for therehab,duetowhichhemissedtheone-dayseriesagainstEnglandlaterintheseason.Theshoulderhasbeenokaysincethen'–ANDREWLEIPUS

Rahul did well in the tri-series with three fifties against South Africa,includinganunbeaten77inthefinalinwhichhisteammatesmadenoattempttoshedtheir'choker'tag.HehadpreparedassiduouslyforhissecondtriptoSouthAfrica,havingrequisitionedanewsetofbatswithaslightlyhigher'sweetspot'.The objective obviously was to counter the extra bounce on South Africanwickets.Butwhathehadn'tprepared forwasa return to theopeningslot.ThemanagementwasreluctanttotryouttherookieConnorWilliams,whichmeantthatthemostmalleablememberoftheteamhadtodothejobinthefirstTestatBloemfontein.Aweek previously, Rahul had essayed another unfamiliar role,that of the wicketkeeper, in the last two games of the tri-series, after it wasdecidedtogivethestrugglingDeepDasgupta,India'sfifthone-dayglovemanofthenewmillennium,abreak.

The 'opening' experiment failed, and sodid Indiadespite a sensational firstday's cricket, on which Tendulkar and his 'disciple' Virender Sehwag scoredmarvelloushundreds,thelatterbecomingtheeleventhIndiantoscoreahundredonTestdebut.

'I was considered a one-day specialist until then. I remember RahultellingmebeforethatgametoconcentrateonTestcricket,assuccessinthatformatdefinedatruecricketermorethansuccessinODIs'–VEHWAGSEHWAG

SouthAfricamade 563 in response to India's 379, andShaunPollock thenbowled a captain's spell to eliminate the Indians for only 237 in the secondinnings,settingupanine-wicketwinforhisteam.Rahulscoredtwoand11.

IndiawentintothesecondTestatPortElizabethinastateofconfusion,thecauseofwhichwasthe'opening'conundrum.Rahulwasclearlyuncomfortable,aswasLaxman.TheteammanagementthenpromotedDasgupta,whohadbeenincludedintheTestXIatBloemfonteinonlybecausehisseniorSameerDighehadinjuredhisbackminutesbeforethestartoftheTest.

Dasgupta'schancetoaccompanyDastothemiddlecamelateonthesecondday afterSouthAfrica had amassed362.The Indian replywas ameagre 201.Butthebowlershitback,andtheProteaswereinaspotofbotherat139-5onthethirddaywhenKallisandPollockgottogethertobailthemout.Theyheldtheirnerveagainst accurate andaggressivebowling, supportedbya testy cordonofclose-infielderswhodidwhatmembersoftheirtribegenerallydid-supportthebowlers,indulgeinabitofgamesmanship,allwithinacceptedparameters.

ButMikeDenness,theReferee,hadevidentlyseensomethingthattheworldhadmissed.HeplacedsixIndianplayersinthedock;Das,Dasgupta,HarbhajanSinghandSehwagfor'intimidatingtheumpires',Souravfornot'controllinghisplayers', and Tendulkar for 'ball-tampering'. While five of the players got'suspended'sentences,SehwagwasactuallysuspendedfromthenextTest.Theseannouncements led to acrimony. IndianParliamentarians cried foul, the Indianpublicburnteffigiesof 'Denness theMenace'andIndiancricketadministratorsthreatenedtocalloffthetour.TheongoingTestalmostbecamesecondary.

TheIndianswere28-1atstumpsonatruncatedfourthday,andneededtobatoutawholeday tosave thegame.Themanbestqualifiedfor the job took theinitiative.AidedbythedourDasgupta,RahulbattedwithpoiseagainstaSouthAfrican outfitwanting to capitalise on the turmoil in the opposition camp.Hedisplayedastute judgementona track thathadassisted thebowlersonall fivedays. The stand yielded 171 runs, a draw, and smiles. Rahul's 87 was not amatch-winning innings like the one at Kandy, but it was certainly a morale-boostingone.

'Weweredetermined todraw theTest.Theentire teamwasouton thegallery,encouragingRahulandDeep.Thisissomethingonerarelysees'–V.V.S.LAXMAN

The ICC withdrew the 'official' status of the third Test when the SouthAfricanCricketBoard, under pressure from its ownGovernmentwho did notwantitsrelationswithIndiatogetstrained,tookaunilateraldecisiontoappointDenisLindsayasRefereeinplaceofDenness.ButtheIndianteamwastoldbytheBCCI to treat itasanofficialgame.Rahulcutadapperfigure in theIndiablazer andcapasheaccompaniedPollock for the toss afterSouravpulledoutdue to a neck strain. Sehwag was 'benched' to ensure that he fulfilled hissentence in case the match gained 'official' status later. Indian cricket-loverswere glad that it didn't, for their team, the one thatwas instructed to take thematchseriously,wassoundlybeatenbyateamthathadtreateditasanunofficial

encounterfromballone.

The Indian team followed an all-too predictable script for the next sevenmonths. They beat England at home in a three-Test series. After the victorycameaspellofunder-performing,andagratefulEnglandlevelledthesix-matchone-dayseries.Rahul,whoaveragedanimpressive40intheTests,gavetheone-dayseriesamisstotendtohisshoulder.

AftertheEnglishcametheZimbabweansfortheirsecondIndiatourinalittleoverayear.IndiawonboththeTests,butnotbeforegettingamassivescareinthesecondgameatDelhi,wheretheylostsixwicketsenroutetoatargetof115.The first inningswas dominated bySourav,whopromotedhimself to numberthreeandscored136,hisfirstTesthundredascaptain.Rahuldidnotcomplainaboutlosingtheone-downspotonceagain,buthehadreasontobemiffedwhenhewasrunoutyetagainwithhiscaptainattheotherend!

TheZimbabweanstooktheconfidencetheyhadgainedatDelhiintotheone-day series, where they gained a 2-1 lead. The fourth game, a 'day-nighter' atHyderabad,lookedtobegoingtheirwaywhenRahulfellforasubdued32.India

at that stage needed a further 109 from 112 balls.With Sourav and Laxmanalready in the pavilion and Tendulkar and Sehwag not playing due to injury,Rahul'sdismissalwasseenasthefinalnailintheIndiancoffin,butthe'YoungTurks' rose to the occasion. Yuvraj Singh, recalled for this series after beingdroppedpost-SouthAfrica,andMohammedKaifbattedsuperbly tosquare theseries. Their partnership of 94 was the precursor to another outstandingperformance later in the year. Amagnificent 159 byDineshMongia, anothernewface,inthefinalgameatGuwahatisettledtheseriesinIndia'sfavour.

SouravretainedthenumberthreespotinIndia'sfirstTestontheirtouroftheCaribbean, which began a couple of weeks after the Zimbabwe series. WestIndiesbattedfirstatGeorgetowntoscore501,withskipperCarlHooperflaying233. Although Tendulkar and Laxman scored fifties and there were frequentrain-interruptionsaswasalwaysthecaseinGuyana,theIndiansdidnotgetoutof jail until Sarandeep Singh joined Rahul at 275-7 and played the kind ofinnings that Shivlal Yadav, one of his esteemed off-spinning seniors, hadpatented during his playing days.Rahulwas 59when he ducked into a short-pitcheddeliverybyMervynDillonandreceivedanastycrackonthevisorofhishelmet.He had the option of coming off for repairs, but he chose not to andfought on after some cursory on-field treatment. He reached his hundred, thetenth of his Test career, with a gorgeous on-drive off Adam Sanford. Hisundefeated144,agrittymatch-savingeffort,madehisreturntothenumberthreeslotaforegoneconclusion.

ThefirstinningsofthenextTest,anunforgettableoneforIndia,witnessedacentury-standbetweenthetwotopbatsmenoftheprevioustrip.BothRahulandTendulkarhadscoredplentyofrunsin1996-97withoutreachingtriplefigures.RahulhadbrokenthejinxinthefirstTestofthe2001-02series,andnowitwasTendulkar'sturnwithhis29thTesthundred,whichbroughthimonparwiththeDon.Theotherbatsmendidtheirbit-Laxmanwith69and74,andSouravwith75inthesecondinnings.SuperbbowlingonthefinaldaytookIndiatoahistoricwin,theirfirstintheCaribbeansince1976.AgainstaWestIndiesoutfitpastitsbest,theIndiansfanciedtheirchancesofcreatinghistorybywinningtheseries,butnot fornothingwere theyconsideredmastersofself-destruction.They lostthenextTestatBridgetown,thethirdtimesinceBulawayothattheyhadwonaTest overseas, only to lose the next. Theywere never in the game after theirdismissalfor102onthefirstday.Souravwagedalonebattlewith48,aknockplayedwithbloodonhishandsafterbeing involved inyetanotherRahul run-out!

Rahul's91inthefourthTestatAntiguawasobscuredbyfivehundredsandAnilKumble,who broke a jawwhile batting and returned to themiddle in avaliantbidtokeepIndia'shopesalive.HedismissedLara,buthadtocomeoffafter bowling 14 overs. The match ended farcically with Rahul, Laxman andopenerWasimJaffer,whohad scoreda fine86 in India'sonly innings, takingtheirfirstTestwickets.

TheIndianbattingflopped,technicallyandcerebrally,inbothinningsofthefinalTest atKingston. Indiawere237-7at stumpsonday four, theirhopesofachieving a target of408 having long vanished. But the dark clouds thatwerehovering above the ground on the fifth morning had a silver lining. All theIndiantail-endershadtodowashangonforanhourorso,andtheserieswouldendina1-1stalemate.But theyfoldedupin just51deliveries.Thedownpourbegan around 20 minutes later, when Hooper was posing with the Winners'trophy,anddidnotstopforthenexttendays.

Rahul finished the Test series with 404 runs at 57.71, the second-best forIndiaafterLaxman,whoendedayear-longstreakof sweetcameoswith somedecisiveoutings,includingacenturyandfourfifties.

Rahul'sperformanceshadendorsedwhathehaddemonstratedright through2001:thathewasoneforthetrenches,whoexcelledwhenthegoinggottough.

Thegoingwastogeteventougher.SowasRahul.

'EveryonepraisesSachinTendulkar.Hemaybeageniusinhisownrightbut inmybook,RahulDravid is theartist.Dravid'sdefence tactics,hisstrokes, his cuts, his grace are truly amazing. I'd like tomeet the chapsometimeandtakemyhatofftohim'–PETERO'TOOLE,Mid-Day,23May2004

ItwasquiteappropriatethatRahulchoseEngland,thelandwherehemadehisformalentryintoTestcricketin1996,wherehedidsowellintheWorldCupin1999 and excelled as a professional in 2000, to complete his metamorphosisfrom'good'to'great'.

After snatching a consolation win in the one-day series in the Caribbean,Sourav and his 'men in blue' beat England in the final of a tri-series alsoinvolvingSriLanka,inwhatwasoneofthegreatestone-dayinternationalsofalltime.ItwasawonderfulstarttotheirtourofEnglandinmid-2002.

But England hit back with a comprehensive 170-run win in the first Test.Nasser Hussain, who scored a hundred on the first day, did not enforce thefollow-onafter bowling the Indiansout for221, 266 runsbehind.England setIndiaaHimalayan568towin,andtheIndiansbattedlikemountaineerstryingtoclimb the Himalayas without ropes, protective gear and oxygen masks. AjitAgarkarhelpedhimselftoastrokefulcentury,promptingmanytospeculateonthevaluehecouldaddto thesideifheweretoconsistentlyscoreevenhalfasmanyrunsinpressure-situations.Rahulscored46and63,butSouravhadapoorgamewith5and0,asdidTendulkarwith16and12.

VirenderSehwag,India's latest 'convert' to theopeningposition,scored106onthefirstdayofthesecondTestatNottingham,thusdebunkingthetheorythathewouldbeamisfit in the seamingand swingingEnglishconditionswithhisunorthodoxbatsmanship.A68bySouravandathrill-a-minute54byHarbhajanhelpedIndiareach357.Frequentinterruptionsforrainandbadlightonthefirsttwodays,nottomentiontheeffortsofSehwag,GangulyandHarbhajan,ensuredthatthehostsbegantheirfirstinningsonlyonthethirdday.

Michael Vaughan top-scored with 197 in a total of 617, and India, 260behind,neededtobatoutnearlyfoursessionstosavethegame.

Thethreeseniorsledtheway,scoringheavilyandcrucially,stayinginforalongtime.Tendulkarscored92andSouravthesecond99ofhisTestcareer,butRahul stood out. Nothing the bowlers hurled at him on that fifth-day wicket,nothing theymovedawayor intohim,hadanadverse effectonhis resolve tobattleitout.Hescoredamagnificent115.Agarkar,clearlyinthebattingformofhislife,scored32toaddtohis34inthefirstinnings,andtheseventeen-year-olddebutantParthivPateldefendedwellinthelasthour-and-a-half.

Thedrawliftedspirits intheIndiandressing-room.Theteamhadprovedtoitssupportersandtoitselfthatitpossessedtheperseverancetokeeparampagingopponentatbay.Apositiveandproactiveattitudewouldtakethemtothenextlevel.

ThencameHeadingley.

WhenafuturehistoriansitsdowntopenthehistoryofIndiancricket,hewillmarkthethirdTestofthe2002seriesbetweenIndiaandEnglandasawatershed,for a sensational performance that was set up by two sensational 'un-Indian'decisionsontheeveofthegame.

Headingley,atLeedsinthecountyofYorkshire,hasalwaysbeenafastandswingbowler'sparadise.Thewickettraditionallyisonthegreenersideandtheconditions overcast, a dream setting for young men who relish bending theirbacks and running in to propel seaming and swinging thunderbolts at thebatsmen.Insuchconditions,abattingsideneedsapplicationanddetermination,alongwithsomeluck.Adecentstartamountstowinninghalfthebattle.

The Indian think-tank had decided to dropWasim Jaffer from the playingelevendespitehis53atLord's,leavingtwocontendersfortheslotofSehwag'sopening partner – ShivSunderDas andSanjayBangar.The competitorswereslated to have a joint selection trial in the formof the three-daygame againstEssexpriortothethirdTest.Muchtotheduo'sdelight,Souravwonthetossandelectedtobat.

Thescorewas60whenBangarwasbowledforonly21.Acricketerwhohadmade it to the Indian team less than a year ago after doing the grind in thedomestic circuit for years andyears, theRailways all-rounder trudgedback tothepavilion,wonderingwhetherhehadblownit.Ontheotherhand,hispartnerbattedon,onandon.WhenDas fell afterninehoursof solidbatsmanship,hehadscored250, thesecond-highest individual first-class scorebyan Indianon

English soil after Polly Umrigar's 252 against CambridgeUniversity in 1959.BangaropenedwithParthivPatelinthesecondinningsandscored74.Decent,yes,butwasitasgoodas250?

TheIndianthink-tankreckonedthatitwas!TheytookcognisanceofBangar'spatienceand technique,asalsohisabilityasamedium-pacerwhocouldmovetheballaround,askill thatcouldcomeinhandyonthat track,andpickedhimfortheTestaheadofabatsmanwhohadscored250!

Thencamedecisionnumbertwo.Standingonagreenpitchundera 'loaded'sky,Souravcalledcorrectlyand toldhiscounterpart that Indiawouldbat first.On thatwicket, in thoseconditions, it seemed like thecricketingequivalentofbitingacyanidepill.

AnyotherIndianteamwouldhavepickedthemoreprolificopenerandoptedtofieldfirstinthoseconditions.NotsoSourav'sIndia.

Sehwag's dismissal with only 15 on the board set the tongues wagging.Sourav'sdecisionwasevenlikenedtotheonemadebyAzharuddinatLord'sin1990.AtHeadingleyin2002,inwalkedRahul,atastageinhiscareerwhenhisopponentswouldhaveundoubtedlyseenthetricolourflutteringproudlybehindhim.AsteelyglanceatBangarandaquickreconnaissanceofthefieldlater,hegot down to business. Deliveries pitched in the corridor of uncertainty werewatchedcloselyandeither ignoredorplayedcarefully.Theprioritywasnot togivetheoppositionanotherwicket.Deliveriesthatwereoff-line,heplacedintothegapsforsinglesandtwos.Thosepitchedshortandwhichhecouldnotmakemuchof,hetookonhisbody.Attheotherend,Bangarobserved,imbibedandemulated.Ofcourse,whentherankbadballpresenteditself,bothbatsmenmadesure that they dispatched it to the boundary.Not that therewere toomany ofthoseinthefirstsession.

MatthewHoggard,AndrewCaddick,AlexTudorandAndrewFlintoffwereenjoyingtheconditions,andeagertoexploitthemtothefullest.However,theirenjoyment declined as over followed wicketless over, with the first drinksinterval giving way to lunch and later, the first drinks interval of the secondsession. They had aimed at testing the patience of the Indian batsmenwith atightlineandhustlingthemwithdeliveriesaimedattheribcage.Buthereweretwobatsmenwhowerequitepreparedto takeafewknocksandbattleon.Thechagrinofthebowlerssoongavewaytoexasperationandconsequently,adipintheir accuracy and efficiency. Exactly what Rahul and Bangar wanted toachieve.

Thepartnershiplastedwellintothethirdsession,untilBangarnickedFlintofftoAlecStewartforthebest68inIndiancrickethistory.Thescorewas185-2.

'It was a nasty track with uneven bounce. Rahul and Sanjay Bangarbattedbrilliantlyinthefirst twosessionsandtookmanyblowsontheirbody.Buttheydidnottakeabackwardstep.Itwaspasttea,aftermorethanfourhoursofplay,whenIwent in,andthewicketwasstilldamp.Bitsofgrasswerestillcomingoffandtheballwascreatingdepressionswhenithitthepitch.Soyoucanimaginehowthewicketmusthavebeenlike in themorning.As it starteddrying, it becameevenmoreuneven.ThatwascertainlyoneofRahul'sbestinnings'–SACHINTENDULKAR

Rahul,whobythenwasseeingtheballlikeafootball,'greeted'TendulkartothecreasewithtwofoursoffaTudorover.Hehaddonethehardwork,andthetimehadcometoreaptherewardsagainstaflaggingattack.HeclippedHoggardtothesquare-legboundaryforfourtocompletehissecondTesthundredoftheseries and certainly one of his best, if not 'the' best. He was 110 not out atstumps.Ithadbeenamarvellousexhibitionofapplicationandcharacter.

The press and pundits pilloried the English bowlers for bowling short andwide and not making the Indian batsmen play enough with a 'fuller' line ofattack.Butthebowlersturnedouttobeasflatonthesecondmorningasonthefirstafternoon.Thefirst twoballsofdaytwo,bowledbyHoggard,wentdowntheleg-side,andCaddick'sfirstdeliveryofthenextoverwasajuicylooseneronthe leg-stump that Rahul directed to the mid-wicket boundary, the ball goingpast shortmid-wicket. Ravi Shastri, watching from the commentary box, wasquick to point out that most Indian batsmen would have rolled their wristsquicklyatthepointofimpacttodispatchtheballjustinfrontofsquareorevenbehindsquare(oneithersideofthesquare-legumpire).ButRahulhadbeenabletodirectitwellinfront,inthemid-wicketarea,simplybecausehehadplayeditlatewiththefullfaceofhisbat.Thiswasanindicatoroftherichformhewasin.

Thebounce remainedasunevenasever,andRahulasdiligentasever.Histechniquewasimpeccable,hispowersofconcentrationasintense.

'Rahul loves to read biographies of sports personalities, not necessarilycricketers. He has always been very interested in finding out howdifferent sports personalities prepare themselves "mentally" before bigevents.Ihavenevermetanyonesofocussed.Itisextremelydifficultto

get through to him even when he is reading a book or watchingtelevision.Ihavetosay,Ipityhiswife!'–ANDREWLEIPUS

Connoisseurs at Headingley had a lump in their throats when Rahul, afterbeingconfoundedbyashort-pitcheddeliveryfromCaddickthatkeptlow,tookafreshguardbeforefacingthenextball.Thiswhenhewaswellpastahundred!

Tendulkar,whowas looking ominous at the other end, completed his fiftywithhisninth four,hisownvariationofKapilDev's 'Nataraja'pull.Thestandhad realised 150 when Rahul was beaten by Ashley Giles' flight and smartlystumped by Stewart for a classy 148. Sourav Ganguly and Tendulkar thendemonstrated their appreciation of Rahul's batsmanship with a breathtakingattackthatatonepointyielded90runsfromonlytenovers.Souravscored128andTendulkar,whooverhauledtheDon'stallyof29Testhundreds,fellshortofadoublehundredbyonlysevenrunsinthedashforadeclaration.Indiafinishedwith628-8,and then thebowlers tookover.Englandwerebowledout for273and309,leavingIndiavictorsbyaninningsand46runs.

Everythinghadgoneaccording toplan– theearlyweatheringof thestorm,followed by a hell-for-leather stand, and then, a superb bowling and fieldingperformance,evenbythespinnerswhowereexpectedtocomeacropperonthatstrip.SanjayBangarchippedinwithtwowicketstovindicatethemanagement'sfaithinhim.

TendulkardidnotreceivetheManoftheMatchawardalthoughhehadmadethehighestindividualscoreinthematch.Aseasonortwoago,thiswouldhavebeen unthinkable. But such was the quality of Rahul's innings that it puteverythingelseintheshade.

ComingasitdidontheheelsofKolkataandKandy,Rahul's148establishedhim as India's greatest Test-winning batsman alongside Tendulkar; one of themost luminous stars in India's cricketing firmament. It was wonderfullyappropriate thatheproduced thebest inningsofhiscareer inwhatwas India'sbiggestTestwinoverseas.

Twoyearslater,hewouldmakeanothermonumentalcontributiontoanevenbiggeroverseaswin,thistimeacrosstheborder.

ThefactthattheplayershadmoreontheirmindthancricketmadetheLeedsvictory even more memorable. The ICC's commitment to deny brandingopportunitiestocompetitorsofitsofficialsponsorsduringtheforthcomingICC

Knockout(renamedtheChampionsTrophy)inSriLankaandtheWorldCupinAfrica had led to a stand-off between the parent body, the BCCI and thesuperstarsintheIndianline-up,someofwhomwereboundbycontractstothe'competitors', which had been signed long before the ICC entered into theagreementwithitssponsors.TherewaseventalkofthefrontlineIndianplayerspulling out of the tournament and the subsequentWorld Cup. A compromisewassubsequently'scratched'out.

The series, one that had featured some brilliant batting performances byplayers fromboth sides, endedwith another 'batathon' at theOval inLondon,traditionally thevenueof the lastTestof theEnglish summer.Onabatsman'sparadise, England amassed 515 withMichael Vaughan scoring 195, his thirdhundred of the series. India were 87-2 when Tendulkar, playing in his 100thTest,joinedRahulinthemiddle.Thenextthreewicketsproducedstandsof91,105,and113,astheIndiansalsomadecertainthattheywouldnotloseandthusgo home with honours even. These three partnerships had two things incommon.

ThefirstwasRahul,whoforthethirdconsecutivetimeintheEnglishseason,batted gracefully and gloriously to complete a hattrick of Test hundreds. Hisdefencewasimmaculate,hisstrokesinspirational,his'leaves'impeccable.

'IfaMartianweretolandonearthnowandbetoldthatthebestbatsmanin the world was playing in this match, he would think it was RahulDravidandnotSachinTendulkar'–CHRISTOPHERMARTIN-JENKINS,duringtheOvalTest

ThesecondwasthestrangetacticsoftheEnglishbowlers,whorepeatedtheirHeadingley blunder and kept banging it in short. The worst offender wasDominicCork,whohadostensiblybeenpickedtobowlthelengththatBangarhad bowled sowell atHeadingley.But therewas obviously a communicationgap,andnotmanyEnglishsupporterswereamused toseeCork 'testing'Rahulwith deliveries that were sailing harmlessly over the batsman's head, that tooafter thebatsmanwaspast150!Rahul let thebowler spendhimselfphysicallyandverbally,beforetakinghimapartwithtwospectacularpullsinoneover.Hethen did an encore off Tudor, driving him on the up and cutting himmagnificentlyinthesameover.Hemovedto199withastraight-drivenfouroffHoggard.

TherewaspandemomiumwhenRahulglancedHoggardforasingleandsetoff in celebratory style for his 200th run. It was the perfect finale to an

unforgettable series. He was on 217, only four short of the then highestindividual score by an Indian in a Test overseas (made by Sunil Gavaskarcoincidentallyonthesamegroundexactly23yearsago),whenhewasrunoutinamix-upwithAjayRatra.Asheambledoff toanotherstandingovation, therewerenoprizesforguessingtheclichéthatwasuppermostineverybody'sminds–thatwastheonlywayhelookedlikegettingout!

Theseriesended inastalemate,but Indian fanswerenotcomplainingafterwhattheyhadwitnessedatNottingham,LeedsandLondon.Rahul'saggregateof602wasthehighestbyanIndianinaTestseriessinceSunilGavaskar's732runsfromsixTestsagainsttheWestIndiesin1978-79.

'The four consecutive Test hundreds were amonumental achievement,andareflectionofhisdeterminationtocashinongoodformandnotgeteasily satisfied. It was a living example of what it means to have a"hungerforruns'"–SHARDAUGRA

Rahul had little time to savour his prodigious feats as the Indians travelledfromcoolandcosyEnglandtohotandhumidSriLankafortheICCChampionsTrophy.Theywereoncoursefor the titlewhenrain intervenedand the trophyhadtobesharedwiththehosts.

India'snextassignment,aTestseriesagainsttheWestIndiesathome,beganwithanunprecedentedoccurrence.Forthefirsttimesincehemadehisdebutin1989-90,thespotlightwasnotonTendulkar.Gavaskarhadscoredfourhundredsin successive Tests twice in his career, but even he hadn't done so in fourconsecutive innings.Rahulwaswithin strikingdistanceof a special landmark,andnobodywhomethimontheeveofthefirstTestatMumbailethimforgetit.

Themanwhohadbattedforover30hoursinEnglandarrivedatthewicketonthefirstdaywithIndia201-1.Bangarhaddepartedafterplayinganotherfinesupportinghand,thistimetoSehwag,wholiterally'toyed'withtheWestIndianbowling.Theswashbucklerscored147.

Indiawere278-2atstumpsandlookedheadedforthemoon.TheWestIndieshad lookeddespondenton the firstday,but theystartedday twoonapositivenotewithtwoquickstrikes,sendingbackTendulkarandSourav.ThearrivalofthestrokefulLaxmaninducedCarlHoopertogoonthedefensive.Leg-spinnerMahendraNagamattookeptpitching it into thebowler's roughoutside the leg-stumpfromround-the-wicket,andtherunsdriedup.ButRahul,whowasbatting

withtheassuranceofamaninform,andLaxmanwerequitecontenttoplaythewaitinggame,awarethatthewicketwasonlylikelytogetworseforbatting,andbetterforKumbleandHarbhajan.

AsRahulmovedclosertotherecord-books,allthosehoursinthemiddleandMumbai's October humidity started taking their toll. He had his heart in hismouthwhenhedidnot timeapulloffNagamattooaswellasheshouldhave,only for it to fall short of Chanderpaul on the mid-wicket boundary. To addinsulttoinjury,theballricochetedoffthefielder'sarmtotheboundary.

RahulregainedhispoisewithaflickedboundaryoffPedroCollins,andthenessayedacrackingpulloffNagamattoothathaddeepsquare-leganddeepmid-wicketalmostcollidingwitheachotherinvainpursuit,tobringupthe400oftheinnings.Laxmanfellatthestrokeoftea,butthecrowddidn'tnotice.

Rahul was on 98, two short of becoming only the fourth batsman in TesthistoryafterAustralian JackFingleton,SouthAfricanAlanMelville andWestIndianEvertonWeekes to score a quartet of hundreds in consecutive innings,whenheplayedDillonontheleg-sideforwhatlookedlikeaboundary.Hehadadvancedfivestepswhenheclutchedhisleftthighwithahorrificexpressiononhis face. He somehow reached the other end, turned and stopped in whatappearedtobeuncontrollableagony.Butsohadtheballintheoutfield.ParthivPatel,whohaddashedhalfwaydown thewicketaftercompleting the first run,turned to return to the striker's end after noticingRahul's discomfiture.But hechangedhismindwhenhesawhispartnergoingforthesecondrun.Rahul,whorealisedthattherewasnowayhecouldcontinuehisinningsafterthatattackofcramps, hopped and hobbled along to make his ground and enter the record-books.Hehadtobehelpedoffthefield,butheandhisteamweresatisfiedwithajobwellbegun.

'I don't think anyone has contributed to the team asmuch as he has invariedroles,andthattooconsistently.Rahul'sinnatesenseofdisciplineis reflected in his cricket. His achievementswere never highlighted. Itwasonlywhentheotherswerenotasconsistent,thathewaswrittenandspokenabout.Thefactisthathehasbeenanachieverallalong.Hewasalways therewhen the teamneededhim,scoring50s,100sand200s incrucial situations. I suppose it's a way of life, wherein the moreflamboyantpeoplearenoticedmorethanthosewhodotheirjobsilently.Another reason he hasn't got what he deserves is that the number ofpeoplewhounderstandthenuancesofthegamehasdeclined.Themedia

ispartlytoblame,fornotexplainingtothepublicthatateninado-or-diesituation is oftenmore valuable than a slam-bang hundredmadewhenthereisnopressure.Suchhasbeentheenormityofhisachievementsinrecent times that the media and consequently the public have had tosalutehim'–ANSHUMANGAEKWAD

ThespinnersfinishedofftheMumbaiTestinstyleonthefourthday,takingIndiatovictorybyaninningsand112runs.

Fortunately, there was nothing seriously wrong with Rahul, and he wasdeclaredfitforthenextTestatChennai.Ontheeveofthegamecameanotherhonour,toaddtoalltheencomiumshehadbeenbestowedwith.

His1302runsfrom16Testsand789runsfrom26one-dayinternationals,nottomentionhiscontributionbehindthewicketsinthe12monthsfrom1October2001to30September2002,madehimtheundisputedCastrolIndianCricketerof 2001-02, the second time he had won the Award after 1998-99. Rahulreceived the Award at a star-studded function in Chennai, in front of severalformer cricketers and his own teammates. An exchange between him and theMCHarshaBhogle, shortlyafterheaccepted theaward,encapsulated themanandhismindset.

Harsha: 1302 runs from 16 Tests, Kandy, Port Elizabeth, Georgetown andHeadingley.Wasthisthebestcricketofyourlife?

Rahul:Ihopenot.IhopeIcankeepgettingbetter.

Harsha:What'sthesecretofyourpatience?31hoursinEnglandanditseemsitwasn'tenough.

Rahul(sheepishly):ThesecretisthatifIneedtoscoreruns,1needtobatthatlong!IamnotSehwagorSachinwhocandoitquicker.IhavefiguredoutthatthisistheonlywayIcandoit,soIbetterdoitthisway!

Rahul'scommitment to Indiancricket issummedupby the fact thathehas been keeping wickets in ODIs because the team needs it, and notbecausehelikesitoristhebestatit'–MURALIKARTIK

'WhatshouldIndiadotowinthe2003WorldCup?'wasthesubjectofaPanelDiscussioninMumbaiinMarch2002.Thepanelcomprisedformerinternationalcricketers Ian Chappell, Sanjay Manjrekar and Yajurvindra Singh, andadvertising guru Piyush Pandey.While the cricketerswere at their diplomaticbest,Pandeywasblunt. 'Indiadoesn'thaveachance inhell!'hechortled.Notmanypeopleintheaudiencewereinclinedtodisagreewithhim.

Twelve months before the game's premier event, the Indian limited-oversoutfitwasinasorrystate.Theover-dependenceonTendulkarandGangulywassickening,thelackofconsistencydistressing.Thethink-tankwasawarethatforIndia to have any chance at all in the World Cup, the team needed to startpreparingwell inadvance.Gonewerethedaysinwhichonepreparatorycampontheeveofthetournamentwouldservethepurpose.Inanycase,India'spost-1983recordshowedthatithadn't.

Both Sourav and Wright believed that tough decisions, if they had to betaken,oughttoconcerntheseniorplayersandnotthejuniors.Theybackedtheseniors' ability to inspire the juniors by adapting to new roles andresponsibilities. Batting was the team's strength. In seniors like Tendulkar,Sehwag, Rahul, Laxman, and Ganguly himself, and youngsters like DineshMongia,YuvrajandKaif,Indiahadbatsmencapableofgettinganytotal.Itwasimperativethatasmanyofthesehadtoplaytogether.

Accordingly,two'tough'decisionsweretakenbeforetheone-dayseriesintheCaribbean in May 2002, both of them involving senior players. SachinTendulkar's job-description was changed from 'opening aggressor' to 'mid-inningsstabiliser',andRahulwasaskedtokeepwicketstoenableIndiatoplay

sevenspecialistbatsmen.

Rahulhadnotkeptwicketsincompetitivecricketforseveralyears,savetheodd one-day international. His acceptance of an unfamiliar and potentiallyhazardousresponsibilityendearedhimtohisteammatesandfans.

'Hewasnotsurewhetheritwouldworkbuthewaswillingtotrytoseeifit helped the team.When it did and the results began to show, hewasconvinced.Atnostage,andImeanthiscompletelyhonestly,atNOstagein any interaction with him did he complain about doing the extraphysicalworkorcomplainorfearthatkeepingwouldcuthiscareershortorthatitwouldtaketoomuchofatoll'–SHARDAUGRA

Someformercricketersdescribed themoveas 'unfair'.What ifhesustainedan injury thatcouldadverselyaffecthisbattingabilities, theyasked.But then,didn'tRahulalwaysseetheglassashalf-full?

'We had a discussion about his being asked to keep wickets in one-dayers. We talked about the positives and decided that he had anopportunitytojudgeeveryballfrombehindthestumps.Whenhewouldgo in to bat, all he would have to do is change his response. He wastremendouslyfocussedonthegameasitis.Ibelievekeepinghelpedhimsharpenhisbattingskills'–B.P.BAM

India's'sevenbatsmen-fourbowlers'experimentgotofftoaflyingstartwitha2-1winintheone-dayersagainsttheWestIndiesinMay2002,andimpressiveperformances in the league games of the tri-series in England in June-July.Rahul batted superbly to score three fifties, an unbeaten 82 in an abandonedgame against the hosts being his best performance. His best knock was anundefeated 73 against the home team at Lord's, where he and Yuvraj Singhsteered India to a six-wicketwinwith anundefeated standof 131.Everythingseemedhunky-doryuntil the Indians ran into roughweather,quitepredictably,inthefinal.Englandamassed325-5,andIndiawere146-5inthe24thover,withall theseniorplayersbackontheLord'sbalcony.Atenthconsecutivelossinaone-day final seemed imminent, butYuvrajSinghandMohammedKaifdidn'tthink so. They brought their team back into the match with one of the mostglorious rearguard actions in the history of the sport. Yuvraj departed after a121-runpartnership, butKaif carriedon, and the Indian contingent, players aswellasspectators,wentberserkwhenheandZaheerKhanrananoverthrowoffthethirdballofthefinalovertocompleteanincrediblewin.TheIndianplayersandsupportersdisplayedtheirjoy,theircaptainhistorso!

The reactions to that one win vividly illustrated the Indian penchant foroverreaction. The 'no-hopers' suddenly became the frontrunners for theWorldCup.While itwas true that the 'team'was looking and playing like onemoreconsistently,Tendulkarwasnolongerexpectedtostagea 'one-manshow',andthe players were fitter than ever before and fielding like never before, oneswallowdidnotmakeasummer.HistorywasalsonotonIndia'sside.Rarelyhadtheyplayedwellwhenconsidered'favourites'.

ButSeptember2002wasanexception.TheIndiansplayedlikechampionsinthethirdeditionoftheICCKnockout(reformattedandrenamedtheChampionsTrophy) inSriLanka, toprove that theirwin in the tri-serieswasnot a fluke.Therewasaminorflutterintheiropeninggamewhentheyfoundthemselves87-5againstZimbabwe,a suicidal state tobe inonabattingbelter.After the toporderhadsuccumbedtosomecavalierstrokes,itfellonthe'stayers'tosteertheirteamoutoftrouble.MohammedKaif,inhisfirstinternationaloutingafterthe87in the tri-series final at Lord's, scored an unbeaten 111 and Rahul lent ablesupportwith71.TheytookIndiato288-6,andnotevenahundredbyIndia's'oldfriend'AndyFlowercouldwinthematchforZimbabwe.

Sehwag annihilated England in the next league game with 126 from 104balls,andSouravhelpedhimselftoanunbeaten117.Thisone-sidedaffairwasfollowedbya'GreatEscape'inthesemifinalagainstSouthAfrica.TheProteas

had virtually pocketed the game, needing only 68 more with nine wickets inhandandplentyofdeliveriestospare,whencenturionHerschelleGibbsretiredhurtwithcramps.AremarkableturnaroundensuedwiththeIndians, 'off-break'bowler Sehwag in particular, choking up the runs, aided by some incrediblecatching.

The tournamenthada 'watery'climax,notoncebut twice.SriLankabattedfirstandscoredanobtainable244-5inthefinal.Indiawere14fornolosswhenrainsdampened theproceedings.Thematchwas 'replayed' thenextdayasperICCrules.Unfortunately,therain-godsenteredtheschemeofthingsonceagain,when the Indianswere38-1 in response toSriLanka's222-7.The trophywasshared.

The'all-rounder'essaysanunusualrole

Rahulwas competent behind the stumpswithout being spectacular, andhisteammatesweren'tcomplaining.Thesupport-staffwasonthejobaswell:

'The responsibilityofwicketkeepingmeant thathehad todoadditionalworkon the lower back andhamstrings.But then, hewas so fit in thefirst place that it was merely a case of conditioning himself to thedemandsofkeeping.Hisfitnessenabledhimtoadaptquickly'–ANDREWLEIPUS

JermaineLawson, thepaceman fromJamaica, ensured thathis fellowWestIndian EvertonWeekes remained the only batsman to score five consecutiveTesthundreds,bydismissingRahulforonly11inthefirstinningsofthesecondTestofthe2002-03seriesatChennai.ButIndiawontheTestbyeightwicketsto

taketheseries.TheWestIndiesthenstagedacomebackofsortsinthethirdTestatKolkata by reducing India to 87-4 in the second essay, after taking a first-inningsleadof139.ButTendulkar(176)andLaxman(154)ensuredadraw.

Invigoratedby theirperformanceatKolkata, theWestIndianscamehardatthehostsinaridiculousseven-matchone-dayseries.Fortunatelyfortheplayers,sixof thegameswerescheduled in theadjacentstatesofMaharashtra,Gujaratand Rajasthan. This meant that the travelling time was relatively less. Thevisitorswon the first twogames,bothofwhichweremarredby thehurlingofrubbish on the ground. The spectators at Rajkot, venue of the third game,embarrassed thenation further,and thegamewasabandonedwhen Indiawere200-1 in 27.1 overs, chasing a target of 301. It was later reported that theinterruptionwas initiated by bookieswho had taken bets on India losing, andwere driven to their wits' end when Sourav and Sehwag started belting thebowling.Much to their consternation, theDuckworth-Lewis calculationswereinvokedandthegameawardedtoIndia!

India drew the serieswith a grand five-wicketwin atAhmedabad, inwhatwasthefirstcrowdincident-free(ironicinthelightofwhathadhappenedinthecityearlierthatyear)matchoftheseries.TheWestIndiesscored324-4,buttheycameupagainstanoppositionthathadsuccessfullychasedasimilartargetafewmonthspreviously. India's heroes this timewereSanjayBangar,who lashed a41-ball57,andRahul,bynowverymuchathomeintheshortervarietywithasplendidunbeaten109.Indiawonwith14deliveriestospare.

TheWestIndieswonthenextgame,anotherhigh-scoringaffairinwhichthebowlers were battered on a belter. Retribution from the bowlers was longoverdue,anditcameinthesixthfixtureatJodhpur,wheretheWestIndieswerebowled out for 201, and the Indians crawled to a three-wicketwin.Rahul ledIndia in that game and the series-decider in Sourav's absence. It was the firsttime he was combining the roles of captain and wicketkeeper, and he copedprettywell.His58setup thesuccessfulchase thatenabledIndia tosquare theseries.ThedecideratVijayawadawasbathetic,withtheIndianscomingunstuckagainst Jermaine Lawson. His dismissals of Sehwag, Mongia, Laxman andRahulderailedIndia'spursuitofanimposing316,andnotevenarun-a-ball68byYuvrajcouldsalvagethesituation.Thedefeatwashugelydisappointing,butworsewastofollow.

Twoweeksafterthatcalamitousone-dayer,theIndianTestopenersSehwagandBangarfoundthemselvesstandingonadampwicketembellishedwithdeephuesofgreen,inbitterlycoldandwindyWellington.TothenakedIndianeye,it

didnotlooklikethebestwicketonwhichtoplayafive-dayTest,thefirstoftwothat India were scheduled to play in Kiwiland. Of course, it was not that theIndianbatsmencouldnothandlesuchwickets.ThememoriesofLeedswerestillfresh.

Sehwag had scored only twowhenDarrylTuffey bowled him 'through thegate'. Thismeant that the first-day heroes of Leedswere back together in thetrench.

Rahul beganwith a fluently driven two off the first ball he received fromKiwi spearhead Shane Bond, and then leaned into a half-volley by the samebowlertocaressitthroughthecoversforfour.Bond,wholikeTuffeyhadbeenmiserly and menacing, then delivered one that reared from short of a length.Rahulcounteredbyextendinghishandstotakehisglovesasfarawayfromtheadvancingballaspossible.Hethenallowedtheballtohithisupperleftarm.Abatsmanwhohad copped a fair amount of such deliveries in his playing dayswas impressed. 'On a pitch like this, you have got to be prepared to take theblows and value your wicket. That's exactly what Rahul is doing,' SunilGavaskarsurmisedfromthecommentarybox.

Thencameamajorsetback.Bangarwasdeclaredoutcaughtwhenarising,incomingdeliveryfromTuffeyhithimonwhatlookedlikethearm-guard,andwenttoScottStyrisintheslips.Indiawere9-2,andinthesoup.

Rahul's concentration, defence, judgement outside the off-stump andfootworkwere a joy to behold.He played two stunning strokes offBond, thefirstaraspingsquare-driveandthenacommandingsquare-cut.Tendulkartoohittwo boundaries before offering no shot to debutant Jacob Oram and findinghimselfplumbinfront.Souravstarteddiffidently,butgainedinconfidencewitheverydelivery.Justwhenhelookedtohavegainedthemeasureofthebowling,henickedBondandLouVincentsnappedupabeautyatfourthslip.Indiawere51-4atlunchandrapidlyrunningoutofwickets.

Rahul's post-lunch objective was to make the average balls count. Thebowlerswerehavingafieldday,supportedbyanaggressivefield,butasalways,the flip-side of this was that there were many gaps. He lost Laxman almostimmediatelytoarisingdeliveryfromBondtowhichthelattershoulderedarmsandgotanedge.ButParthivPatelstoodfirmatoneendasRahulkeptwatchattheother,hiseyes,handsandfeetinreadinesstoseizeonanyerrorthebowlermightcommit.WhenTuffeygavehimwidthoutside theoff-stick,heexecutedanimperioussquare-cutthatrocketedpastthetwogulliesforfour.TufFeywas

flustered enough to bowl one onRahul's pads, one of the very few deliveriesbowledthatdayontheleg-stumpline,andRahulflickeditforaneasytwo.

AfterthwartingTuffey,RahulsethissightsonBondandOram.Bothwerehitfor twofourseach.Oram, takenabackby thecounterattack,servedararefull-toss that was cover-driven to the boundary. It was becoming increasinglyobviousthat itwasn'tasbadapitchaswasbeingmadeouttobe.Application,determinationandabigheartwouldenableabatsman tocome through.Rahulpossessedallthreeattributes.

He completed one of the most satisfying fifties of his career with an'uppercut'offTuffey,theballgoingovertheslips'headsforfour.Bythen,hehadlostPatel,whogaveVincenthissecondcatchoftheinnings.

Agarkarcameinat92-6andcapitalisedonStephenFleming'sdecisiontoresthis main bowlers. He attacked change bowler Nathan Astle, but fell to ScottStyris, theother 'military-medium'pacer in theNewZealandside,whenaballrose higher than he expected, took the outside edge, andwent toAstle in theslips.Thescore118-7turnedto118-8oneballlater,whenHarbhajanSinghforreasonsunexplaineddecidedto'hook'Styris,andCraigMcMillantookadivingcatchinthedeep.ZaheerwasclearlyuncomfortableandverynearlycaughtbyVincent on the hattrick-ball, but he hung on till the tea-break, at which pointRahulwason64andIndia126-8.

Rahulbeganthe thirdsessionwithagloriouspulloffBondforfour. Itwaswonderfulbatsmanship;hisbat comingdownonto the shortball andhisbodyswivellingashestrucktheball,hiseyesrivetedonthecherrytilltheveryend.HethentookanotherboundaryoffBond,thistimewithacutshotthatsenttheball flying past the cover-fielder's right. He was looking impregnable, whentherewasararelapseinconcentrationagainstStyris.Adeliveryjabbedbackandsomehowcreptthroughthegatetocastlehim.Rahulwasunderstandablycrosswithhimself,butthewayhehadbatted,itwouldbesafetosaythathadoneofthe frontlinebowlersbowled thatdelivery,hewouldhavenegotiated it safely.Hehadloweredhisguardaweebitagainstachangebowler,andpaidtheprice.

Rahul's76wasaclassic,onethathehimselfandthosewhowatcheditwillrememberforalongtime.Unfortunately,likeTendulkar's136atChennai,itwasplayedinalosingcause.

Rahul's innings and two hundreds byVirender Sehwag in the seven-matchone-dayseries,werethebattinghighlightsforIndiaonwhatturnedouttobeoneofitsmostdisastroustoursofalltime.India'sscoresintheTestsandone-dayers

speakfor themselves-161,121,99,154,108,219,108,122,169-8,200-9and122.

TheKiwisdidnotset thescorebooksalighteither.They flounderedagainstsomeincisivebowling,withZaheerKhanbagginghisfirsttwofive-wickethaulsinTestcricket.Buttheywerejustalittlebetter,andpassedwithgracemarksincomparison to the Indianswho failedmiserably.The secondTest atAucklandwitnessed the first instance of both teams being bowled out for double-digitscoresinthefirstinnings:Indiamade99,andNewZealand94.Thehometeam,however,battedalotbetterinthesecondinningstowinbyfourwickets.

A0-2lossintheTestsand2-5intheone-dayersonterriblyhostilewicketswas not what the doctor had ordered on the eve of the World Cup. Butexpectationsremainedsky-highandthemediaonceagainwentoverboardwithall the hype, overlooking the fact that the Indians did not have a particularlyimpressiverecordinSouthAfrica.

As vice-captain, first-choice keeper and key member of the middle-order,Rahulwasbynowanintegralcomponentofthelimited-oversside.Buthewastakingnothingforgranted.

'Hemaintainedhis"first-to-arrive-last-to-leave"attitudetowardspracticein the lead-up to the World Cup. I remember watching him practiseagainst a bowling machine at the indoor nets at the Chinnaswamystadium in Bangalore, with a bat just two-and-a-half incheswide. Themachine had been programmed to deliver balls that landed short of alengthjustoutsidetheoff-stump,whichiswherebowlersaimtobowlinone-dayers to stifle the scoring. Rahul was rising and patting thesedeliveriesdowninfrontofsquareontheoff-side.Theideawastoplaytheminanunmannedregionofthefieldandstealasingle.Thethinkingobviouslywas,"IfIcanmiddletheballwiththisnarrowbat,thenIcanmiddleanything".Hepractisedthisdrop-shotforhoursandhours'–CHARUSHARMA

FanswerestunnedwhentheIndianteamlostapracticematchagainstalocalside before the tournament got underway, and saddenedwhen the teambatteddiffidently in the opening game against minnows Holland. When Australiatrounced India in the second game of the competition, all hell broke loose.Effigiesofthecricketerswereburntandthehousesofsomecricketerssmearedwithblackpaint,inwhatwerebizarreandchildishreactions.FromSouthAfrica,the captain, vice-captain and senior players appealed for understanding and

patience.

While it would be unwise to attribute the subsequent turnaround to theoutburstsbackhome,therewasnodoubtthattheyhadaunifyingeffectontheteam. Indiawon its next eightmatches on the trot. Barring one game againstNamibia,therestofthewinswereachievedagainsttop-qualityopposition,first-time semifinalists Kenya included. A team that did what the West Indies,Pakistan,SouthAfricaandEnglandcouldn't,cannotbecalleda'minnow'.

'Indiahavealwaysbeenapotentiallydangerousforceinworldcricket,asthey have had somewonderful playerswith bat and ball. Itwas just amatter of time before they were able to combine all those individualtalents into a powerful team. I suppose when you are playing in theWorldCup, the team'sobjectivesare firstand foremost inyourmind–thismightnotalwaysbethecaseinaTestorODIseries'–JONTYRHODES

Success, they say, has many fathers. In this case, all the fathers werelegitimate.TherewasSandyGordon,theSportsPsychologist,whohadsessionswith the players and conceived the 'huddle' that became synonymouswith theteam.TherewereWright,LeipusandAdrianLeRoux(appointedTrainerayearbefore), who maintained a tight vigil on fitness, technical and physical. Theplayers themselveswere passionate and obsessedwithwinning. Sourav battedexcellently when the chips were down and captained splendidly, to lendcredence to the steadily growing perception that he was India's finest captainever.YuvrajandKaiffiredwiththebatandinthefield.Rahulwascompactinfrontofthewickets,rotatedthestrike(andran)superblybetween,and'handled'thingsprettywellbehind.ItalsohelpedthatTendulkarwasbattinglikeamanonamission.Atthebeginningofthetournament,hehadangeredmanypunditsbydemandingandgettingback theopeningslot.All thosewhopointed to India'soutstandinglimited-oversrecordsincehisshifttothemiddle-orderinmid-2002weresilencedbyasuccessionofblisteringknocks,thebestofwhichwashis98off75ballsagainstPakistanatCenturion.HisbluntingofShoaibAkhtarmadethe headlines, but in all fairness to the bowler, he wasn't singled out. EveryPakistaniwhobowledthatday-AbdulRazzaq,ShahidAfridiandthetwo'W's–wasbrutalisedbythe'Bombaybomber'.

The atmosphere was electric when Tendulkar fell to Shoaib with 97 stillneededfrom134balls.MemoriesofChennai1999 loomedlarge.Could itendagain in tears?Rahul,whowasat thenon-striker'send,sawYuvrajSingh, the

new batsman who was playing his first match against Pakistan, take guardagainst the Rawalpindi Express. The youngster negotiated the first ball. Thesecond, he clipped to the mid-wicket boundary. That one shot settled Indiannerves. Waqar Younis, the Pakistani captain, then tested Rahul with histrademark yorker, only to see the batsman fluently leg-glance it for four. ThebreathtakingstartprovidedbyTendulkarhadensuredthatthemiddle-orderdidnot need to do anything silly, andRahul andYuvrajwere equal to the 'stroll'.Thestrollendedinthe46thover,withRahulpullingWaqarforfourtocompletethewin.

Rahul'sunbeaten44againstPakistanwasoneofhismanycrucialinningsinthe tournament. His 62 against England was instrumental in India reaching acompetitiveandeventuallymatch-winning250-9afterstruggling in themiddleovers.Anunbeaten53inthe'SuperSix'gameagainstNewZealandtookIndiatoa seven-wicketwin and avenged the humiliating losses against the same teamnotverylongago.Healsoemergedasthethird-mostsuccessfulwicketkeeperofthe tournamentwith16dismissals,behind 'specialists' likeAdamGilchristandKumar Sangakkara. His champagne moment as keeper was a brilliant one-handed catch to dismiss the dangerous Razzaq in that crunch affair againstPakistan.

ButitwasthebowlingthatmadethebiggestdifferencetoIndia'scampaign.Indianbatsmenhaddonewell in theWorldCupbefore (1999) andTendulkarhad scored over 500 runs in aWorldCup before (1996), but the bowlers hadlaggedbehind.2003wasdifferent.ZaheerKhan,AshishNehraandtheveteranJavagal Srinath, who had come back from retirement for one last dash anddance,werequick,accurateandhostile.Zaheerscalped18wickets,Srinath16andNehra15,whichincludedasensational6-23againstEngland.

Rahulimprovisesinthe2003WorldCupencounteragainstEngland

Pre-match talk on the eve of the final between the two best teams of thecompetition revolved around one of the game's enduring cliches - the law ofaverages.AllthosewhodidnotwantAustraliatoretainthetitleclaimedthatthelawwasboundtocatchupwiththem,fortheyhadwontenmatchesonthetrotafterall.Unfortunatelyforthepundits,thelawchosetostriketheteamthathadwon eight games on the trot. Put in to bat,Australia smashed 359-2 and thendismissedIndiafor234.Tendulkar,whofellinthefirstovertoMcGrath,wouldhave gladly traded the 673 runs that won him the Player of the TournamentAward for a match-winning innings in the final. Sehwag, who had had anordinary tournament by his standards, kept Indian fans interested with someblazingstrokesbeforehewasrunoutfor82outofatotalof147.Rahulhelpedhimadd88forthefourthwicket.Thescorewas187whenRahulinside-edgedAndy Bichel onto the stumps for 47. The Indian innings died a frantic deaththereafter.

With theWorldCup ended an eventful andmemorable year forRahul andIndiancricket.Barriershadbeenbrokenandnewheights scaled.Theyhadallbutscaledthesummitofworldcricketandfalteredonlyatthefinalstep.Stifferchallengeslurkedonthehorizon.But'TeamIndia'wasreadyforthem.

'Rahul has got better and better over the years.His record inAustraliahad not been that good, but in 2003-04, he dominated their bowlers atwill.ThelastbatsmantodothatwasVivRichards'–MUDASSARNAZAR

Rahul began the most important 'partnership' of his life after theWorld Cupwhen he tied the knot with family friend Dr Vijeeta Pendharkar. The couplespentthefirstfewweeksoftheirmarriageintheUK,whereRahulrepresentedScotlandintheseconddivisionofthelimited-oversNationalCricketLeagueandaveragedanoutstanding66fromelevenmatches,inwhatwasanunusuallylongoff-seasonfortheIndianteam.HereturnedhomeontheeveofIndiancricket'stoughestseasonsince1999-2000.IndiaweretohostacompetitiveNewZealandoutfitandthentourAustraliaforafour-Testseries.TheseasonwasscheduledtoendwithavisittoPakistan.

RahulandVijeetaontheirweddingday,4May2003

In abid toprovidemuch-neededmatch-practice to its frontlineplayers, theBCCI scheduled the Challenger Trophy and Irani Trophy before the Kiwisarrived in late September. Rahul led India B in the Challenger and scored amatch-winning 107 in the league game against the Seniors. He then took amatch-winning 121 off theMumbai bowlers for theRest of India in the IraniTrophy fixture.V.V.S.Laxman,whohad a point or two to prove after beingdroppedfromtheWorldCupsquad,scoredascintillating99andhelpedRahuladd168forthefourthwicket.ItwasSachinTendulkar'sfirstfirst-classdefeatasMumbai captain since 1993-94, a first in a season of many firsts for Indiancricket.

Therewaswidespreadspeculationthat theKiwiswouldbemadetoplayonslow, low and turning dust-bowls in the two-Test series, as revenge for thegreentopstheyhadpreparedayearpreviously.Indeed,StephenFlemingandhismenhadtakennochancesandtrainedhardonsuchstripsbeforeflyingtoIndia.SouravwonthetossinthefirstTestatAhmedabad,battedanddeclaredat500-5immediatelyaftercompletingafinehundred.FifthoutwasRahulforasplendid222,histhirddoublehundredinTestcricket.Onasurfacethatwasinducingtheballtomakethebatwaitalittlelongerthanusualfortheinevitablecollision,hewaspreparedtoplaythewaitinggame,andhediditquitewell.

ThesecondinningsshowcasedanotherfacetofRahul'sbatsmanship.India'sonly hope ofwinningwas to go for the runs and declare after theKiwis hadscored340.Rahulscoredanenterprising73fromonly86balls,propelling theball all around the ground with aplomb. Sourav declared 369 ahead, but theKiwisbatteddoggedlytosavethegame.

ThevisitorsexcelledthemselvesonafeatherbedatMohalibybattingtillthethird morning of the second Test to score 630. Notwithstanding centuries bySehwagandLaxman, the Indianbattingwasas toothlessas thebowling.Theywere asked to follow-on 204 runs behind, and were a disastrous 18-3 whenLaxmanandAkashChopraputdowntheshutters.AlthoughRahulmadeonly13and5,itwasasignificantgameforhim.SouravhadoptedoutduetoanabscessinhisleftthighandRahulthusbecameIndia's28thofficialTestskipper.Whilehisdebutascaptainwasn'texactlymemorable,Rahulmadeahuge impressiononaplayer,India'snewest'opening'hope,whomadehisdebutintheseries.

'Wewere30-3atlunchonthefinalday.Rahulmademerealisethatthereare times when a match-saving innings can be as crucial as a match-winningone.Thiswasonesuch.Hetoldme,"Iknowyouarecapableofbatting the whole day. So go out and have a great day". That reallypumpedmeup'–AKASHCHOPRA

The groundstaff at Ahmedabad andMohali were criticised for not makingpitches that assisted the Indian spinners enough, but the Indian players couldhavecertainlyperformedbetter.Theywerenodifferent in the tri-series,wherethey pipped New Zealand to the final, but let themselves down in the finalagainstAustralia,failingtoachieveamodesttargetof236.Thedefeatwashardtodigest,particularlyastheIndianshadblitzedtheKiwisfor353runsinthelastleagueclashjustthreedayspreviously.SehwagandTendulkargothundredsinthatgame,butRahulstoletheshow.

He drove, cut, glided and ran to a 50 off only 22 balls, an incredibleexhibitionofbatsmanshipintheso-called'slog'overs.EighteenyearsafterIndiahaddisplayedin theWorldChampionshipofCricket inAustralia thatspinnerswere capable of winning one-day internationals, an Indian had proved that abatting traditionalist could be as lethal in one-day cricket as the 'rebels' whoheavedandhoickedtoglory.

'Rahul is a natural strokemaker with tremendous timing.Whenever hehasplayedhisstrokes,hehassucceededandlookedincontrol.IbelievehecanbeasdestructiveasSachinorSehwag'

–SANDEEPPATIL

During the tri-series, Rahul won the Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Yearaward for the second time in succession. He brought the house down in hisacceptance speech at the function in Bangalore by thanking the bowlers for'understanding' that thekeeperwasnotgoing tobeable to 'collect' everything.Thereferencewastohisprolongedstintasone-daykeeper,necessitatedbythefactthatthethink-tankstilldistrustedthebattingcapabilitiesofotherspecialistwicketkeepers.Consequently,theyhadoptedtoextendwhatwasmeanttobeastop-gapsolutiontillthe2003WorldCup,wellbeyondthattournament.

Butagreaterchallengewasaroundthecorner.Rahulwasdeterminednottorepeat the mistakes, technical and mental, he had committed in Australia in1999-2000.

'Rahulisamasteratvisualisationandself-talk.Self-talkisanargumentwithyourself,whereinyouareliketwolawyersfightingacaseincourtand the judge as well. The defence lawyer within you has to build astrong enough case thatwill prompt the judgewithin you to declare a"verdict" in your favour. Remembering past events, anticipating likelyhappeningsinthefutureandimaginingthingsareallpartoftheprocessofvisualisation.Thisprocessyouhavetotakechargeofandcontrolbyregularpractice.Youshouldreplenishyourmemorybyrememberingthecorrect action and build up a muscle memory. Your responses thenbecome natural. The bat then starts meeting the ball in the desiredmanner.Ifyouhavemadeacertainmistakeinthepast,youshouldtrytoimaginehowyouwouldhavefaredhadyounotcommittedthatmistake.Ifyoudothisconstructively,youwill remember theoneinstancewhenyou did not make that mistake and forget the several other instanceswhenyoumadethatmistake.Visualisingthefuture isnoteasy.Itboilsdowntostrengtheningyourcommitment,focusandresponsetosignals.Abatsmanplayingattheinternationallevelmaybeunderpressureduetoafailureinthepreviousmatchorseries.Heknowshisopponentsandthevenueofthenextgame.Heshouldimagineandvisualisethemannerinwhich hewants to perform there.Thiswill enable him to cultivate therightresponsestothesignalshewillbefacingatthevenue'–B.P.BAM

Memories of 1999-2000were still fresh, and Indian cynicswere talking intermsofcelebratingiftheirsidemanagedtotaketheTestsintothefourthorfifth

dayagainsttheworld'spremierteam,whichtheyknewwouldgoflatouttogiveavictoriousfarewelltoSteveWaugh,alreadythemostsuccessfulcaptaininTesthistory.ThosewhopredictedatleastoneIndianwinwerescoffedat,andthatisputtingitmildly.

AstatementbySouravGangulyunderscored thegravityof the tour: 'At theendofthisseries,wewillknowhowgoodwereallyare'.

Thecaptainledfromthefrontwitharousing144thathelpedhisteamtakeafirst-innings leadof86 in the rain-hit firstTest atBrisbane.Australia finishedthe first day at a commanding 262-2. The Indians, headed by Zaheer Khan,struckbackonthesecondmorningtoterminatetheinningsfor323.TheAussiesthenreducedIndiato62-3withbothRahulandTendulkarbackinthepavilion,the latter to a doubtful leg-before decision. Sourav then came to the rescue.RahulhadscoredonlyonewhenhenickedagemofadeliverybyGillespiethatlefthimlate,toHaydenatslip.Itwasnotanauspiciousbeginning,buthewasdeterminedtobepositive.

'Thebest thingaboutRahul ishisequanimity.Havingplayedwithhimfora long timeandhaving seenhimprepare for everymatch the sameway,beitaleaguematchinChennaioraTest,Idon'tthinkhewastooworked up about his previous underperformance in Australia. Hepreparedthewayhealwaysdid'–MURALIKARTIK

Waugh declared in the final session of the last day and set India anunreachable199from23overs.SehwagandChoprafellwithonlyfourrunsonthe board, but Rahul and Laxman restored sanity. Laxman, sent in ahead ofTendulkarafterhisbrilliantfirst-innings75,remainedunbeatenwith24,butthestaroftheinningswasRahul.Hescored43offonly47balls,repletewithsomesparklingstrokes,beforeWaughcalledahalt.

'Watching the match, and the manner in which it unfolded, I had theopinionthatthiswaslikelytobeaturningpoint'–RICHIEBENAUD

Justin Langer and Simon Katich displayed their disregard for the IndianbowlersonthefirstdayofthesecondTestatAdelaide.ToweringoverthemwasRicky Ponting, who scored a pugnacious 242. The first day yielded anastonishing 400 runs. But the Indians refused to wilt. Anil Rumble's

perseverancewasrewardedwithfivewickets.Thehostsendedwith556runs.

Sehwaggotgoingincharacteristicstyle,andChopralenthimcompanyinastand of 66, fivemore than their first-innings association atBrisbane.But theAussies bounced back with a bang. Bichel dealt a triple blow, sending backChopra (caught-and-bowled), Sehwag (caught at slip) and Tendulkar (caughtbehind) in quick succession.Therewas another setbackwhenSouravwas runout. He pushed Gillespie for a comfortable single to long-off, turned for asecond,andwassentbackbyhispartner.Forachange,heandnotRahulhadfailedtomakethecreasewhentheywerebattingtogether!Thescore:85-4.ThatbroughtLaxmantothemiddle.

Rahulessayedanexquisiteback-footdrive inGillespie'snextover, theballrocketingtothefence.Tenrunslater,hepulledBichelhardandwell,andthenexecutedanelegantstraight-drivetobringupthehundredoftheinnings.Hewasclearlysightingtheballwell.Attheotherend,LaxmandroveGillespiethroughthe covers in amanner that commentatorGregChappell described as 'languidandimperious'.Onewordthatcametothewatchers'minds,butwhichChappelldid not use, was 'ominous'. He completed his fifty, and India were 180-4 atstumpsondaytwo.Thetwobatsmenknewthatitwasimportantforthemtobataslongaspossible,fortherewasstillalotoftimeleftinthegame.

'Therewasnotmuchtodiscuss.Wewerefourdownandthepressurewasonus.Wewantedtohangintherewithoutthinkingtoomuchaboutotherfactors,andplayeachballonmerit'-V.V.S.LAXMAN

Earlyonthethirdday,RahultookasingleoffaMacGillfull-tosstocompletehis first Test fifty in Australia. This was shortly after he and Laxman hadregisteredtheirsixthcenturystandinTestcricket.

Rahul carried on. A flowing cover-drive off Bichel disturbed a flock ofseagulls thathadgathered towatch.Rahul followed itwitha flickoff the firstdeliveryofBichel'snextovertoenterthenineties.Hehadadvancedto98whenGillespietestedhimwithawell-directedbouncer.Rahulsawitearly,andwentforthehook.Theballdidnotcomeoffthemiddle,butitwashitwellenoughtoclear the square-leg fence. It was a marvellous way in which to complete ahundred. Laxman completed his own hundred three overs later, and SteveWaugh found himself being subjected to a memory-test by Indian spectatorsfromacrosstheboundary:'RememberKolkata?'.

Not that the spectators needed to ask. As at Kolkata, Rahul was aconnoisseur's delight with his flawless defence, aggressive but conventionalstroke-playandnimblefootwork,whileLaxmanwastheelegantassassin.

'The Australians have the habit of forcing batsmen into making amistake. ButRahul did notmake a singlemistake during that innings.Theywereforcinghim,buthewasinnomoodtooblige!'-AKASHCHOPRA

LikeLaxman,RahulwassevereonMacGill,demoralisinghimwithaseriesof emphatic cover-drives. The bowler tried changing his angle and bowlingaroundthewicket,butinvain.Gillespie,BichelandBradWilliamsbowledtheirheartsout,buttonoavail.

Inabizarrecoincidence,Laxmancover-drovehis281stballoftheinningstotheboundarytocompletehissecond300-pluspartnershipwithRahulinaTest.ButtheverynextballtooktheoutsideedgeofhisbatandfinishedinGilchrist'sgloves.Hehadscored148.Rahulcarriedon,helpedbyabrightknockbyPatel.He was unbeaten on 199 at stumps, and applauded all the way back to thepavilionbyhisopponents.

'ThiswasmyfavouriteRahulinnings'-VIRENDERSEHWAG

Rahulwasaskedthateveningwhathethoughtabouttheknock.'Askmeafterthematch,'hereplied.

MacGill,whohaddoneaSantaClausondaythreewithseveral'gifts'intheform of ordinary deliveries, began proceedings on the fourth day in the samevein, with a long-hop outside the off-stump. Rahul stroked it to the cover-boundarytocompleteamagnificentdoublehundred.Thetail-endershelpedhimtake the score to 523, 33 short of theAustralian total, before hewas last out,caughtoffatop-edgedhookoffGillespie.Thestrokewassimilartotheonethathadgothimhishundredthedaybefore,onlythisonehadgatheredmoreheightthandistance.

Rahul returned to a standing ovationwith 233 runs under his belt.He hadbattedforexactlytenhours.Butthebattlewasfarfromover.

'Australianswere amused to learn thatRahul is knownas "Jammy". IntheAustralianvernacular,"Jammy"impliesluckbut,ofcourse,therewas

nothingluckyorchancyaboutRahul'swonderfulredemptioninningsinAdelaide. Itwon him admirers galore and lifted a considerable burdenfromhisshoulders'–MIKECOWARD

TheeventsthatfolloweddideveryIndianproud.Inspiredbytheindividual,the team took centrestage. Not that Rahul was amere observer. Ajit AgarkartormentedLangerwithaprobinglineandfinallyhadhimleg-before.PontingcutAgarkarintoChopra'shandsatgully,andSehwagpulledoffasensationalcatchinthecoverstodismissHaydenoffNehra.At44-3,Australiawereontheedgeof the precipice. Martyn and Waugh added 65 before both fell in quicksuccession to the Rahul-Tendulkar combination. Both nicked leg-breaks toRahulatslip;hisone-handedcatchthatdismissedMartyn,oneofthebestevertakenbyanIndian.Gilchristsurvivedastumpingopportunityandwentforhisstrokes,buthewasbeatenandbowledbyKumblebehindhislegs.AgarkarthenblewawayKatichand the tail. Indiahadeightoversand thewholeof the lastday in which tomake 230 and achieve their first Test win in Australia since1981.

TheIndianbowlingandfieldingwaspraised,aswasSourav'scaptaincy,butsome pundits interestingly attributed Australia's desperate state to the'Boomerang Effect'. By scoring 556 runs in the first innings in less than fivesessions,hadtheyinadvertentlygiventheiropponentsmoretimetogetbackintothegame?

Rahulwasback in themiddleon the fifthmorning afterChoprahad fallenleg-beforetoGillespie.TheAustralians,notusedtobeinginapositionlikethis,were expected to fire away on all cylinders. Indeed, many Indian supporterswerestillpessimistic.

Achartdividedinto23'blocks'adornedtheIndiandressing-roomwall.Witheverytenruns,oneblockwouldbechoppedoff.

Rahul got off the mark with an on-drive off Gillespie that beat a divingMacGill and fetched him two. He looked in control as he caressedWilliamsthroughthetiniestofgapsbetweentwomeninthecover-region.

'He reacted towhat thebowlerbowledand trustedhis ability todo therest. Itwas thiscontrol thathadenabledhimtoanglehisbatandplacetheballwherehewantedittogo'-GREGCHAPPELL(onTV)

Williamsretaliated inhisnextoverwithadelivery thatpitchedona lengthandmovedaway,drawingRahuloutandtakingtheoutsideedge.ButGilchristspiltaregulationcatch.FortunewasonRahul'sandIndia'sside.

Sehwagfellat79whenhesteppedouttoMacGilltoattemptanotherbigshotafterplayingoneinthesameover,andmissedforGilchristtocompleteaneasystumping.Tendulkardisplayedhispositiveintentby 'back-driving'MacGillforfour,andRahulwassolidattheotherend.Theduodisplayedcomposureandawillingness to capitalise on the bad balls. They had added 64 when Rahulessayedthestrokeoftheinnings,aspankingsquare-cutoffaWilliamsdeliverythat to the laymanseemeda little tooclose tobecut.Hewasonsong,but theAussieswerenotgoingtogiveup.Theytargetedtheotherend.

MacGill of all bowlers got the breakthrough, deceiving Tendulkar andtrapping him leg-before. Sourav had scored only 12 when Katich brilliantlycaught him in the slip-cordon offBichel. India needed only 60morewith sixwickets in hand, but even the most fanatical Indian supporter would haveconceded that thematchwasdelicatelypoised.But then,MacGill repeatedhisSantaClausact,andLaxmanandRahulhadnohasslesdispatchingadeliciousassortmentoffull-tossesandlong-hopstothefence.Laxmanfellwithonlynineneeded.PatelhelpedRahultaketheteamtothethreshold,beforeperishingtoanextravagantsweep.Bythistime,thescoreswerelevel,theIndianplayersreadywiththeirhandy-camsandSouravdownatthegate,waitingtogreethisdeputy.

The champagne moment came with another MacGill long-hop. Rahulsmashed it past cover, roared and kissed the India crest on his cap. For threedays,hehadkepthisemotionsandwordsincheck,awarethatallhiseffortsinthe first inningswouldamount tonothing if theultimategoal–Victory–wasnotachieved.Thathe 'redeemed'himselfonAustraliansoil in theprocesswasincidental.

ItwasaptthatRahul'spartnerwasAjitAgarkar,themuch-maligned'BombayDuck'oftheprevioustour,whohadsetupthetriumphwith6-41inthesecondinnings.AmongthefirsttocongratulateRahulwashisidolWaugh,whohandedhim theballasa souvenir.The Indiansupporterscelebratedwildly,and in thecommentarybox,thelastIndiancaptaintowinaTestinAustraliastruggledtotacklethelumpinhisthroat.SunilGavaskarwasn'ttheonlypersonwhohadgotemotional.AsdelightedastheIndiancricketersandcricket-loverswassomeonewhosehometownwasAdelaide–AndrewLeipus.

Itwasobvious thatonlyanextraordinaryperformancewouldbeatAustralia

intheirbackyard.Rahul'sperformance–233and72*–wasoneofthegreatest.He could not have chosen a better venue to book his ticket to cricketingimmortality–Adelaide,theDon'sownterritory.RaviShastrispokeforanentirenationwhenhedeclaredthatRahulwasIndia's'fourthIndianbattinggreatafterGavaskar,ViswanathandTendulkar'.

'You are remembered for hitting the target, not for aiming at it. Rahulwas never a finisher earlier, but he is one now. He has harnessed histalent brilliantly and turned obstacles into stepping-stones. Thecredibility is always higher when you perform away from home. HisperformanceatAdelaidewasawesome'–NAVJOTSIDHU

RahulwashissuccinctselfinaconversationwiththeTVcommentators:'Webelievedwecouldcompete.TherewerephaseswhenIgota little tired (in thesecondinnings),butIremindedmyselfofhowimportantthisgamewasforus.Ihavebeenapartofteamsthathavefailedtowinbynarrowmargins,andIdidn'twanttoexperiencethatpainagain'.

Rahulhadpassedcricket'smostarduoustestwithflyingcolours.Herefusedtotakeoffhiswhitesduringthecelebrationsthatcontinuedlateintotheevening.Itwasauniquetributetothemanwhoseswansonghehadspoilt.SteveWaughhaddoneprettymuchthesamethingwhenAustraliawonthe1994-95seriesintheWestIndies.

AninterestingsidelightofthewinwasthedebutofaplayerratedbymanyasIndia's next Superstar. Irfan Pathan, a left-arm paceman from Baroda, foundhimself in the exalted company of Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, SyedKirmaniandKiranMore,allofwhomhadmadetheirdebutsinrare'away'TestswonbyIndiaandnotdonetoobadlyintheircareersthereafter.Hisperformancewith the new and old ball in subsequent games suggested that the selectorswould find it hard to treat him the way their counterparts of the 1970s hadtreated Surinder Amarnath, another player who had begun his career with anoverseasTestwin.

Thewinningboundary,Adelaide2003-04

India lost the next Test at Melbourne, but came within four wickets ofwinningthefinalTestatSydney.Rahul'sfellowtownsmanandIndia'sgreatest-everspinnerbagged12wicketsatSydney,including8-141inthefirst innings,andstatedhumblythatithadtakenhim14yearstolearnhowtobowloverseas.Itcertainlywasn'tasbadasthat.

The batsmen reigned supreme. Sehwag plundered 195 in the third Test,Laxman178inthefourth,andTendulkaraclassy241inthesamegametoeraseRahul's two-Test old distinction as India's highest individual scorer overseas.Rahulhimselfbattedbeautifully to score92atMelbourneandanunbeaten91whentheIndianswentontheattackinthesecondinningsatSydneytopressforadeclaration.SydneywitnessedthefirstinstanceofIndiascoring700inaTest.The 'opening' conundrum also seemed to have been solved with Sehwag andChopraputtingtogethertwocenturypartnerships.Choprawastheonlymemberofthetopsixwhodidnotgetahundred,buthiscontributionswerenolessvital.CrickethistorianDavidFrithpaidhim theultimate complimentby christeninghim'Boycott'Chopra(WisdenAsiaCricket,February2004).

Rahulinthe2003-04tri-seriesinAustralia

'ThebigdifferencewiththeIndianteamof2003-04andearliersideswasthatthisteamwentinwithasplendidattitude.TheyhaddecidedtocarrytheattacktotheAustralianteam.Infact,theyhadcopiedtheAustraliantactic thatMarkTaylorstartedandSteveWaughcontinuedthat, if theywere in trouble, attackwas thebestway towin.Thedrawn serieswasoneofthefinestthathasbeenplayedinAustralia'–RICHIEBENAUD

IndiaretainedtheBorder-GavaskarTrophybyvirtueofa1-1stalemate.Therivalrybetweenthetwocountrieswastoutedasthegame'sbiggest,andmanyapunditopinedthatIndiawouldoustAustraliaasthepremiercricketworldpowerinthenearfuture.

TheirbeliefwasnotshakenbyAustralia'sdominationofthetri-series.Rahulscoredthreefifties,match-winningeffortsall.However,hemademorenewsforanalleged'ball-tampering'episodeinagameagainstthethirdteamZimbabweinwhich he scored 84. The Match Referee fined him half his match-fee forapplying 'cough lozenge'on theball.Hiscoachcalled it an 'innocentmistake',explainingthat the lozengehadgotmixedwith thespithewasapplyingto theball.Hewasspot-on.'Rahuliseverythingthegameneeds,'Wrightstated.

Everybodyagreedwithhim.ExcepttheReferee,thatis.

above:FormerPresidentofIndiaK.R.NarayananpresentsRahultheArjunaAwardin1999

opposite:Nairobi,1999-2000–RahulreceivestheCEATCricketerofthe1999WorldCupAward

below:RahulwithAtalBehariVajpayee,formerPrimeMinisterofIndia,ontheeveofthetourofPakistan,2003-04

ArolemodelforGenerationNext...

top:WiththefutureofIndiancricket

below:AfterhisappointmentasMTV'sYouthIcon,2004

above:ThedeliriousIndianteamafterwinningtheone-dayseriesinPakistan,2003-04.Rahul(centre)holdsthetrophy

below:India'smemorabletourofAustralia,2003-04.Thechequesaysitall

Acricketerandagentleman

opposite:Thewedding,4May2003

Thecaptainandheir-apparent

India'sclassof'96-V.V.S.Laxman,RahulandSouravGangulyafterthetriumphantreturnfromPakistan,2003-04

Unwindingonthebeachonadayoff,ararityinthisageofincessantcricket

above:TheBangaloreboywiththeBigB

below:The2003-04seriesbetweenIndiaandNewZealandendedina0-0stalemate.StandinskipperRahulsharesthetrophywithcounterpartStephenFleming

'We had absolutely no illusions about RahulDravid.We always knewthateven in thepresenceofSachinTendulkarand theothers,hewouldbethedifferencebetweenthetwoteamsbecausehehadtheabilitytobatforhoursandhourswithoutfeelinganypaininhisback.Wewereawarethat Sachin and the rest will play strokes and sometimes provide anopportunity. But Rahul was a batsman who would tire us and set theplatformfortheotherstoscore.Heisabrilliantbatsmanandinmybook,deservesapermanentplaceasoneofthetopthreebatsmenintheworldirrespective of his performance, because form is temporary and classpermanent'–MoinKhan

'It'snotabigwicket,it'shuge!'commentatorMichaelSlatershriekedatacriticaljunctureinIndia'ssecondinningsofthesecondTestagainstPakistanatLahore,tryingtomakehimselfaudibleamidst theroarsof thecrowd.Whenthereplayconfirmed the dismissal, his compatriot and fellow-commentator Dean Jonesscreamed,'HEISGONE!'

BeforeApril2002,therewasonlyoneIndianplayerwhoseearlydismissalina tense situationwould have elicited such a reaction.But things had changed.TheplayertheywerereferringtowasRahul,whoserun-outhadmadePakistan'sjoboflevellingthethree-Testseriesthatmucheasier.

The Indiancricketerswerenot terribly enthusedat theprospectof crossingtheRadcliffeLineforafulltourinMarch2004.'Securityconcerns'weighedontheirminds.

'I was part of the Reconnaissance team that went to Pakistan. Wesubmitted a report to the Board and told the senior players about theassurancesmadebythePakistaniBoardandGovernment.TheBoardhadmadeitclearthatanyplayerwhowantedtodropoutwasfreetodoso.Butalltheplayersagreedtotour.Itwasnicetohaveafull-strengthside'

– PROF RATNAKAR SHETTY, Administrative Manager, IndianteamtoPakistan,2003-04

TheBCCIprevailedupon its relievedPakistani counterpart to slot theone-dayinternationalsbeforetheTests.ThissuitedtheIndianplayers,for theyhadjust played the tri-series in Australia andwere verymuch in a 'limited-overs'mood.

The 'Australia-hardened' Indian outfit was expected to dominate the one-dayersandTests.ButtheplayerswerewiseenoughnottotakePakistanlightly.

The one-day series commencedwith a blockbuster in front of a vociferousKarachicrowdthatseemedtoencouragetheIndiansasmuchastheysupportedtheircountrymen.India'sbiggunsboomedintheinitialovers.Thecaptainandvice-captain added 72 off only 75 balls in themiddle overs, and afterYuvrajSingh's early fall, Kaif joined Rahul to add a run-a-ball 118. Rahul batteddelightfully,findingthegapswithunerringprecision,hisorthodoxstroke-playinsharp contrast to Sehwag's gung-ho tactics earlier in the innings.WhenRahulplayedontoShoaibinthe48thover,hehadscored99outofatotalof338.TheIndiansfinishedwith349-7,inmostcircumstancesawinningtotal.

Inzamam-ul-Haq,thecaptainofPakistanwhohadbeenslammedbyoneandall forputtingIndia inonafeatherbed,arrivedat thecrease in theeighthoverwith316needed from254balls.Theassault that followedwas staggering,hiscontempt for the bowlers drawing gasps of admiration even from Indiansupporters.Hiscountenancewasalmostapologetic. Itwasalmostas ifhewassayingtothebowlers, 'Look,Iamsorrytotreatyoulikethis,butIreallycan'thelp it'. Only 72 were needed from 48 balls when his attempted late-cut offMurali Kartik went straight into Rahul's gloves, a good take by the part-timekeeperwithhardly any reaction time.ThePakistanis fought right down to thewire,and itwasonlyastunnerofacatchbyMohammedKaifanda tight lastoverbyAshishNehrathatsavedthedayforIndia.Sixwereneededfromthelastball when Nehra bowled a low full-toss to Moin Khan. But Moin was noMiandadandtheIndianscamethrough.

Thedayafter thegame,Rahul joinedMuraliKartikonan excursion to theancient Buddhist monastery in Taxila. The rigours of living out of a suitcasehadn'tdampenedhisurgetoexplorenewsurroundings,andlearn.

A century by Sachin Tendulkar, the first by an Indian in a one-dayer onPakistani soil, failed towin the second game at Rawalpindi. Rahul scored 36beforebeingbowledbyMohammedSami.Atthatstage,Indiawere260-5and

needed70from49balls.The lower-ordermadeagoodfistof itbeforefallingshortby12runs.IndiahadtheirworstbattingdayoftheseriesinthenextgameatPeshawar.PacemanShabbirAhmeddidtheearlydamageonagreenishtrackand the score was 37-3 when Rahul came in. The Crisis-man had scored 33whenhe tried to sweepoff-spinnerShoaibMalik, but got a top-edge thatwasgleefully acceptedbyMoinKhan.Yuvraj scored65, but themaximumcheerswent to Laxmipathy Balaji, who launched into Shoaib and Sami like a manpossessed. Pakistan's pursuit of 245 was commandeered by opener YasirHameed,whowasapparentlyupsetwithRahulfor'mistakinghimtobeanoff-spinnerwhohadbowledto theIndians in thenets'.Hescoredafine98beforebeing induced to play a flashing drive wide outside the off-stump by IrfanPathan,whohadstrangelybeenleftoutofthefirsttwogames.Theopenerwasdisappointed to miss a hundred with Yuvraj taking a good catch, but he hadsucceededinhisstatedobjectiveofensuringthatRahulandtheIndiansdidnot'forget' him.Abdul Razzaq then dealt some hefty blows and Pakistan rompedhomewithfourwicketsinhand.

Rahulinthethickofthingsintheone-dayseriesagainstPakistan,2003-04

Inzamamscored anotherhundred in the fourthgameatLahore, ado-or-dieaffairforthevisitors.Chasing294,Indialosttheirfifthwicketinonlythe24thover,but theyalreadyhad162on theboard.Thebelligerenceof the top-orderdespitethefrequentfallofwicketshadkepttheminthegame.Therequiredrateof five an over was comfortably achievable, especially as India had the right'brains'forthejob.

'Iwasinmy"blues"asIwasslatedtobatafterIrfan,whowastogoinnext.ExceptforJohn(Wright),everybodywasrelaxedasweknewwhatboththeguysinthemiddlewerecapableof.Theywereexcellentrunnersbetween the wickets and had bailed the team out of tricky situationsbefore'–MURALIKARTIK

RahulDravid andMohammedKaifwere unflustered. They conquered thatLahore evening with a cool and calculated display. The Pakistani supporters,who hadwelcomed their Indian counterpartswith open arms and Indian flagsstitched to theirown,werebrieflyexcitedwhenShoaibwasbroughton in the34thover,buttwodeftplacementsbyKaif,onegoingtothefine-legboundaryand theother through thevacant slips, silenced them,asdid fourwides in thesame over. The Pakistani predilection for 'extras' – they conceded 37 in thefourthgame,andbowled47widesand41no-ballsinthefivematches–wouldcostthemtheseries.

Rahulbattedbrilliantly,changinggearswhenhesawhispartneropeningout.He tapped the ball around with soft hands and ran superbly to give Kaif thestrike.Sodeterminedwashe tobat right till theend thatheeven tooka freshguard twice during his innings to retain his focus; shades of Leeds 2002. Hesquare-cutoff-spinnerShoaibMaliktolevelthescoresandgaveKaifthehonourofstrikingthewinningsingle.

'Thepeoplebackhomedeserveafightingteam'–RAHUL(onTVafterthematch)

Kaif scored 71 off only 79 balls compared to Rahul's 76 off 149, but thelatter's contribution as guide could not be undermined. The manner in whichtheycoasteddespitelosinghalfthesidebeforethehalfwaymarkputtheIndianplayers in the right frame ofmind on the eve of the series decider at Lahore.Bothsidesridiculedallegationsthatthegamehadbeen'fixed'toensureagrandfinale.

Thefinalewasindeedagrandaffair,andmuchtothehometeam'schagrin,their opponents did virtually everything right. Laxman scored one of one-daycricket'smostincrediblehundreds,his107runscomingoffonly104ballswithlittle or no 'slogging'. Itwas his fourth limited-overs hundred of the season, afitting reply to themenwhowere responsible for leavinghimoutof the2003WorldCupsquad.Rahulmissedout,scoringonlyfourbeforebeingcastledby

MohammedSami,butafinaltotalof293-7wasastrongplatformfromwhichtogo for a historic win. Balaji and Irfan Pathan made the early strikes, but theIndians knew they had to get Inzamam. He fell to amarvellous catch on thelong-on boundary by Tendulkar, who adroitly judged a bullet-like hit by thePakistaniskipperoffKartikinchesfromtherope,andretainedhisbalance.

Razzaq fell almost immediately, and thematchwas as good aswon.MoinKhanfoughtoninthecompanyofShoaibMalikandlaterSami,buttherun-ratekept climbing.Moinwas the last to fall, bowled byBalaji, andRahul'sBjornBorg-like reaction, going down on his knees and looking skywardswith armsraised high, emphasised what the win, India's first series triumph againstPakistanintheirbackyard,meanttotheteam.

'ThedifferencebetweentheIndianteamofthe1990sandthisteamwas"Self-belief'. The 90s side was good, but the players didn't trust theirinstinctsandprowess.This teamwasmoreconfident. Itwasnomoreaone-manteam'–MOINKHAN

Sourav, a delighted leader, had left the field after injuring his back in thetenth over. Rahul was entrusted the reins for the first Test between the twocountries on Pakistani soil since 1989-90when it was announced that SouravwouldbeflyingbacktoIndiafortreatment.

Rahul's stellarbattinghadhelped Indiancricket smashseveral jinxes in thepast.Henowhadtheopportunitytobreakanother, thistimeascaptain.India'sTest record inPakistanwaspathetic:20Tests, fivedefeats, andnowins.Thiswastheirbestchancetosucceedagainstanoppositionthatwasalreadyunderthepump.

TheTest serieshadbeenbilledasabattlebetween the IndianbatsmenandPakistanibowlers.However,itbecameapparentonthefirstmorningofthefirstTest at Multan that the Pakistanis had serious reservations about the Indianbowlingaswell.ThiswasashocktoallthosewhohadchosentotakeseriouslyPakistani coach JavedMiandad's pre-series 'revelation' that every street in thecountryproducedbowlerslikeIrfanPathan.

'Therewas somegrasson thepitch, butmostof itwas removedat theinsistenceofthehometeam.Inaway,theyplayedintoourhands'–PROFSHETTY

Rahulhadno reservationselecting tobataftercallingcorrectly.Heandhisteammates then sat back towatchVirender Sehwag at his audacious best.Heflayed the speedsters, flogged the spin of SaqlainMushtaq and frustrated thefielders.Theyreprievedhimtwice,andlikeallgreatplayers,hemadethempay.HetookonanexasperatedShoaib,goadinghimto 'bowlandnotbeg'after thebowlerhadmadesome'friendly'observations.

'Rahul'sadvicewastoholdontomywicket."Therestwouldfollow,"hesaid.He kept repeating this throughout that knock.The confidence thecaptainhadinmeinspiredmefurther'–VIRENDERSEHWAG

Choprawascaughtatshort-legaftercontributing42 toanopeningstandof160. Rahul started well with a commanding square-cut off Saqlain, but thenpulledSamistraightintoHameed'shandsatsquare-leg.ThatwasPakistan'slastmomentof joyasTendulkar joinedhis 'disciple' topileon theagony.Sehwagscored228onthefirstday.Hehadreached295onthesecondwhenInzamamdidwhatanycaptainwouldinsuchasituation.Hepostedadeepmid-wicketandalong-onandaskedSaqlain to toss itup.Sehwagrespondedasonlyhecould.He stepped down the track and swung a six over the two fielders to becomeIndia'sfirsttriplecenturioninTestcricket.Hewaseventuallyoutfor309.

Laxman fell early,butYuvrajandTendulkar took the scorepast600.WithTendulkar nearing his fourth double hundred in the last session of the secondday,itlookedlikeRahulwouldcallhisbattersinimmediatelyafterthelandmarkwasachieved.

Yuvrajwasfifthoutforasplendid59when18.1overswereleftforstumps.Tendulkar,thenon194,contemplatedthesituation.Hewouldneedamaximumof two overs to complete his double hundred, andwith twomore overs beingconsumedby the innings-changeover, itwould still give India a substantial14oversinwhichtoattackthewearyPakistanibatsmenonthesecondevening.Tohissurprise,whathesawwasnotanincomingPatel,butthecaptainwavinghisarms.Indiahaddeclaredat675-5.

TherewereseveralwhocalleditaseminalmomentinIndiancrickethistory,with the requirementof the teamassuminggreatersignificance than individualachievement.Buttherewereotherswhodisagreed.

'MyinitialreactionwasthatRahulwaskiddingandwillchangesignals.Ifirmly believe it was a big error of judgement. Sachin thoroughly

deserved thatdoublecenturyashehadplayedbeautifully. Idon't thinkRahulcaneversucceedinconvincinghiscritics'–MOINKHAN

'I feel Rahul could have afforded to wait for Sachin to complete hisdoublecenturyastherewasnodangertohisteam.Centuriesanddoublecenturies are milestones in a batsman's career, and so such missedopportunitiesarealwaysregrettable'–HANIFMOHAMMED

Another Pakistani legend thought otherwise and compared it to a similarincidentthathadtakenplaceatHyderabadinthe1982-83seriesbetweenthetwocountries,whenImranKhandeclaredwithJavedMiandadon280.

'Iwasbroughtuptowin.Acaptain'sfirstdutyistogoallouttowinthematch.Personalmilestonesarefine,butmemoriesyoucherishthemostarethoseofvictories.Indiahadaformidablebattingline-upin1982-83.Youneeded time tobowl themout twice in thematch. Imran chose todeclareandIthoughtitwasajustdecision'–MUDASSARNAZAR

In thePressConferenceat theendof the thirdday'splay,somemedia-menseized onwhat they construed as Tendulkar's 'unhappiness' at the declaration.Rahulwasaccusedofbeingjealous'and'conspiringwithSourav(whowastofly

toIndiaattheendofthegame)todenyTendulkara200'.

EvenasthedebateragedalloverandoutsideIndia,thetwomeninthethickofthe 'controversy'discussedtheissue,sortedthingsoutandthrewthemselvesheadlong into the job of winning the Test, which for both of them wasparamount.

SubsequenteventssuggestedthatRahulhaderredinnotgivingTendulkaratleastonemoreover,foritwouldhavemadenodifferencetotheoutcome.Butthen,RahulwasnoNostradamus.Hewantedtobowlacertainnumberofoversthatevening.Hewasbraveenough toadmit later thathehadmadeamistake,evensayingthatitwassomethingthatmighthaunthimfortherestofhislife.

'IwasaskedwhatIthoughtofthedeclaration.Isaidthatwhateverpeoplethoughtwasirrelevant.ThefactthatRahulhadthegutstodeclarewhenSachinwas only six short of a personalmilestone and Sachin had thegrace to accept thedecision shows the spiritwithin the team. It provesthattheteamisontherighttrack'–B.P.BAM

AninjurytoZaheerKhanthatforcedhimtopulloutofthematchandseries,meant thatRahul had only three specialist bowlers at his disposal, inKumbleandpacemenPathanandBalaji.That thePakistanisstill lost twentywickets injustover twodaysonwhatwasstillagoodbattingtrack,emphasisednotonlytheineptitudeofthehosts,butalsoRahul'sastutehandlingofhisresources.Hecrowded the batsmenwith attacking fields and rotated his bowlers effectively.Kumblesealedthewinwithaphenomenal6-71inthesecondinnings.

'WewonatMultanbecausewehadplentyofrunsontheboardandwekept the Pakistanis on the field for quite a while (it was very hot andhumid).Anotherfactorwasthepressurebuiltbythebowlers.SachinandYuvrajalsochippedinwithcrucialwickets.Rahulusedthemwhenthesituationdemandedit.Thebowlersknewwhatlinestheyweresupposedto bowl and the fields theywould get before theywent out.Our plansworked'–MURALIKARTIK

Ahistoricwinbyaninningsand52runs,India'sbiggestoverseas,promptedthe fickle-minded to advocate Rahul's appointment as full-time captain at theexpense of Sourav, who they called the 'weakest link' in the team. It was an

overreactionofthehighestorder.Rahulcertainlyhadleadershipqualities,buthehadhadjusttwoTestsatthehelmcomparedtoSourav's37!

WithSouravstillunfit,RahulstayedinchargeforthesecondTestatLahoreand elected to bat on a greenish strip.Watchers described it as a 'bold'move,althoughitwasn'tanewonefortheIndians.

ButtheIndiansweredeniedanencoreoftheirHeadingleyheroicsbyaright-handedpacemannamedUmarGul,whodidwhatthePakistaninew-ballbowlersShoaibAkhtarandMohammedSamididnot.Hebowledanimpeccablelengthandmaintainedaconsistentattackonthecorridorofuncertainty,justoutsidetheoff-stump.Indiawere147-7onthefirstdayandlost thematchthereandthen.The second innings was another disaster for India and Rahul, whose runoutwithoutfacingaballinducedfrenziedreactionsfromthecommentators.

Pakistanwonbyninewickets,buthad toencounterembarrassmenteven intheirmoment of triumph. Ironically, the causewas their bowling hero.Whenlast-man Balaji fell leg-before to leg-spinner Danish Kaneria in the secondinnings, India were only 39 ahead. An ecstatic Gul came charging in andgrabbedthestumps,onlytoberemindedbyabewilderedSteveBucknorthathisteamstillneeded40towin!

For thesecond time in theseries,Rahulmade thepoint thathewouldhavedonethingsdifferentlywiththebenefitofhindsight.Hedisplayedcharacteristiccandour during the Presentation Ceremony, clarifying that the decision to batfirstonagreentrackwasn'ttheonlyreasonhisteamhadlost.

SouravreturnedtothefrayfortheseriesdecideratRawalpindi.Rahul,whohaddonenothingofnotewiththebatinthefirsttwoTests,waseagertomakeamark.

'We visited the Lahore University of Management Studies before theRawalpindi Test. Rahul was the main speaker, and he thanked thePakistanisfortheirwarmthandhospitality.WhenastudentaskedhimhisplansfortheforthcomingTest,Rahulsaidthathewouldliketoscoreadoublehundred.Thecrowdwasstunned'-PROFRATNAKARSHETTY

Rahul got his chance to 'make amark' fairly early. Sourav called correctlyandthistimeelectedtobowlonanothergreenishpitch.TheIndiansbowledouttheiropponentsfor224,andSehwagfelltothefirstballoftheIndianresponse,gettingaleadingedgetoShoaibthatadivingHameedclungontoatgully.

Unbeaten on the first evening, Rahul skipped an official dinner, opting tosleep early as he had a 'job' to do the next day.Clearly, nothing had changedsince1996-97!

He started day two with a flick off Shoaib that sped to the mid-wicketboundary.Patel,openinginplaceofthedroppedChopra,reachedhisthirdhalf-century in fourTests.Headded129withRahulbefore falling to thepacemanFazl-e-Akbar,whohadreplacedtheunfitUmarGul.

Only one run had been added to the scorewhen Shoaib bowled a 'spittingcobra' to Tendulkar that took the edge of his bat. The score: 130-3. EnterLaxman to play a series of gorgeous strokes. Inspired by his sizzling straight-driveoffAkbar,Rahul essayed an imperious square-cut offSami.Thebowlerthen served another short deliveryoutsideoff,whichRahul cut hard.TheballflewtoYasirHameedatpoint,whofailedtogethispalmstogether,andspiltaregulationchance.Rahulwas71atthatstage.AshatteredInzamammightwellhavethoughtthatthebatsmanwouldnowgoontoscoreahundred.Asitturnedout,thiswasamodestestimation.

RahulcompletedhisfirsthundredonPakistanisoilwithasingleoffKaneria.Hehadadded131withLaxmanwhenthelattermissedafast,swingingfull-tossby Shoaib and heard the death-rattle.With Sourav lackingmatch-practice andtheIndiansonly37ahead,thePakistanishadanotheropportunitytocomebackintothegame.ButShoaibleftthefieldwithawristinjury,sustainedafterfallingin his follow-through.He later complained of a back injury and did not bowlagaininthematch.

Souravplayedhimselfintoformwithsomemagnificentoff-sidestrokes,andRahul's solidity and assurance gave the bowlers no hope. As over after overprogressed,thePakistaniswilted.

ItremainsoneofIndiancricket'sgreatestironiesthattwoofitsleadinglightswhohaveseeneye-to-eyeonalmosteverything,haven'tquitebeenonthesamewavelength while 'running' together. While batting with his deputy and co-debutantatRawalpindi,Souravhadtwocloseshavesbeforehewasfinallyrunout.ItwashisthirdrunoutinTests,andRahulhadbeenattheotherendonallthreeoccasions!But the fault this timewasclearlySourav's fornotcoming inthewayof ImranFarhat'sdirect throw.For therecord,Rahulat thatstagehadbeenrun-outfourtimesinTestswithSouravashispartner.

Rahul kept the 'promise' he had made to the Management students andcompletedadoublehundred,hisfifthinTestcricketandanIndianrecord,witha

singleoffKaneria.Indiahadgainedamonumentalleadbythen.'Theinningsheplayed atAdelaidewas amatch-winning effort. But this onemightwell be aseries-winningeffort,'commentatorRobinJackmanobserved.Itwas.

Rahul went for his strokes soon after Yuvraj's dismissal. He passed hishighestinTestcricketandthenthe250-mark.

'His performances in 2003-04 were incredible. His consistency wasremarkableandhismentalbalanceverygood.Hedidn'tstartoffallthatwellinPakistan,buthispatienceenabledhimtosucceedeventually.Heisaplayerwholikestotakehistimeandbuildaninnings,whilethereareotherswholiketoscoreinboundaries.Thewayheprepareshimselfforagameissomethingallyoungstersshouldkeepaneyeon'–SachinTendulkar

RahulafterhisdoublecenturyatRawalpindi

Thedashforrunssawhimgetawaywithacoupleofedges,butthosewerewell-earned. He was on 270 when he went for a reverse-sweep off part-timebowlerImranFarhatandmissed.Hehadbattedfor12hoursand20minutes.

A deficit of 376 was expected to intimidate the hosts, and so it did. TheIndianbowlers refused togetdisheartenedbysomepedestriancatchingby the

fielderson the fourthmorning,andkept firingaway.Wickets fell steadilyandthetail-endersdugtheirowngraveswithsomecavalierbatsmanship,whentheyoughttohavesupportedAsimKamal,whowasbattingwellattheotherend.The'injured'Shoaibdidnotendearhimselftohiscaptainbyswinginghisbatmerrilywithout any apparent pain or discomfort. The last wicket fell at 245 whenKaneriawentforanalmightyhitoffTendulkarandgotatop-edgeinstead.Thecaptaintookthecatch,andthepartybegan.Thejobaccomplished,JohnWrighttreatedhimself toacigarette tocelebrate theculminationofaprocess thathadbegunwaybackinearly2001.

The team had finally learnt to win when and 'where' it mattered in Testcricket.ItwasIndia'sfirstserieswinoverseassince1993.Afterthedrawagainstthe world's best side in its backyard, this triumph seemed like the next steptowardsgreatness.

'Ithas takenussome time tobuild this team,so it really feelsproud toseethewaytheyplayedhereandinAustralia'-SOURAVGANGULY(atthepresentationceremony)

RahulDravid,withhisthirddoublehundredinasingleseason,twoofwhichwonIndiathematch(onealsowonaseries),wasundisputedlythePlayeroftheseason.Thewhippingboyof1998hadbecomethebulwarkoftheteam.

'RahulDravidisoneofthepremierbatsmenintheworldtoday.Hehasaclassical style based around an extremely strong defence. When thesituationarises,hecanplayalltheshots,buthetendstoplaywellwithinhislimits,whichisideallysuitedtoTestcricket'–ALLANBORDER

TheICCPlayeroftheYearAwardreaffirmedRahul'sstatureinworldcricket.Apanelcomprisingcontemporarycaptains,umpiresandrefereeschosehimasthePlayerof theYear(Overall)andPlayerof theYear(Tests), fromashortlistofnomineesthatwasdrawnonthebasisofperformancesbetween1August2003and31July2004.ThepresentationstoRahulandIrfanPathan(EmergingPlayeroftheYear)atthefirst-everICCAwardsCeremonyinSeptember2004wereaconsolationforIndiancricket-loversunhappywithsomelackadaisicalcricket.

SriLankaandPakistanhad thebetterof India in theAsiaCup, India's firstengagementofthenewseasonafterathree-monthhiatus.Thosewhocontendedthat the teamwas 'rusty'were silencedby its insipid performances in the nextthreecompetitionsinHollandandEngland.Thefieldingwaspoor,thebowlingpoorerandthebattingpoorest.TheIndians,jointholdersoftheICCChampionsTrophy,went down toPakistan atBirmingham in thequarterfinal of the2004edition. It was their third straight defeat against the traditional foe after thereversesintheAsiaCupandHolland.

ItseemedasifthelawofaverageshadcaughtupwithallthefrontlineIndianbatsmenaftertwoproductivetoursofAustraliaandPakistan.Amajorblowwasdealt by Tendulkar's tennis-elbow, which forced him out of the Holland andEnglandtournaments.

AdoublewhammyattheinauguralICCawardsinSeptember2004.WinneroftheICCPlayeroftheYear(Overall)andPlayeroftheYear(Tests)Awards

Inevitably,RahuldeliveredthebestbattingperformancebyanIndianinthisdismal period. His 82 against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup on a deterioratingwicketatDambullawasagem,featuringtheby-nowmandatoryanglingoftheball into the gaps, scoops over the infield and brilliant running between thewickets.Sadly,itendedupbeingalonehandinalosingcause.

Thereversesinthelimited-oversformatwerefollowedbythebiggestdisasterof all – a Test series loss to Australia at home. Adam Gilchrist, who ledAustralia in the first three Tests in Ricky Ponting's absence due to a thumbinjury, became the first Australian skipper since Bill Lawry in 1969-70 toconquer the 'FinalFrontier'.The Indianscameunstuckagainsta team thathaddoneitshomework.Gonewasthe'attack-at-all-costs'policy;itwasreplacedbylogical,andfor theAustralians, lateral thinking.Consciousof theIndians' lovefor hitting fours, they concentratedmore on plugging the boundaries than thegaps.Thedenselypopulatedslip-cordonwasdispensedwithafter the first fewovers.Differentstrategieswereplannedfordifferent Indianbatsmen,and theirbowlersexecutedthemtoperfectionwitharesurgentGlennMcGrathleadingtheway.His break-back that squeezed throughRahul's defence tobowlhim for aduckinthefirstinningsofthefirstTestatBangalorewastheballoftheseries.Gilchristcouldhaveenforcedthefollow-onatBangaloreandinthethirdTestatNagpur,buthedidn't.Theirobjectivewas topileon theagonyfor theIndians

(needless to say, anotherwas to avoid an encoreofKolkata2001). Itworked,with India losing both games. Incidentally, the second innings in Bangaloreprovided the fourth instance of the Indian skipper being run out inTestswithRahulattheotherend!

Sourav's open preference for Yuvraj Singh instead of the tried, tested andreasonablysuccessfulAkashChopraevenbeforeaballhadbeenbowledintheseries,backfiredsensationally.Chopragot twoTestsandYuvrajone,andbothlookedoutof sorts.VirenderSehwag, thecommon factor,produceda sizzling155 in the secondTest atChennai, an enthralling game thatwas poised for agreatfinish.Indianeeded229andAustraliatenwicketsonthelastday.Butrainhadthefinalsay.

Sourav's assertion that India had only a 50 percent chance of victory atChennai was more realistic than pessimistic. Sehwag excepted, only fourbatsmen–Rahul,IrfanPathan,MohammedKaifandParthivPatel–hadcrossedthe 50-mark in the first three innings of the series.Although Patel had battedwell, he had been a complete disaster in his primary role behind thewickets.Laxman,themanidentifiedbyAustralianveteransastheirside's'EnemyNo.1',wasstruggling.TheproblemswerecompoundedbyTendulkar'stennis-elbow,asaresultofwhichhecouldnotplaythefirsttwoTests.

Media reports stated that Sourav Ganguly was 'offended' by the greenishtrackpreparedforthethirdTestatNagpur.TheAustralianmediacontingentwasincredulouswhenheproceeded topulloutof thegame.Theofficial statementreleasedonthemorningofthegameattributedhisabsencetoathigh-injury.ButSouravknew,asdidhis team, thathisdetractorswouldnothesitate toput twoandtwotogether.

'Rahulshowedadmirablecomposureandskilltotakeoverthecaptaincy.CertainlyhehadwidespreadsympathywithrumoursfloatingthatSouravGangulyhadabrogatedhisresponsibilityinthemostdramaticway'–MIKECOWARD

Itwas alleged that even some of Sourav's own teammates believed that hehad'criedoff.MoraleintheIndiancampplummetedfurtherwhenhewasjoinedon the bench byHarbhajan Singh,who had taken 16wickets in the first twoTests,andIrfanPathan,bothofwhomweredeclaredunfit.

DamienMartyn'ssecondhundredoftheseriesandafabulous91byMichaelClarke, who had debuted with 151 at Bangalore, ensured a total of 398. The

Indian responsewas a flat 185.Nineties byKatich andMartyn in the secondessaylefttheIndianswithamodest543towin.Theywerebowledout342runsshort.

Harbhajan returned to the squad for the finalTest atMumbai.Sensing thatthewicketwaslikelytotaketurn,theIndiansalsoretainedtheleft-armspinnerMuraliKartik,whohadbowledwellatNagpur,intheplayingeleven.Notmanyteamswere known to go into aTestwith a three-pronged spin attack, but thehosts had nothing to lose. ThatRahulwas still in chargewas confirmed by apress release issued by the BCCI that 'enlightened' the cricket media on the'exact' status of Sourav's injury: 'Medical investigations have revealedintraarticularpathologyof the righthip jointnotedby increased synovial fluidaccumulation.'

Unseasonalraindelayedthestartonthefirstday.RickyPonting,finallyfit,accompaniedRahul for the toss. Even as he came in,Warnewent outwith abroken thumb. The leg-spinner had bagged 14 wickets in three Tests, atremendous improvement on his previous visits in 1997-98 and 2000-01. Butironically,histeammissedhimthemostinMumbai.

India ended the first day at 22-2 with Sehwag and his debutant openingpartnerGautamGambhir back in the shed.Tendulkar fell early on the secondmorning,andtheinningsdisintegratedrapidly.Rahulheldfortatoneendasthewicketstumbledattheother.Hescoredanunbeaten31outofadisastrous104.A0-3lossseemedaforegoneconclusion.

The Australians were wary of Harbhajan, who shared the new ball withZaheer Khan. They played the off-spinner well, but floundered against theothers.Kartikexploitedthepitchsuperbly,asdidAnilKumble,whohadalreadysnared21wicketsfromthefirstthreeTests,includinghis400thinTestcricket.Martyntop-scoredwith55andtheinningsfoldedupfor203.Evenasquestionswerebeingraisedaboutatrackonwhichtheballwasturningatobtuseanglesontheseconddayitself,SehwagandGambhirhungonuntilstumps,muchtotheirteam'srelief.

Fervent brain-racking by the Indian captain had preceded the start of thesecondinnings.

'Rahul thought that Ishouldgo inatnumber three toforce thepaceagainstthenewballandsetthetempo'–V.V.S.LAXMAN

Itwasacourageousdecision.ThemanforwhomRahulwantedtosacrifice

hisprizednumberthreeslothadhadanightmarishserieswith53runsfromfiveinnings and looked a pale shadow of the artist who had annihilated theAustralians less thanayearago.Laxmanmadehiswayto themiddleearlyonthethirdmorningwiththescoreboardreading5-1.AnindividualwhohadjoinedtheIndianteamas'Consultant'wasimpressed.

Thequestforperfectioncontinues...RahuldiscussingtechniquewithSunilGavaskar,2004-05

'ItwasRahul'sdecision.Theideawastohavesomeonewhowouldattackat the start and take the initiative. It showed Rahul's dedication to histeam'scause.Hehadnoqualmsdroppinghimselfdowntheorder'–SUNILGAVASKAR

Thescorewas14-1whenSehwagfellleg-beforetoMcGrath.ThatbroughtinTendulkar,andtheturnaround.

'Laxmanwastobatatnumberthreeonlyifawicketdidnotfallonthesecondevening.Inthemorning,theballwouldcomeontothebatandhewould get to play his natural game. He wasn't going through a goodphase,and the ideawas tobringsomechange inhisnumberandallowhimtobatfreely.WeknewthatAustraliawouldbeunderpressureifheinitiallyscoredinboundaries.WhenIjoinedhim,wedecidedtotryand

get on top rather than defend. I thought that partnership changed thewholematch'–SACHINTENDULKAR

The pair batted cautiously for five overs and then took close to forty runsfrom the next four. Tendulkar started the counterattack with two fours in aGillespieoverandLaxmancarriedon.Nothingseemedtobotherthem,notthebowling,andcertainlynotthepitch.Tendulkarfellwhenhetop-edgedtheoff-spinnerNathanHauritzfor55.Laxmanfell to thesamebowler,butnotbeforecompletinghisfirsthalf-centuryof theseries.His immaculate69turnedout tobe the highest individual score of the match. After his dismissal began theMichael Clarke show.A playerwho never bowled regularly at club level, letalone first-class level, he took six wickets at a cost of nine runs in anunbelievablespell.Indiawerealloutfor205andAustralianeededonly107witharoundtwohoursandtwowholedaystospare.Butitwasatreacherouswickettheywouldhavetobaton.

Inthedressing-room,Rahulgavehisteamapeptalk.

'He told us that he wanted an honest effort that would satisfy everyindividualhimselfbeforetheothers.Ifoureffortswerehonest,wewouldwalkwithourheadsheldhigh'–MURALIKARTIK

ZaheerKhangavehissidea'bonus'withthewicketofLangeroffthesecondballoftheinnings,caughtbydebutantkeeperDineshKarthik.ButHaydenandPontingwereassertive.TheinningswasonlyfouroversoldwhenRahuldecidedonachange.Strangely,hethrewtheballtoMuraliKartikandnotKumble,whohadtakenfivewicketsinthefirstinnings.

'Murali'sdeliveriesweredriftinginwardslikethoseofAnil's.ButMuraliwasalsogettingvicious turn.Thatwasmoredifficult tohandleon thatwicket'–SACHINTENDULKAR

Kartik struck twice in his very first over. Ponting edged the ball onto thekeeper's thigh, fromwhere it rebounded toLaxmanat second slip.Thencamethebiggestblowofall,whenhebowledonethat'drifted'inandtrappedMartynplumbinfront.

'Rahulisanexcellentreaderofthegame.Ihadtakenfourwicketsinthefirst inningstoAnil'sfive.WhatprobablyinfluencedRahultobowlmebeforeAnilwasthefactthatMichaelClarkehadtakensixwicketswithhis left-arm spin. So Rahul may have thought that a left-arm spinnerwouldbeeffectiveatthatpointoftime'–MURALIKARTIK

Kartik took those twowickets for Harbhajan asmuch as for his team andhimself.Themannicknamedthe'Turbanator'afterthe2001serieswasinspiredtostepupagear.HedispatchedKatichandthenHayden.KartikcastledClarke,andGilchrist essayed a desperate lofted sweep after batting patiently to scoreninefrom50balls.Tendulkarheldthecatchatmid-wicketandat58-7,thechasehadallbutbeenderailed.

Gillespie, who had had a great series as bowler and lower-order batsman,batted positively with Hauritz before the latter was declared leg-before offKumble.KasprowiczbecameHarbhajan's fourthvictim, caught in the slips bythe captain. The score: 93-9. McGrath, the number eleven, then droveHarbhajan, only to get an outside edge and Laxman did the rest. India hadsnatchedanimprobablevictoryby13runs.

'Rahul hasprovenonmanyoccasions that hehas a great cricket brain.ThiswasevidentatMumbaiwhenhepromotedtheout-of-formLaxmanuptheorder,whichhadanimmediateeffect.TheonlyanswerIcangiveforKumble'slateinclusionintothebowlinginthesecondinningsisthatRahul obviously felt that finger-spinwould bemuch harder to face onthatwicketthanwrist-spin.Ithinkitwasamasterstroke'–ALLANBORDER

TwomasterstrokesbyRahulhadenabledIndiatoregisteraconvincing,albeitconsolationvictorywith twodays to spare.The lividAustralians slammed thetrack,whereasRahuldescribed it as 'interesting' in thepresentation ceremony.Evenasthedebatesragedonoverthestrip,onequestionremainedunanswered:Was it so bad that the world's best team lost ten wickets in a little over twohours?

Itwasahappyend towhathadbeenapoor series forRahulandhis team.TheAustralianbowlershadtroubledhimwithamiddle-and-legstumpline,withtwomenpatrollingthemid-wicketregionandthusrenderinghisproductiveflickoff the pads redundant. They did notwant to give himwidth outside the off-

stick, and such was the proficiency of Messrs McGrath, Gillespie andKasprowiczthattheywerespot-on.Rahul'shighestscoreoftheserieswasa60inthesecondinningsatBangalore.

AtMumbai, inhis82ndTest,Rahulbecame the second-fastest IndianafterSunilGavaskartobreakthe7,000-runbarrier.IthadtakenhimonlynineTeststo reach that figure after completing 6,000 runs in the unforgettableAdelaideTest.

AfterAustraliacameaSouthAfricansideforatwo-Testseries.Althoughthesidecomprisedqualityplayers likeJacquesKallis,ShaunPollockand thenewskipperGraemeSmith, itwasstilla farcryfromCronje'soutfitof1999-2000.The process of 'reconstruction' that had begun after the 'Hansiegate' fallout in2000wasstillgoingon.RahulcompletedahattrickofCastrolIndianCricketeroftheYearAwards(sharedthistimewithTendulkar)duringtheseries.His80and 47 in the secondTest atKolkata set up an eight-wicketwin and silencedProteancoachRayJennings,whohadaccusedtheIndianbatsmenof'sleeping'inthemiddle.Nottobeoutdone,theIndianteamsignedapillowandsentittotheProteandressing-roomafterthegame!

Indiapredictably'walkedover'theBangladeshisintheirnextseries,althoughthey were subjected to an embarrassing loss in the second of three one-dayinternationals. But therewere no surprises in the Tests. In the second Test atChittagong, Rahul achieved the greatest feat of his glittering career. His 160made him the first batsman in Test history to score a hundred in every Test-playingnation.

The arrival of a Pakistani side sans ShoaibAkhtar in February 2005 for a'return' Test series provided Sourav and his team the opportunity of ending aseasonofmixed resultsonahappynote. In the firstTest atMohali, Indiadideverythingrightuntil the fourthafternoon.Trailingby204 in the first innings,Pakistan were 10-3 in the second and an early fifth-day finish was expected.Skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq andYousufYouhana put up a spirited fight, but thevisitors were only 39 ahead when the sixth wicket fell. All-rounder AbdulRazzaq and wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal then joined forces in aspiritedmatch-savingstand.

TheIndiansachievedatKolkatawhattheycouldnotatMohali.Souravwonthetossandelectedtobat,andSehwagandGambhirputon80beforethelatterwas declared leg-before to the leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, who had come toIndiaarmedwithacomplimentfromRichieBenaud:'Hehasthebest-disguised

wrong'unIhaveseen'.Comingasitdidfromawrist-spinnerofhighquality,aman who had played against and watched outstanding 'leggies' from SubhashGupte to ShaneWarne, thiswas nomean accolade. The 'wrong'un' or googlywasoneofthevariationsKaneriahadutilisedtotakesixwicketsatMohali.InShoaib'sabsence,hewashisside'smainstrikebowler,andhadbeenentrustedthetaskofdentingthemanydauntingreputationsintheIndianbattingline-up,Rahul'sincluded.

Kaneria's first delivery to Rahul was a flipper, a potentially lethal ball toreceiveatthestartofaninnings,butRahulsawitearlyandbroughthisbatdownin time. He got off the mark with an on-drive for two and then essayed hisfavouritecover-driveoffRazzaq.HewasonsixwhenKaneriaandtheclose-infielders went up in a hysterical leg-before appeal that was turned down.CommentatorRavi Shastri stated that the batsman had been fortunate, only toretract his statement after seeing the slow-motion replay, which showed thatRahulhadinside-edgedtheballontohispad.UmpireSteveBucknor,standinginhis100thTest,hadseenwhatShastriandmillionsofTVviewershadmissed.

Rahulwas intent on playing every delivery onmerit, even in the last overbefore lunch bowled by Kaneria. Not for him the conservative approach ofputting down the shutters just because an interval was around the corner. Henegotiatedthefirst threedeliveriesandstraight-drovetheoverpitchedfourthtotheboundary.Thenextballwasshorterinlength,andhepulleditfortwo.Hisintentionswereclear:Ifhewouldgetabadball,hewouldgiveitthetreatment,irrespectiveof the situation.Subsequenteventswouldprove thathis teamwasindifferenttothisadmirabletrait.

After lunch, Rahul capitalised on the loose deliveries bowled by ShahidAfridi and the debutant Mohammed Khalil, and the occasional long-hop byKaneria. The score was 156 when Sehwag was well caught by Inzamam offAfridi for 81. The disappointed spectators found their voice when Tendulkarcompleted 10,000 runs in Test cricket. Rahul had advanced to 83 when hesubjected Arun Lai to the 'commentator's curse', driving Kaneria high andmightilyforsix,secondsafterhehadstatedthat'Rahulwasunlikelytogooverthetop'.

TendulkarfelltoAfridiimmediatelyaftercompletingahalf-century.Twentyruns later,Ganguly andLaxmanwere consumedbyRazzaq,whowasmakingtheoldballroarand'reverse'.Thescore278-2hadsuddenlybecome298-5andIndia needed Rahul to bat right through the innings. Eight runs short of ahundredatthatstage,herespondedtothesituationwithtwocrackingstrokesoff

consecutivedeliveriesbyMohammedSami.Thefirstonewasaclassicalcover-drive to one pitchedwide outside the off-stump, executedwith a flowing bat,supervisedbyastillheadandsupportedbythebackfootrestingonthegroundandthefrontfootbentatarightangle.Sami'snextdeliverypitchedonthelineofoff-stumpand'reversed'towardsmiddle-and-leg.Rahulwaitedforittocometohim,andjustasitseemedsettohithisfrontpad,offeredthesweetspotofhisbatandpropelleditbetweenmid-onandmid-wicketfortheinevitableoutcome.No sooner had he stroked it that he raised his arms in triumph, almost like afollow-through of the shot.As always, he turned in all directionswith his batraised to acknowledge the deafening cheers. He looked in command until henickedaKanerialeg-breakintheverylastoveroftheday.

Thematchebbedandflowedforbothsidesforthenexttwodays,andwhentheIndianopenersbeganthesecondinningsonthethirdafternoononly14runsahead,thegamewaswideopen.SehwagshowedwhathethoughtofInzamam'smovetoopenthebowlingwiththeinexperiencedKhalilbydoublingtheleadinthe very first over. But Sami bowledGambhirwith a first-ball yorker. Rahul,backinthefray,ranaquickfirst-ballsingleandthenpushedarankbadballbyKhalilpastmid-offforhisfirstfouroftheinnings.Sehwag'sexitat27broughtadetermined-lookingTendulkartothemiddle.

India'sbattingsupremosbondedwell.TendulkarcompletedhissecondfiftyofthematchandwaslookinggoodformanymorewhenBucknorupheldahalf-heartedappealbyRazzaqforacaught-behind.Thattheumpirehadignoredthebatsmen'sappealagainstthefadinglightmomentsago,onlyintensifiedthefuryofthenation.NobodyrememberedBucknor'soutstandingreprieveofRahulonthe firstday,asa resultofwhichhehadscoredahundred!Not fornothing isumpiringconsideredathanklessjob!

Rahulcompletedhisownfiftybeforestumps.Gangulydidnot last longondayfour,beingcaught-and-bowledbySamioffahorridpullshot.LaxmanwasstunnedbyaSamisnorterthathithimabovethelefteye,andhadtoretire.Indiawere only 170 ahead, and a couple of wickets at that stage would have putPakistan in the driver's seat. Sarni greeted Dinesh Karthik, the new batsman,witha fullerdelivery firstup, theaimbeing to catch thebatsmanon thebackfoot, literally and figuratively, but Karthik outsmarted him by anticipatingcorrectly andgoing for the drive.Heopenedhis accountwith a first-ball fouranddidnotlookback.

AhattrickinNovember2004...RahulwinstheCastrolIndianCricketeroftheYearAwardforthethirdtimeinarow.Presentinghimtheawardfor2003-04isNaveenKshatriya,MD,CastrolIndiaLtd

WhileKarthikassertedhisbattingcapabilities,Rahulbattledon,ignoringthestrainofbattinginintenseheatandhumidityforthesecondtimeinthematch.Hemovedintotheeightieswithaback-footpunchoffKaneriathatspedtothemid-wicketboundary.

He had inched to 99when he cutAfridi to the left of the fielder at cover.Rahulhesitated, but tookoffwhenhe realised thatKarthikwas responding. Itspoke volumes for the vice-captain's commitment to taking his side to anunassailable position in thematch that even as he was about to complete thesingle to give him his second hundred of the game, he turned to check if hispartnerhadmadeit.Rahulcompletedthesinglerunningbackwards,andbecameonlytheninthbatsmantoscoretwocenturiesinaTesttwice.Karthik,whohadmadehisgroundeasily, ran towardshisseniorpartner tocongratulatehimandalsothankhimfortheinspirationhehadprovided.

This writer had the privilege of watching Rahul's second hundred of thematchalongwiththeonlyotherIndiantoachievethisfeatmorethanonce.SunilGavaskar led the applauseof the entirePMG teamwhenRahul completedhissecondhundred.

Rahulhadmoved to135when, in trying togetamoveon,heholedout toAsifKamaloffKaneria.Karthik,withwhomRahuladdedacrucial167forthefifthwicket, scored an enterprising 93 beforeKaneria bowled him around hislegs.Gangulydeclared421runsahead,andAnilKumblebowledsplendidlytotake7-63andensurea195-runvictoryforthehometeam.

Amereeightdayslater,abillionpeoplewatchedinhorrorasthevictorsof

KolkatasurrenderedthethirdTestatBangalorewithsixoverstospareandmadeInzamam-ul-Haq's100thTestamemorableoneforthePakistaniskipperandhisteam.Atargetof383wasadmittedlyatoughonetochaseonawearingwicketinthefourthinnings.Butwhatwascertainlynotdifficultwasplayingeachballonmerit,asRahulhimselfhaddemonstratedinthelastoverbeforelunchondayone of theKolkataTest. Thatwould have certainly ensured a draw and a 1-0win.Itmightevenhavegiventhehostsanoutsidechanceofvictory.

Butfirst-inningsdoublecenturionVirenderSehwagapart,noIndianbatsmanmadeeventheslightestattempttodispersethecordonofclose-infielderswithpositivebatting.Theydugahugepitandjumpedintoit,givingtheiropponentsthe pleasure of burying them alive. Although Pakistan deserved everycompliment they received for their 168-run win, even their most die-hardsupporterwilladmitthatIndialostthematchmorethanPakistanwonit.

The twin hundreds at Kolkata helped Rahul maintain his awesome Testaverage.AttheendoftheseriesagainstPakistan,itstoodat57.86,thehighestbyacontemporarybatsman.

It is ironic that Indianbatsmen,whoformostof thenation'scricketinghistoryhavespecialisedinrearguardactions,havebeenaccordedalotmoreimportancethanthebowlers,mostofthemspinners,whohaveledthecavalrychargeagainstand innearlyeveryTest-playingcountry.But that's theway it is.Cricket, likelife,isunfairtosome,asthebowlerswillreadilytestify.

TheoutstandingIndianswhohavedonebattle for the landwithabatdownthedecadescanbebroadlydividedintothree'Schools'.

ThereistheC.K.NayuduSchoolofUnorthodoxy,whichexhortsitsstudentsto treat the ball with contempt and hit it hard, high and out of sight. Itemphasises the virtues of nimble footwork. One of the fundamental lessonsimpartedtothestudentsofthisschoolisthatattackisthebestformofdefence.The 'Alumni' of this school relish the defiance of methods prescribed in thecoachingbooks.

Nayudu's footsteps were followed by Lala Amarnath, the first IndiancenturioninTestcricket,andSyedMushtaqAli,thefirstIndiantoscoreaTesthundred overseas (not counting the three Indians who scored Test hundredswhile representing England). Half a century before maverick opener K.Srikkanth burst onto the scene, it was Mushtaq Ali who drove many a fastbowlertoexasperationwithhispenchantforleavinghiscreaseto'greet'theballin themiddleof thepitch, hitting across the line anddefying just about everycanonoforthodoxbatsmanship.ThenextillustriousAlumnusofthisschoolwasthe versatile virtuoso Vinoo Mankad, who ironically did not get along withNayuduformostofhiscareer.MankadwasemulatedbythedebonairMansoorAliKhanPataudiinthe1960s,akeenpractitionerofthelofteddrive.Inthelate1970s,KapilDevNikhanjarrivedonthescene.

ThesecondinstitutionistheVijayMerchantSchoolofOrthodoxy,wherethestudents spend hours honing their technique. They are taught to cultivatedisciplineandaninsatiablehungerforruns.Loftedshotsarenotrecommended,althoughnotprohibitedeither.

Merchant was followed by his namesakes Hazare and Manjrekar, both ofwhomscored tonsof runsagainstqualitypaceandspin in Indiaandoverseas.Then came Sunil Manohar Gavaskar, the most outstanding 'Alumnus' of thisinstitution.MohinderAmarnath, Indian cricket's 'comebackman', was anotherproductofthis'school'.

MucholderandmuchmoreinimitablyIndianthantheNayuduandMerchantschoolsistheone'founded'byK.S.Ranjitsinhji,thepupilsofwhicharetaughttoworshiptheirwristsandutilisethemtomakebowlers'heartswobble.FortheAlumni of this institution, the cricket bat is an extension of the hands. FromRanji in the1890s toV.V.S.Laxmanacentury later, thisSchoolhasspawnedsomeoutstandingbatsmen.

Thereisafourth'School'aswell,butithaslaggedbehindtheothersintermsof sheer numbers and runs – The School of Scintillating Southpaws. Itsmosteminent Alumni are former captains Nari Contractor and Ajit Wadekar, themercurial Vinod Kambli, 'God of the off-side' Sourav Ganguly, and theprodigiously talented Yuvraj Singh. With several left-handers waiting in thewings,thisisoneschoolthatissettoflourish.

The proliferation of one-day cricket in the 1980s and1990smeant that thebattersoftheerahadtoadapttomorethanoneformofthegame.Consequently,they 'enrolled' themselves in more than one 'School'. Polly Umrigar, India'sleadingbatsmanofthe1950s,combinedthebelligerenceoftheNayuduSchoolanddisciplineoftheMerchantSchoolinthepre-limitedoversera.Buthewasanexception.Theprocessof amalgamationgained an impetusonly after one-daycricket took its first steps towards capturing public imagination. DilipVengsarkarimbibedthebestoftheNayuduSchoolandMerchantSchoolinthe1970s.HewasinmanywaysaprecursortoSachinTendulkar,whomasteredthebestofboththeNayuduandMerchant'worlds'likenoonebefore(andtilldate,after)him.VirenderSehwag,amanwhomightwellsmashallthemajorbattingrecords by the time he is through, symbolises the confluence of the methodstaught in the Nayudu School with those imparted in the Ranji School. LikeNayudu,Sehwagbelievesin'total'dominance.LikeRanji,heisnotparticularlyrenownedforplaying'Christian'strokes.

AndthenthereisRahulDravid,adazzlingfusionofMerchantandRanji.Themanwhois todayregardedasafittingheir toMerchant,HazareandGavaskarwas compared to Ranji followers Gundappa Viswanath and MohammedAzharuddinearlyinhiscareerforhisexcellentwrist-work.

GavaskarandViswanathwereRahul'schildhoodheroes.Nineyearsafterhisinternational debut, and 89 Tests, 7,696 runs and 20 hundreds later, it can besafelyconcludedthatRahulhasachievedhisobjectiveofbeingbracketedalongwiththem.HadGavaskarorViswanathbeenplayingtoday,itiseasytoimaginethemdoingexactlywhatRahulregularlydoesinbothformsofthegame.

Rahul's obsessionwith cricket inhis childhoodwasnot confined tomerelywatching and reading about Indian cricket's little masters. His father SharadDravid,whose long professional associationwith 'Kissan' led to his son beingnicknamed 'Jammy', was a compact top-order batsman who idolised VijayHazare.HeplayedalotofcricketduringhisstudentdaysinGwaliorinCentralIndia,andinlateryearswasinstrumentalinbuildingupaclubteamthatturnedoutinthelocalleagueinBangalore.LiketheyoungSunilGavaskarwhowouldaccompanyhisfatherManoharoruncleMadhavMantriforinter-clubandofficegamesinMumbai,RahulandhisyoungerbrotherVijaywouldaccompanytheirfathertoBangalore'sChinnaswamystadiumtowatchcricketmatches.ItwasatthesematchesthatRahulsuccumbedtocricket'scharms.

Dravid senior's recollections of Hazare, particularly those pertaining to themaestro'sadherencetothebasicsofbattingthroughouthisdistinguishedcareer,undoubtedlylefttheirmarkonhisson.ThefatherwouldhavebeenmorepleasedthanthesonwhenthelatteremulatedHazare'sfeatofscoringahundredinbothinningsofaTest.UnlikeHazare,Rahuldidsotwice–againstNewZealandatHamilton in1998-99andagainstPakistanatKolkata in2004-05.WhenRahulscored233andanunbeaten72 to takeIndia toahistoricwinagainstWaugh's'Invincibles' in 2003-04 inAdelaide on the same groundwhereHazare scoredtwinhundredsagainstBradman'sInvinciblesin1947-48,thewholeofIndiafeltproud,buthisfatherwouldhavebeentheproudest.

TalesofHazareapart,Dravidseniorwouldhavealso toldhissonabouthisuncleColK.V.Dravid, the firstprominentcricketer in the family,whoplayedwithC.K.Nayudu.AlthoughRahul belongs to another 'School' (or 'Schools'),therehavebeenoccasionswhenhehasdemonstratedthathecanbeasboldashis grand-uncle's contemporary. The six off Imran Farhat that cleared extra-cover and hit a Pakistani flag in the final stages of his 270 at Rawalpindi in2003-04,andthe22-ballfiftyagainstNewZealandatHyderabadafewmonthsearlierwouldhavedoneNayuduproud.

AssupportiveofRahulhasbeenhismotherPushpa,ateacherandanartist.She was a pivotal member of the Department of Architecture in Bangalore'sVishveshwaraya College of Engineering from 1968 to 2001. In 1999, she

completed her PhD on 'Professor Nicholas Roerich and his HimalayanPaintings'. Infact,shewas thefirst ladyfromKarnataka tocompleteaPhDinArt.Anexhibitionofherpaintingswasorganised inKochi inMarch2005,ontheeveofthefirstone-dayinternationalbetweenIndiaandPakistaninthesamecity.Itwasinauguratedbynoneotherthanherownson.

Like the mother, the son has specialised in using his hands to leave anindeliblemarkoncanvassesofadifferentkind-thosethathavealotofgrassonthem.

AnindividualwhosecontributiontoIndiancricketwasasmonumentalasthatmadebyRahul's parentswasFatherDennisCoelho,PrincipalofRahul's almamaterStJoseph'sBoysSchool.WhenRahul'sparentswerereluctanttolettheirson travel to Vijayawada with the Under-15 Karnataka team, it was FatherCoelhowhoreassuredthemthathewouldtakecareoftheyoungster'sstudies.Inany case, Rahulwas so good in his studies that therewere never any seriousworriesonthatfront.RahulthuswenttoVijayawada,andasitturnedout,neverlooked back. Something quite similar happened to the young Sunil Gavaskar.His father, not very happy with his son's poor performance in a schoolexamination,hadrefusedtolethimparticipateintheinter-schooltournament.ItwasthenthatRevSerkis,principalofGavaskar'salmamaterStXavier's,assuredGavaskarseniorthathewouldlookaftertheboy'sstudies.

Rahulwithhisparents,SharadandPushpa

'If you want to be a cricketer, look like one,' Keki Tarapore, who playedDronacharyatoRahul'sArjuna,wouldnevertireoftellingtheyoungcricketersunderhischarge.ItwasadictumRahulcontinuestobelievein.Notonlyhashe

alwayslookedlikeacricketer,standingoutinhissparklingandspotlesswhitesrightfromhisearlycricketingdays,buthehasalsoplayedandbehavedlikeoneonandoffthefield.

'Thefact that Iamplayingat this level, isdue to theearly trainingandthewell-drilledbasicsthatIgotfromKeki'–RAHULDRAVID,TheHindu,28July2001

TaraporepassedawayinJuly2001,afewmonthsafterhispupilscoredthatheroic180againstAustraliaatKolkata.

JohnWright is another individualwho can justifiably be termed as one ofRahul's 'mentors'. The former Kiwi opener was the man who recommendedRahultotheKentCountyCricketClubasanoverseasprofessionalforthe2000English season. That stint restored Rahul's confidence and self-belief after adifficult time in1999-2000.Weeks after his return to India fromKent, on theeveof India'sopeninggameof the2000ICCKnockout inNairobi,Rahulwasoneof the threesenior Indianplayers (GangulyandTendulkarbeing theothertwo)whoimpresseduponRajSinghDungarpur,thenPresidentoftheBCCI,theneedfora 'foreign'coach.Supportersof thisdemandfelt that thatan 'outsider'could rise above parochialism and infuse the Indian team with the ideas anddiscipline toclickat thehighest level.Thiswasofcoursedebatable,asall themenwhohadprecededWrightinthehotseathadbeencommittedprofessionals.Buttheprevailingviewamongtheseniorsinthesidewasthatonlyaforeignercouldturnthingsaround.

Rahul had a lot to dowithWright's appointment, andWright's presence inturnworkedwellforhim,asitdidforIndiancricketitself.StatisticsrevealthatRahul, who averaged 47.37 from the first 38 'pre-Wright' Tests of his career,flourished underWright's tutelage. In his next 51TestswithWrightwatchingfrom the dressing-room, Rahul averaged an astounding 66.75 in Test cricket.From the double hundred against Zimbabwe atDelhi inWright's first Test ascoachtothetwinhundredsagainstPakistanatKolkatainWright'ssecond-last,RahuletchedoutsomesuperlativeperformancestobecomethemainstayoftheIndian batting line-up.Wright's departure at the end of the Pakistan series of2004-05markstheendofamemorablechapterinRahul'scareer,andindeed,inthehistoryofIndiancricket.Indiancricket-loverswillhopethatRahulandtheIndianteambuildonthegainsmadeduringWright'stenure.

At the time ofwriting, Rahul is only thirty-two, sprightly and run-hungry.Given that batsmen are supposed to be at their peak in their late twenties and

earlythirties,giventhatheisamongthefittestcricketersintheteam,andgivenhisformofthepastfewyears,itisa'given'thathewillsubstantiallyincreasehistally of Tests and one-day internationals, runs, centuries, and even catches inbothformsofthegame,inseasonstocome.

No mug in the field, Rahul became only the third Indian fielder afterGavaskarandAzharuddin,andthequickesttotake100catchesinTestcricket,duringthe2004-05seriesagainstAustralia.

'Tobeagoodfielder,youhavetowanteveryballtocometoyou,sothatwhenitdoes,itshouldn'ttakeyoubysurprise.Rahulcertainlygivestheimpression that he loves every aspect of the game. Not only does hescoreruns,buthealsogiveshisbestonthefield.Youalsoneedtobefit,andRahulisprobablyoneofthefittestintheIndiansquad'–JONTYRHODES

The retirement ofMarkWaugh in 2002-03 promptedmany pundits to rateRahulastheworld'sbest'slipper'.

'Rahul'sbestattributeishisabilitytoconcentratefor longperiods,withthebatandonthefield.Heisarelaxedandthinkingcricketer.Thisleadstoalertnessandgoodbodypositioning,bothofwhichhavehelpedhimenormously in his fielding. Some of his slip-catches against theAustralianswere exceptional.Hehasbeenable to anticipate the edges.Thisispossibleonlyifonethinksintenselyaboutthegameandanalysesit'–YAJURVINDRASINGH

Rahulwillsurelycontinuetostandbehindthewicketsinbothversionsofthegame,althoughnotdirectlybehindthem.ThearrivalofMahendraSinghDhoni,a competent keeper and aggressive batsman, has taken the heat off him inlimited-overscricket.EvenbeforeDhoniscoredamarvellous148inaone-dayinternational against Pakistan atVishakhapatnam, JohnWright had announcedthat the quintessential team-man would not keep anymore in one-dayinternationals.Rahul'sdualroleservedIndiawellinaperiodwhentheredidnotseem to be any deserving candidates, butwithDhoni andTest keeperDineshKarthik having proved themselves, and Parthiv Patel by no means out ofcontention,thingshavechanged.Interestingly,Dhoni'sbattingpartnerwhenhecompleted a century in only the fifth one-day international of his career wasnoneotherthanRahulhimself!

'Rahul did a good job as keeper in an emergency situation, but it wasabsurdthat"superstitions"forcedhimtocontinueinthekeeper'sjob.Hetoldme once that thewhole teamwanted him to "fill that gap". Theywanted to play seven batsmen, but frankly, if six batsmen can't do thejob, then neither can the seventh.That tri-series final in 2002 thatwaswonbytheseventhbatsman(Kaif)wasanexception,butnottherule.Heshouldbeallowedtoconcentrateonhisbattinganddowellfortheteam'–SYEDKIRMANI,January2005

Dhoni'shundredthreemonthslaterwouldhavedelightedKirmanimorethananybodyelse!

RahulwithSyedKirmani,hisfirstRanjiTrophycaptain

When he completed his second Test hundred in the Kolkata Test againstPakistan inMarch2005,Rahul'sbattingaverageexceeded58,makinghim themost successful (in terms of average) batsman from among those who hadscored 5,000 or more Test runs, after the one-and-only Sir Donald Bradman.Scoresof22and16inthenextTestatBangalorebroughthisaveragedownto57.86, just below Englishmen Ken Barrington (58.6) and Walter Hammond

(58.4),andjustaboveSirGarfieldSobers(57.78)andSachinTendulkar(57.25).

'Iamabelieverinnothavingtargetsinyourmind,asthatcanmakeyougointoashell.Oneshouldjustgooutandbat.It'simportanttoenjoythegame and not be under pressure of achieving targets. If you run aftergoals, theywillrunawayfromyou.But ifyouplayyournaturalgame,theseso-calledtargetswillbeatyourfeet.IamsureRahulknowswhattodo'–SACHINTENDULKAR

'I have no doubt thatRahulwill retire asCaptain andmakemore than10,000runsand25-pluscenturies'–VIRENDERSEHWAG

AmajorchallengebeckonsRahul–thecaptaincyofthenationalteam.Howsuccessful will he be at it? While one cannot make any predictions in anunpredictable game like cricket, what is certain is that he will be a fittingsuccessor to Sourav Ganguly, who has earned the right and record to beconsideredIndia'sbestcaptainever.IfSunilGavaskarwasthemanwhotaughtIndiancrickettobelieveinitself,SouravGangulywasthecaptainwhotaughtitto win Test matches overseas, a staggering achievement when one browsesthroughthelistof'away'TestswonbyIndia.BeforeGangulymadehisdebutasTestcaptainagainstBangladeshatDhakainNovember2000,Indiahadwon13'away'Tests in sixty-eight years. In the four-and-a-half years since then, Indiahave won ten, nine of them with the Prince of Kolkata at the helm. TheexceptionisMultanin2003-04whenRahulled.

When the selectors decided to replace Ajay Jadeja as deputy to SachinTendulkarbeforethe1999-2000tourofAustralia,theywouldhavethoughtlongandhardbeforegiving thevice-captaincy toSouravGanguly.After all,RahulhadalsobeeninformandinfactfaredbetterthanSouravintheWorldCup.ButSourav was appointed vice-captain and he subsequently became captain. Inmany ways, the selectors' denial actually helped Rahul, as he was able toconcentrateonhiscraftandperfectitfrom2000to2004.Asvice-captain,hehasdoneanexcellentjob,chippinginwithadviceandencouragementfromtimetotime.

RahulandSachinTendulkarwithformerPakistanistalwartFazalMahmoodduringthetourofPakistan.ProfRatnakarShettylookson

'Rahul has been an ideal vice-captain. He is very happy to haveconsolidated his position between Sourav and Sachin. If you see theequation,hefitsinbeautifullybetweenthetwo.HadSachinbeencaptain,Rahul would have been a weak vice-captain, whereas, with Sourav ascaptain,hebecameastrongvice-captain.Sachindoesnothavetodependonanybodytodominate,whileSouravdependsonpeoplelikeRahultodominate'–ASHOKMANKAD

The two immediate goals confronting the current Indian team are a Testseries win outside the subcontinent, and victory in the 2007 World Cup, atournament that couldwell be the last for Rahul, Sourav and Tendulkar,whowillbeintheirmid-thirtiesbythen.TherewillbenodearthofeffortonRahul'spart to help his team achieve these targets, irrespective of whether he is thecaptain,vice-captainorseniorstatesman.

TheChallengerTrophythatprecededthe2004-05seriesagainstPakistanwasatriumphforRahul,bothasbatsmanandcaptain.Hescoredtwofinehundredsand led India 'A' to victory against India Seniors and India 'B', captained bySourav and Sehwag respectively. Rahul's second hundred of the tournamenthelpedhissidebeat theSeniors in thefinalbysixwickets.His leadershipwasimpressive and aggressive, as was his on-field demeanour.When Souravwasrunoutinthefinal,Rahul'sjoyousandbelligerentfist-pumpingsurprisedmany.Hemightwellhavebeencelebratingthefactthatforonce,hewasn'tbattingwiththeIndianskipperwhenthelatterwasrun-out!WhenSehwagwasdeclarednotoutoffadiceycaught-and-bowledintheleaguegameagainstIndia'B',anupset

Rahulconveyedhisdispleasuretothesquare-legumpireinnouncertainterms.A few days after the Challenger victory, Rahul led the South Zone in a star-studded Duleep Trophy clash against the West Zone, captained by SachinTendulkar.Bothfailedtoclickwiththebat,butTendulkarprevailedintheclashofthebrains.HismovetopromoteIrfanPathantonumberthreeinthesecondinningspaidoff,andhisteamregisteredahandsomenine-wicketwin.

FromtheoctogenarianwhowarmlyrememberstheNayudus,MushtaqAlis,Amarnaths, Merchants, Hazares and Mankads, to the five-year-old for whomVirenderSehwagisGod,thereisnodoubtinthemindofanyIndianthatRahulisreadyforthetopjob,ifitcomestohim.

'I have had people tell me that I must be aggressive and seek thecaptaincy . . .But captaincy is something that cannot be grabbed at oraskedfor.Itisanhonourthatisaccordedtoyou.Idon'tbelieveyouneedtobedesperate,togooutofthewaytopursueit.Thatdefinitelydoesnothelptheteamdynamics'–RAHULDRAVID,TheOutlook,16May2005

The qualities that have helped Rahul reach the summit of his chosenprofessionwillhelphimstaythere.

'Maintainingone'spositionatthepeakbecomeseasierifoneisabletore-focusonthenextball,thenextchallenge.Fearisanemotionprovidedbynature for our protection. It cannot disappear totally. It has to beovercomeandthechallengefaced.Onlytwotypesofpeopleare totallyfearless. One, you find in the graveyard and the other, you find in amental asylum. Rahul is someone who takes decisions and acceptsresponsibility for the same.That is thehallmarkofachampion.Loserstendtolookelsewhere.Heisanidealrolemodelforanybodywhowantstoreachthetopinhis/herchosenprofession'–B.P.BAM

Withpowerandpopularitycomesgreatresponsibility.ThisissomethingthatRahulhasn'tforgotten.It'salsosomethingheisunlikelytoforget.

'I thinkhe'sveryconsciousofbeinga rolemodel anddoinga littlebitmore towards thatend,which isunfashionable thesedays,whereeveryyoungpersonwantstobeasuperstar/rebelorjustwearOakleysandlookcool. In the teameveryone sayshe is themodelpro,when it comes to

training,punctuality,justdisciplineonandoffthefieldandacounsellortoyoungercricketers.Hetriestoconducthimselfwithdignityinpublicandoneofthethingshesaysoftenisthatwhateveryoudoyoumust,"doitwithabitofclass".He isable todowhat fewsuperstarcricketers inIndiacan–figureouthowprivilegedandlovedtheyare,lookathislifefromoutsideasitwereandrespondtothelargerpublicinthatmanner.HehasoftenspokenofhowpatientandloyalIndianfansareandIthinkhetriestoreachouttotheminwhateverwayhecan'–SHARDAUGRA

Anunendingquest for excellencehashelpedRahul take Indiancricket andhisowngametogreaterheights.HehasbeentheSergeiBubkaofIndiancricket,relishingthechallengeofbetteringhisownachievements.However,thereisonevitaldifferencebetweenhimandtheRussian.UnlikeBubka,Rahulhasalwaysdeliveredonthebiggeststage.

Niceguys,theysay,alwaysfinishlast.Inanextraordinarycareer,whereinhehassmashedandovercomecliches,stereotypesandhurdlestoestablishhimselfasoneofIndia'sgreatestbatsmenofthenewmillenniumandoneofthegreatestmatch-winners in the history of cricket, Rahul Sharad Dravid has provedotherwise.

'Withitshugepopulation,Indiaisboundtodominatetheworldinmanyspheresandcricketwon'tbeanexception'–GREGCHAPPELL,TheHindu,8June2005

All the Indianswho lovedAsterix comics asmuch as they did cricketwouldhaveexperiencedafeelingofdéjàvuinmid-2005.IftheIndianmediawastobebelieved,Getafix, thebeloveddruidofAsterix'svillage,hadsprungoutof thecomicsandassumedtheformofGregoryStephenChappell.

John Wright's successor commenced his tenure on 27 June 2005 with anintensiveexaminationof thecountry's fastbowlingprospects fromallover thecountry,followedbyarigorousbuteventfulcampfor36probablesontheeveofthe first assignment of the season: a tri-series in Sri Lankawith a contractualconflict-strickenWestIndiesasthethirdside.Thefourthestatereverentlynotedthe varied 'ingredients' of Chappell's 'magic potion': Charles Krebbs, akinesiologist,who alongwith a certainDennis Lillee spent timewith the fastbowlers;IanFraser,asportsscientistandlong-timeassociateofChappell's;andEdward De Bono's lateral thinking techniques, including the six-hat theory.Chappell alsohad assistance in the formof the 'regulars': physio JohnGlosterwhosucceededAndrewLeipusas teamphysioearlier in theyear; trainerGregKing;andcomputeranalystS.Ramakrishnan.

Notwithstanding the entreaties of the knowledgeableswho appealed for theneedtogivethenewcoachtimeandspacetoestablishhimselfandproducethe'results'hehadalludedtoinhispresentationtothepanel that interviewedhim,thefourthestatewentoverboardinitspraiseandglorification.Theconsequence:India'scricket-lovingpublic,whichhaddemandedthemoonalltheseyears(andpost-1983, justifiablyso)fromtheircricket team,wasdemandingthesunfromChappell,thattooindoublequicktime.

On18JulycametheannouncementthatIndiancricket's'Asterix'ofthenewmillenniumwouldjoin'Getafix'Gregatthehelmofaffairs.

Rahul was appointed captain for the tri-series, the first time he had been

awarded this honour for a full tournament. Sourav Ganguly, who wasrepresentingGlamorgan in theEnglishCountyChampionship,was to join theteamonlyifJusticeAlbieSachsofICC'sDisputesResolutionCommitteeliftedthesix-matchbanimposedonhimbyICCRefereeChrisBroadforIndia'sslowoverrate in two consecutive matches of the disastrous one-day series againstPakistanearlierintheyear.

TendaysafterRahul'sappointmentcamethenewsthatSourav'sbanhadbeenreducedtofourmatches,whichmeantthathecouldplayinthethirdone-dayerin Sri Lanka, having alreadymissed the last two one-dayers against Pakistan.Theco-debutants,whenaskedfortheirrespectiveviews,reiteratedtheirfaithineachother'scapabilities.RahulexpressedhisdelighttohaveSouravintheside,while Sourav said that he had no issues playing under his long-time deputy.Althoughaprominentnationalnewspaperspokeforseveralcricket-loversinthecountry by pointing out that the new captain had only 'twenty days and fourgames(five,countingthefinal)inwhichtoprovehimselfasafull-timecaptain',Rahul was anything but diffident. He did not hide his ambition to make awinningstarttotheseason.

TheconditionsattheRangiristadiuminDambulla,whereIndiawastoplaythefirstthreeofitsfourleaguematches,wereeerilyreminiscenttothoseinNewZealand in 2002-03 – a magnificent stadium backed by picturesquesurroundings,gustywindsthatmadelifemiserablefortheTVcameramen,whatwiththesourceoftheirbreadandbutterrefusingtoremainsteady,apitchthathad something in it for the fastmen, and as it turned out, amiserable battingperformance.

WithSouravnotplaying,Tendulkar absentdue tohis tennis elbowsurgerythathadruledhimouttillSeptember2005,andKumblerelegatedtothereservebenches,RahulwalkedouttotosswithSriLankanskipperMarvanAtapattuasthesenior-mostmemberofthemaineleven.Hewonthetossandelectedtobatonagroundwhereheaveraged93withthebat,andfoundhimselfinthemiddleat22-2,afteropenersSehwagandDhonihadperishedinquicksuccession.Hegotoffthemarkwithaleg-glanceforfour,andwascontenttousethepaceoftheball, angling it down to third-manor fine-leg, against disciplinedbowling.YuvrajandKaiffell toordinarystrokesanddebutantSureshRainasuccumbedtothewilesofMuttiahMuralitharanfirstball.VenugopalRao,anotherdebutant,impressedwithaknockof38,and itwas this innings,besidesRahul's54, thathelped India reach 205-9, a huge improvement on 64-5. Not many weresurprisedthatRahulmadethehighestindividualscoreoftheinnings.

'Teamintrouble?Whomdoyouturnto?RahulDravid!'–IANCHAPPELL(onTV)

Thecaptainwas inhis elementwhen theSriLankansbegan thechase.Forhim,containmentwasneveranoption.Hereasonedthattheonlywayhisteamcouldwinagainstanoutfit thatwasclosetoinvincibleathome,wasbytakingten wickets. He placed his faith in his four frontline bowlers, Irfan Pathan,ZaheerKhan,AshishNehraandHarbhajanSingh,backed themwithattackingfields,andresistedthetemptationto'finishoffafewoversbythefifthbowlerinthemiddlestages.ThestrategyofgivinglongspellstohisbowlersworkedwhenZaheercastledJayawardeneinhiseighthoveronthetrotandHarbhajanbowledRussellArnoldinhisseventh.Twoslipswereinplaceaslateasthe41stoveroftheinnings,inwhichUpulChandanaedgedZaheertoDhonibehindthewickets.

ButthefifthbowlerletIndiadown,withSehwagconceding45fromhiseightovers.Rahul andhis teamwerealsoconfrontedwithanoldadversary;SanathJayasuriya.TheMataramaulerwasunabletoopentheinningsduetoashoulderinjurysustainedat thestartof thegame.Hecameinatnumbersixandfor theumpteenth time against his favourite opponent, closed out the game with asuperlativeinnings.

The Indianswent down fighting.After first demonstrating his batsmanshipand laterhis leadership,Rahulshowedhisgentlemanlyqualitieswhensecondsafterthebattlehadended,hecongratulatedJayasuriyaandaskedhimabouthisshoulder.

TherewerenoprizesforguessingthethoughtuppermostinthemindsoftheIndianplayersandsupporters:Ifonlytheyhadscoredtwentymoreruns.

Rahul essayed another fine hand in the next game against theWest Indies,helping India record a six-wicket victory. However, the win wasn't ascomprehensive as the margin suggests, with the West Indians putting downseveralcatches,andtheIndiantop-orderfailingtofireyetagain.SureshRaina,whowasdroppedatpointbeforeheopenedhisinternationalaccountandagainalittle later by the keeper, scored 35 before giving a tame catch in the covers.Rahul,whocameinat68-2inthe12thover,wastheidealbatsmantohandleanippy spell by the pacemanTinoBest. In the 16th over, a delivery fromBestclimbedawkwardly,andRahul,initiallytakenbysurprise,recoveredintimetonegotiateitsafely.TheelatedbowlerthoughtittheidealtimetodoaDonald.Hewalked to within handshaking distance of Rahul and expressed himselfanimatedly.

Rahul's response was not unexpected; three cracking boundaries in Best'snext over - the first, a mighty square-cut, reminiscent of his childhood heroViswanath in his heyday; the second, a Tendulkaresque uppercut to a risingdelivery; and the third, his trademark caress through the covers. Best waspromptlytakenoff,andhadnothingmuchtosayinhissubsequentspell.

MuchtothechagrinofRahulandChappell,theSriLankansdisplayedallthereasons that had taken them to the number two position in the ICC one-dayinternationalratings,inthenextencounter.Indiabattedfirstagain,andSehwagandGanguly,playinghisfirstgame,gotthemofftoastartof67.Notasinglewicketfellinthefirstfifteenovers,anidealplatformforanybattingteamtogetabigscore,buttheSriLankans 'hunginthere',untiloneoftheirplayersstoodup to be counted.TillakaratneDilshanmadeup forMuralitharan's absencebytakingfourwicketswithhisoff-breaks,includingRahul's,whomhetrappedleg-before for a duck. The Indian captainwas dismissed amere one run after hispredecessor had been bowled by leg-spinner Upul Chandana. Sourav's 51enabled him to complete 10,000 runs in one-day international cricket, but heconsumed110balls, and at 128-4 in the 34th over, the inningswas in tatters.EnterprisingknocksbyKaifandPathanensuredacompetitivetotalof220-8.

As in the firstmatch, Rahul attacked and his bowlers respondedmanfully.Wickets fell at regular intervals in the first nineteen overs and Ashish Nehrainitiatedamini-collapsethereafter,devouringDilshanandArnoldinsuccessiveovers.Attheotherend,HarbhajanhadFernandocaughtbehind,andtheIndiansweredelirious.

Butthehosts'hunginthere'.AnepicinningsbytheelegantJayawardeneandoutstandingsupportbyChandanatookthemfromahopeless95-6tothevictory-post.Rahultriedjustabouteverything,buttheLankanswereunstoppable.Thepositive thinker in the Indian leader came to the fore at the presentationceremony when he asserted that the Indians had run the hosts close in twogames,andwhatwasleftwasto'finishthingsoff.

Thecaptain'soptimismnotwithstanding,theIndianteamcontinuedits'under-performing' streakwith an unimpressivewin over theWest Indies in the finalleaguegame.Rahulfailedonceagainwiththebat,butYuvrajandKaiftookuptheresponsibilityofshoulderingtheinningsinastandthatbroughtbackseveralhappy memories. Birthday boy Chappell, delighted with the batting, wascrestfallen in the final stages of the game when theWest Indian lower orderlashedoutwithnothingtolose,andfinishedsevenrunsshortoftheIndiantotalof262.

Indiawent intothefinalwithadeterminedmindsetandfor thefirst timeinthetournament,fivespecialistbowlers.Buttheiropponents,whohadlost theirlastleaguegametotheWestIndies,wereas,ifnotmoreresolute.Nothingcoulddeter them from the pursuit of their objective to gladden the hearts of theircompatriots, who had been subjected to Nature's fury not very long ago.Jayasuriyascored67,andJayawardeneandArnoldcontrolledthemiddlestageswith finesse. In what was a supreme irony, the two Indian spinners, playingtogetherforthefirsttimeinthecompetition,wentfor104runsfromtheirtwentyovers and failed to take a wicket. The Sri Lankan think-tank, comprising thesenior players and new coach TomMoody, had decided not to get out to theIndianspinners.Theystucktotheirplanreligiously.

A target of 282was always going to be a stiff one for a bunch of playerslabelledas'chokers'foralltherightreasons.Sehwag,outofsortsthroughoutthetournament,redeemedhimselfwithablinderthatyieldedhim48fromonly22balls.Hetook26offDilharaLokuhettige'sfirstover,andjustasmemoriesofhissizzling126on the samegroundagainstEngland in the2002 ICCChampionsTrophy were flooding back, he played on to Chaminda Vaas. In Rahul andSourav,Indiahadtherightmentocapitaliseontherollickingstartandarun-rateoften.ButSouravwasn'tathisbest,andhefellleg-beforetoDilshaninthe16thoverforasubdued26off45deliveries.Rahul,whowasinfinenick,hadafewreassuringwordswiththenewmanYuvraj,whowasalwayssusceptibletospinintheinitialstagesofhisinnings.Thesouthpawgotofftoanuncertainstart,butstartedplayingmoreandmoreconfidentlywitheverypassingover.Everythingseemed hunky-dory for the visitors until the first ball of the 36th over, whenYuvrajsweptChandana,onlytofindamanwaitingtopouchtheskier.Atthatstage, India were 186-3, and needed 99 from 89 balls with seven wickets inhand. In theory, there did not seem to be toomuch of a problem, but the SriLankansknewthatIndiawereabatsmanshort.IrfanPathan,whowasbattingatnumberseven,hadall themakingsofanall-rounder,buthehadn'tyetreachedAndrewFlintoffsclass.Afterhimwasatailthatrarelywagged.

NineteenrunsafterYuvraj'sdismissalcamethebigwicket.Kaif,normallyagreatjudgeofarun,didnotrespondtoRahul'scallandleftthecaptainstranded.Rahul's dismissal for a valiant 60 in disastrously humid conditions, turned thematch. The subsequent batsmen found Chandana as difficult to score off asMuralitharan,whoswiftlymovedinforthekill.Kaifhithardandranlikeahare,butneitherwasheaidedbytheLankanbowlers,norbythemembersofhisteamwhosemainjobwastobowl.PathanadvanceddownthewickettoMuralitharanandmissed,andHarbhajanplayedaball intheshortthird-manregionandran,

forgettingthatitwasnotasingle-wickettournamenthewasparticipatingin.BythetimehehadturnedtolookatanincensedKaif,whohadbeentryingtosendhimbacktosafetysincetimeimmemorial,itwastoolate.

Rahul as always put on a brave front, talking about the 'positives' andacceptingthatalotofworkneededtobedoneinallthekeyareas.Hiscaptaincycertainlycouldnotbefaulted,hisboldapproachhavingimpressedoneandall.In fact, one could not help but think that had theBCCI been as bold as theircaptain, the outcome of the tournament could well have been different. On 1August 2005, the innovations recommended by the ICC's Cricket Committeecameintoforceforallone-dayinternationalsforaperiodoftenmonths.Thetri-series inSriLankawasexemptedfromtheinnovations,byvirtueof itshavingbegun 48 hours before the start of the ten-month period. But the Sri Lankan,IndianandWestIndianBoardshadtheoptionofemulatingtheirAustralianandEnglishcounterparts,whoagreedtoincorporatetheinnovationsinathree-matchone-dayseriesplayedinthefirstweekofJuly.

TheBCCImightwell have succeeded in convincing the other twoBoards,haditbeeninfavourofthechanges.ThewaythethreeIndia-SriLankatusslesunfolded, suggested that the 'Supersub' could have come in handy for India.Kumblecouldhave'supersubbed'oneofthebatsmenatthemid-inningsinterval,thusgivingRahul a fifth specialistbowler, in the first twomatches.Similarly,someonelikeVenugopalRaocouldhave'supersubbed'oneofthebowlersatthehalfwaystageinthefinal.Butthen,thisismereconjecture.

The long and short was that despite the best efforts of Chappell and his'supportstaff,theIndianteamcommencedthe2005-06seasonbyrepeatingtheirmistakes of 2004-05. The bowling failed in crucial situations, the battingwasmediocre,andthefieldingawful.Chappell'shoneymoonperiodhadended,buthissupporterswere relieved thathewouldnowbeable todischargehisdutieswithouttheexcessbaggageoftoomanyexpectations.

AdebateovertheidentityofIndia'snextcaptainwouldnothavestartedhadIndiawon the competition. But the team hadn't, and the cricket-loving publicneededsomethingtoargueabout.WouldtheselectorsgowithRahul,orwouldtheygobacktoSourav?

Interestingly,Rahul'sperformanceinSriLankawasnotunprecedentedintheannalsofIndiancricket.KapilDevandRaviShastriapart,noIndiancaptainhadbeen able to win his first 'multi-nation' one-day series as skipper. S.VenkataraghvanledIndiainthefirsttwoWorldCups,whereinIndiaregistereda

solitarywinagainstminnowsEastAfricaoutofthreematchesin1975,andlostall three games in 1979. A year-and-a-half later, India under Sunil Gavaskarfailed to reach the 'best-of-five' finals of a tri-series againstNewZealand andhostAustralia.DilipVengsarkar's teamcameunstuckagainstPakistanand theWestIndiesintheChampionsTrophyatSharjahin1988-89.K.Srikkanth'ssidecapsizedagainstthesameteamsinthesametournamentatthesamevenueoneyear later.MohammedAzharuddin'smuch-touted 'teamof thenineties' lost theraceforaberthinthefinalofatri-seriesagainstAustraliaandhostNewZealandinearly1990.Sixyearslater,thereigningWorldCupchampionsSriLankaandrunners-upAustralia kept India out of the final of a quadrangular tournament(Zimbabwe was the fourth team) in the Emerald Isles, in what was SachinTendulkar'sfirst'multi-nation'seriesascaptain.In1999-2000,AjayJadejatookIndiatothefinalofaquadrangulartournamentinKenya,wheretheteamlosttoSouthAfrica.Afewmonthslater,SouravGangulymadeawinningstartat thehelm,leadingIndiatoa3-2winoverSouthAfricainMarch2000,butthatwasabilateral one-day series. India could not qualify for the final of a tri-series atSharjahfeaturingPakistanandSouthAfrica,whichwasplayedafewdayslater.

TheexceptionswereRaviShastri,whoskipperedIndiatovictoryinanotherSharjah tri-series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in early 1988, and ofcourse Kapil Dev, who won the biggest prize of them all on 25 June 1983.Technically,GavaskarandAzharuddincanalsobeconsideredasexceptions,forbothwon their first 'multi-nation' series after being reinstated as captain – theAsia Cup at Sharjah in 1984 and the Independence Cup in Dhaka in 1998,respectively. Kapil Dev also won his first series after reinstatement; thequadrangularRothmansCup,playedintheoasisinMarch1985.

Moralofthestory-RahulSharadDravidwasonfirmground.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Iwouldliketothankthefollowingindividualswhohelpedmeinvariouswaysto write this book: Akash Chopra, Allan Border, Anant Gaundalkar, AndrewLeipus,AnshumanGaekwad,AnuradhaPrabhudesai,AshokMankad,B.P.Bam,Chandrashekhar Prabhudesai, Charu Sharma, Chinmay Prabhudesai, ClaytonMurzello, Dilnaz Anklesaria, Gundappa Viswanath, Hanif Mohammed, JontyRhodes, Medha Prabhudesai, Mike Coward, Moin Khan, Mudassar Nazar,MuraliKartik,NavjotSidhu,ParasMhambrey,thePMGteam,R.Kaushik,RajuMehta,RatnakarShetty(Prof),RichieBenaud,RitikaHiranandani,RobinSingh,Ruchi Kaushal, Sachin Tendulkar, Salil Ankola, Sandeep Patil, Sharda Ugra,SimonWillis,SudhirVaidya,SumedhShah,SunilGavaskar,SunilJoshi,SyedKirmani, Venkatapathy Raju, V.V.S. Laxman, Virender Sehwag, YajurvindraSingh,andR.K.Mehra.

RAHULDRAVIDFACTFILE(Ason10August2005)

Dateofbirth:11thJanuary1973Placeofbirth:Indore,MadhyaPradeshTeamsrepresentedinfirst-classcricket:India,SouthZone,RestofIndia,KarnatakaandKentRight-handedbatsmanOccasionaloff-spinnerHas kept wickets for India in 73 one-day internationals Test debut: v/sEnglandatLord's,London,20thJune1996ODIdebut:v/sSriLankaatthePadang,Singapore,5thApril1996First-classdebutv/sMaharashtra(RanjiTrophy),NehruStadium,Pune,2ndFebruary1991

RAHULDRAVIDINFIRST-CLASSCRICKETNote:Allfirst-classandTestrecordsareupdatedtilltheendoftheAhmedabadTestbetweenIndiaandSriLankaon22ndDecember2005.TherecordsincludetheICCSuperSeriesTestbetweenAustraliaandtheICCWorldXI,playedinOctober2005.

RAHUL'S'WIN-PERCENTAGE'

OfRahul's20Testhundreds,ninehavebeenmatch-winningknocks, includingfour of them overseas. These comprise two double hundreds: 233 againstAustraliaatAdelaideand270againstPakistanatRawalpindiinthesameseason.This gives Rahul a 'win-percentage' of 45, the highest among Indian batsmen

withtenormoreTesthundreds.

NOTABLEACHIEVEMENTS

RahulistheonlybatsmaninTesthistorytoscoreacenturyineveryotherTest-playingnation.RahulistheonlyIndiantoscorefivedoublehundredsinTestcricket.Hescoredthreeofthoseinthesameseason-2003-04.HeistheonlyIndiantoscorethreeTestdoublehundredsonforeignsoil.HeistheonlyIndiantoscorehundredsinfourconsecutiveTestinnings.HehastakenthehighestnumberofcatchesbyanIndiannon-wicketkeeper(129)inTestcricket.ThetwootherIndianstotakeoverhundredcatchesareSunilGavaskar(108)andMohammedAzharuddin(105).

THEMAGNIFICENTNINE–BATSMENWHOHAVESCOREDTWINHUNDREDSINATESTTWICE

HerbertSutcliffe(England)-176&127v/sAustraliaatMelbourne,1924-24and104&1091v/sSouthAfricaatTheOval,1929GeorgeHeadley(WestIndies)-114&112v/sEnglandatGeorgetown,1929-30and106a107alsoagainstEnglandatLord's,1939ClydeWalcott(WestIndies)-126a110atTrinidadand155a110at

Kingston-bothagainstAustraliainthesameseriesin1954-55GregChappell(Australia)-247*&133v/sNewZealandatWellington,1973-74and123a109*v/sWestIndiesatBrisbane,1975-76SunilGavaskar(India)-124a220v/sWestIndiesatTrinidad,1970-71;111&137v/sPakistanatKarachi,1978-79and107&182*v/sWestIndiesatKolkatainthesameseason.Theonlyplayertodosothrice.AllanBorder(Australia)-150*&153v/sPakistanatLahore,1979-80and140&114*v/sNewZealandatChristchurch,1985-86AravindaDeSilva(SriLanka)-138*&103*v/sPakistanin1996-97and146&120v/sIndiaatColombo,1997MatthewHayden(Australia)-197&103v/sEnglandatBrisbane,2002-03and117&132v/sSriLankaatCairns,2004RahulDravid(India)-190&103*v/sNewZealandatHamilton,1998-99and110&135v/sPakistanatKolkata,2004-05

THE TWO OTHER INDIANS TO AVERAGE OVER FIFTY FROMOVERFIFTYTESTS

RAHULDRAVIDTHECAPTAIN

FIRST-CLASSCRICKET

HecaptainedKarnatakatovictoryintheRanjiTrophyfinalin1997-98.HewasamemberoftheKarnatakateamthatwontheRanjiTrophyin1995-96.

TESTCRICKET

IndiahavewontwoandlosttwoofRahul'sfiveTestsascaptain.

InthesefiveTests,Rahulscored247runsatanaverageof22.45,withahighestscoreof53.

RAHULDRAVIDINONE-DAYINTERNATIONALS

Note:Allrecordshavebeenupdatedtill theendoftheone-dayseriesbetween

IndiaandSouthAfricainNovember2005.

ThestatsincludetheTsunamiReliefone-dayerbetweentheAsiaXIandWorldXI,playedatMelbourneon10thJanuary2005,andthethreeICCSuperSeriesODISbetweenAustraliaandtheICCWorldXIinOctober2005.

ODIRECORD–COUNTRYWISEBATTINGANDFIELDING

SOMELANDMARKACHIEVEMENTS

Rahulwasthethirdwicketkeeper-batsmanafterZimbabweansDaveHoughtonandAndyFlowertoscoreahundredintheWorldCup.HewasthesecondbatsmanafterAustralianMarkWaughtoscoreback-to-backhundredsintheWorldCup.HewasthefirstIndianwicketkeeper-batsmantoscoreahundredinone-dayinternationals.

ASCAPTAINOFINDIAINONE-DAYINTERNATIONALS

Debut:v/sZimbabweatRajkotin2000-01

Played-17Won-7Lost-9No-result-1

Rahul scored 553 runs from these seventeenmatches at an average of 36.86,inclusiveofsixfifties.

BIBLIOGRAPHYANDREFERENCES

ALMANACKS

WisdenCricketers'Almanack-1996to2004

BOOKS

GuluEzekiel,Sachin,PenguinBooksIndia,2002

GuluEzekiel,Sourav,PenguinBooksIndia,2003

Mike Coward, Rookies, Rebels and Renaissance - Cricket in the 80s, ABCBooks.

PartabRamchand,India'sCaptains-FromNayudutoGanguly,PenguinBooksIndia,2004

ShaneWarne, ShaneWarne,My Autobiography, Hodder and Stoughton, UK,2001

Vaibhav Purandare, Sachin Tendulkar - A Definitive Biography, Roli Books,2005

VedamJaishankar,RahulDravid,ABiography,UBSPD,2004

VedamJaishankar,CastingASpell -ThestoryofKarnatakaCricket,UBSPD,2005

NEWSPAPERS,MAGAZINESANDPERIODICALS

CricketTodayMid-Day

TheHindu

TheIndianExpressTheSportstarWisdenAsiaCricketWisdenCricketMonthly

TELEVISIONCHANNELS

ESPN-STAR

TenSports

WEBSITES

Cricinfo

Cricketforindia.com

Rediff.com

INDEX

AaqibJavedAbdulRazzaqAdams,PaulAgarkar,AjitAmarnath,LalaAmarnath,MohinderAmarnath,SurinderAmbrose,CurtlyAmre,PraveenAnkola,SalilArnold,RussellAsimKamalAstle,NathanAtapattu,MarvanAtherton,Michael

Balaji,LaxmipathyBam,B.P.Banerjee,SambaranBangar,SanjayBansal,S.K.Barrington,KenBedi,BishanBenaud,RichieBest,TinoBhogle,HarshaBichel,AndyBijlani,SangeetaBinny,RogerBird,HaroldBlignaut,Andy

Bond,ShaneBorder,AllanBorg,BjornBotham,IanBoycott,GeoffreyBradman,SirDonald,ixBroad,ChrisBryson,RudiBucknor,Steve

Caddick,AndrewCairns,ChrisCastrolIndianCricketeroftheYearChandana,UpulChanderpaul,ShivnarineChappell,GregChappell,IanChauhan,RajeshChopra,AkashClarke,MichaelCollins,PedroContractor,NariCork,DominicCoward,MikeCronje,HansieCrowe,MartinCullinan,Darryl

Dalmiya,JagmohanDas,ShivSunderDasgupta,DeepDeBono,EdwardDeSilva,AravindaDenness,MikeDev,KapilDhoni,MahendraSinghDighe,SameerDillon,Mervyn

Dilshan,TillakaratneDonald,AllanDravid,ColK.V.Dravid,PushpaDravid,SharadDravid,VijayDravid,VijeetaDuckworth-LewisDungarpur,RajSingh

Fairbrother,NeilFatherDennisCoelhoFazl-e-AkbarFernando,RanjitField,DavidFingleton,JackFleming,DamienFleming,StephenFlintoff,AndrewFlower,AndyFraser,IanFrith,David

Gaekwad,AnshumanGambhir,GautamGanesh,DoddaGanguly,SouravGarner,JoelGavaskar,SunilManoharGibbs,HerschelleGilchrist,AdamGiles,AshleyGillespie,JasonGloster,JohnGordon,SandyGreenidge,CuthbertGordonGupte,Chinmay

Gupte,MadhuGupte,Subhash

Hammond,WalterHanifMohammedHauritz,NathanHayden,MatthewHaynes,DesmondHick,GraemeHoggard,MatthewHooper,CarlHoughton,DaveHughes,Simon

ImranFarhatImranKhanInzamam-ul-HaqIrani,RonnieIrfanPathan

Jadeja,AjayJames,KevanJarman,BarryJavedMiandadJayawardene,MahelaJennings,RayJohnson,DavidJones,DeanJoshi,SunilJusticeSachsAlbie

Kallicharran,AlvinKallis,JacquesKaluwitharana,RomeshKambli,VinodKamranAkmal

Kaneria,DanishKapoor,AashishKarthik,DineshKartik,MuraliKasprowicz,MichaelKatich,SimonKing,GregKirsten,GaryKlusener,LanceKrebbs,CharlesKumble,AnilKuruvilla,Abey

Laker,JimLai,ArunLamb,AllanLanger,JustinLara,BrianLawson,JermaineLaxman,V.V.S.LeRoux,AdrianLee,BrettLeipus,AndrewLewis,ChrisLewis,RawlLillee,DennisLindsay,DenisLloyd,CliveLokuhettige,Dilhara

MacGill,StuartMadanlalManjrekar,SanjayManjrekar,VijayMankad,AshokMankad,VinooMansoorAliKhanPataudiMantri,Madhav

Martin-Jenkins,ChristopherMartyn,DamienMcGrath,GlennMcMillan,BrianMcMillan,CraigMelville,AlanMerchant,VijayMhambrey,ParasMitchley,CyrilMohammedAzharuddinMohammedKaifMohammedKhalilMohammedNissarMohammedRafiqueMohammedSamiMohammedZahidMoinKhanMongia,DineshMongia,NayanMore,KiranMudassarNazarMullally,AlanMuralitharan,MuttiahMushtaqAhmed

Nagamattoo,MahendraNagaraj,C.Nash,DionNasserHussainNayudu,C.K.Nehra,AshishO'Toole,PeterOram,Jacob

Pandey,PiyushPandove,M.P.Patel,Brijesh

Patel,MinPatel,ParthivPatil,SandeepPollock,ShaunPonting,RickyPowell,RicardoPrabhakar,ManojPrabhu,K.N.Prasad,M.S.K.Prasad,Venkatesh

Raina,SureshRaju,VenkatapathyRamakrishnan,S.Ramesh,SadagoppanRanatunga,ArjunaRanjitsinhji,K.S.Rao,VenugopalRathore,VikramRatra,AjayRevSerkisRhodes,JontyRichards,SirVivianRowe,LawrenceRungta,KishenRussell,Jack

SabaKarimSaeedAnwarSanford,AdamSangakkara,KumarSaqlainMushtaqSehwag,VirenderShabbirAhmedShahidAfridiSharma,CharuShastri,Ravi

Shetty,Ratnakar(Prof.)ShoaibAkhtarShoaibMalikShukla,AshishSidhu,NavjotSimpson,BobSingh,AmarSingh,HarbhajanSingh,Robin,Singh,SarandeepSingh,YajurvindraSingh,YuvrajSlater,MichaelSmith,CammieSmith,GraemeSobers,SirGarfieldSrikkanth,KSrinath,JavagalStewart,AlecStyris,ScottSyedKirmaniSyedMushtaqAli

Tarapore,KekiTelemachus,RogerTendulkar,SachinTudor,AlexTuffey,Darryl

Ugra,ShardaUmarGulUmrigar,PollyUpashanta,Eric

Vaas,ChamindaVengsarkar,Dilip

Venkataraghvan,SVettori,DanielVincent,LouViswanath,G.R.Viswanath,P.S.Vizianagaram,Maharajkumar

Wadekar,AjitWalsh,CourtneyWaqarYounisWarne,ShaneWasimAkramWasimjafferWaugh,MarkWaugh,SteveWeekes,EvertonWickremasinghe,PramodyaWilliams,BradWilliams,ConnorWillis,SimonWoolmer,BobWright,John

Yadav,ShivlalYadav,VijayYousufYouhana

ZaheerKhan

CelebratingtheBestofIndianCricket

The Castrol Awards for Cricketing Excellence honour the past, present andfutureofIndiancricket.

TheAwardscomprisethreemaincategories:

castrolindiancricketeroftheyearaward

castroljuniorcricketeroftheyearaward

castrollifetimeachievementincricketaward

The Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year Award is the most covetedcricketing award and is determined through a two-tier systembased on pointsand votes. The voting population includes all the cricketers who haverepresentedIndia.

TheplayerwhoreceivesthehighestnumberofvotesisdeclaredtheCastrolIndianCricketeroftheYear.SincetheinceptionoftheCastrolawardsin1997-98,thiscovetedawardhasbeenwonbyRahulDravidin1998-99,2001-02and2002-03,andSachinTendulkarin1997-98,1999-2000and2000-01.TendulkarandDravidsharedtheawardin2003-04.

TheCastrolJuniorCricketeroftheYearAwardisgiventoacricketerfromthe Under-19 age group on the basis of his performance in junior-levelinternational and domestic tournaments.Winners includeYuvraj Singh (1999-2000),AjayRatra(2000-01)andParthivPatel(2001-02),whohavegoneontorepresenttheseniorIndianteam.

In 1999-2000, Castrol introduced the Castrol Lifetime Achievement inCricketAward tohonouran individualwhohasmadeoutstandingcontributiontoIndiancricket.TherecipientsofthisprestigiousawardsofarincludelegendslikeCaptVijayHazare,P.R.Umrigar,B.S.Chandrasekhar,SunilGavaskarandKapilDev.

For more information on the Castrol Awards for Cricketing Excellence,pleaselogontowww.castrol.co.in.