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THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
S P O R T S

End of an era
Rahul Dravid retires from international and first class cricket after a glorious career spanning 16 years

Rahul Dravid announced his retirement in Bangalore on Friday. Dravid, the second highest run scorer in Tests, scored 13,228 runs with 36 centuries.Bangalore, March 9
Rahul Dravid, “The Wall”, today announced his retirement from international and domestic first cricket, to lead “the life of an ordinary person”. “You will see me buying groceries from the neighbourhood store and fetch my two sons from school”, the legendary batsman, who has scored more than 24, 000 runs in international cricket, said in response to a question.

Rahul Dravid announced his retirement in Bangalore on Friday. Dravid, the second highest run scorer in Tests, scored 13,228 runs with 36 centuries. — PTI 

How the wall was built
Lord's, June 22, 1996: Rahul Dravid made his Test debut at Lord's and impressed immediately with a stroke-filled 95. Hamilton, January 4, 1999: In 1999, Dravid became only the third India batsman to score centuries in each innings of a Test, after Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar, when he scored 190 and 103 not out in Hamilton. Since then the only Indian to repeat the feat is Dravid himself, in 2005



EARLIER STORIES


There can be no other like Dravid, says Tendulkar
New Delhi, March 9
Sachin Tendulkar has paid rich tributes to Rahul Dravid, who today bid adieu to all forms of cricket, saying there can be "no other" cricketer like him. "There was and is only one Rahul Dravid. There can be no other. I will miss Rahul in the dressing room and out in the middle," Tendulkar said.

Louis Philippe Cup
Ahmedabad in final
Chandigarh, March 9
Ahmedabad and Banglore advanced to the final of the inaugural city-based Louis Philippe Cup being played at the KGA in Bangalore on Friday. In the semifinals, Ahmedabad defeated Chandigarh 2-1 and Bangalore got the better of Chennai by an identical scoreline.

Kanwarpreet bags inter-varsity gold
Patiala, March 9
Punjabi University, Patiala, boxer Kanwarpreet Bainiwal won her second successive gold medal at the All India Inter-University Boxing Championship held at Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar.






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End of an era
Rahul Dravid retires from international and first class cricket after a glorious career spanning 16 years
Shubhadeep Choudhury
Tribune News Service

Bangalore, March 9
Rahul Dravid, “The Wall”, today announced his retirement from international and domestic first cricket, to lead “the life of an ordinary person”. “You will see me buying groceries from the neighbourhood store and fetch my two sons from school”, the legendary batsman, who has scored more than 24, 000 runs in international cricket, said in response to a question.

Rahul Dravid (L) shakes hands with Anil Kumble (R), at the press conference where he announced his retirement, as BCCI president N. Srinivasan (C) looks on in Bangalore on Friday
Rahul Dravid (L) shakes hands with Anil Kumble (R), at the press conference where he announced his retirement, as BCCI president N. Srinivasan (C) looks on in Bangalore on Friday. — AFP

Dravid winked, smiled frequently and never really looked sad as he announced his decision to bid goodbye to international and domestic first class cricket in a jam-packed press conference held at the conference hall at Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium complex here today.

“I would like to announce my retirement from international and domestic first class cricket. It has been 16 years since I first played a Test match for India, and I feel it’s time for me to move on. I have had a wonderful time, but now it is time for a new generation of young players to make their own history and take the Indian cricket team even further”, Dravid said reading out from a written statement.

Nicknamed “The Wall” by the media for his impregnable defence and the ability to score against the best of bowlers, Dravid had a disastrous tour of Australia that preceded his decision to retire from the international arena. In the recently concluded Australia tour, the 39-year-old scored only 194 runs in eight innings at an average of 24.25. What shocked his fans even more was that he got bowled in six out of the eight innings.

A reliable slip fielder, who is credited with the world record of taking the maximum number of catches in Tests (210), Dravid, in recent days, was also found dropping catches. “I put down two or three catches which normally I would like myself to take. And I would pride myself in taking these catches. People playing in the team will tell you that nothing frustrates me more than dropping catches. I can get out and get over it after 15 or 20 minutes. But when I drop a catch it stays with me for a really long time. It really hurts in a lot of ways”, Dravid, sensitive and truthful as always, said.

“The Wall” denied that his performance in Australia had anything to do with his decision to hang up his boots. “Irrespective of how the Australian series would have gone, I had decided to take a call after the series. I had confided in a few friends and discussed what was good for Indian cricket and what the future holds. I did not follow every single word but knew what kind of reaction we were facing in India. I would have come to the same conclusion irrespective of what would have happened in Australia”, he said.

While Dravid was in poor nick in Australia, he was the toast of the nation in the preceding overseas tour of England and played well in the home series against West Indies that followed the England tour.

Considered one of the world’s greatest Test players, Dravid has scored 13,288 runs in 164 Tests at an average of over 52 which made him second highest scorer behind Sachin Tendulkar. His highest score is 270 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2004.

He also has a very impressive ODI record. He has scored 10,889 runs at an average of shade less than 40. He has 12 centuries and 83 half centuries in the shorter format.

Dravid was dropped from the Indian ODI side in 2007 by the selection committee chairman and former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar who was reportedly angry with Dravid for quitting the captaincy of India team without informing him.

In today’s press conference, Dravid was accompanied by the BCCI chief N Srinivasan and Dravid’s former team mate and the present Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) president Anil Kumble.

Dravid said he informed the BCCI in advance about his plan to retire. However, he refused to go into the subject in any detail stating that it was a “personal issue”. He said he had also spoken to Sachin and his other team mates and “they were all very supportive”.

Dravid’s father Sharad Dravid, wife Vijeeta and sons Samit and Anvay were also present at the press conference. 



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How the wall was built

Lord's, June 22, 1996: Rahul Dravid made his Test debut at Lord's and impressed immediately with a stroke-filled 95. Hamilton, January 4, 1999: In 1999, Dravid became only the third India batsman to score centuries in each innings of a Test, after Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar, when he scored 190 and 103 not out in Hamilton. Since then the only Indian to repeat the feat is Dravid himself, in 2005

Rahul DravidKolkata, March 14, 2001: At Eden Gardens, India were following on against Australia, facing a 274-run first-innings deficit. Dravid scored 180 and had a 376-run partnership with VVS Laxman that saw the pair bat through the fourth day of the Test. Laxman and Dravid's epic stand led to one of India's most famous wins

Headingley, August 23, 2002: In difficult conditions, Dravid saw off the new ball in an innings that has been lauded as one of his best. Though Sachin Tendulkar scored more runs in the game, Dravid was named Man of the Match for his 148. The knock helped India win a Test in England after 16 years

The Oval, September 8, 2002: Dravid's third century of the series was a double, and ensured India drew the fourth Test, and thus the series. His 217 was the third of four hundreds in consecutive innings, a record for an India batsman

Adelaide, December 13, 2003: Responding to Australia's huge first-innings score, Dravid scored his first century down under and converted it into a double. He and Laxman added 303 runs to rescue India from 85 for 4. Chasing 230 in the final innings, Dravid fought hard once again ... .. and delivered India a six-wicket victory and a 1-0 lead in the series in Australia.

Rawalpindi, April 15, 2004: Dravid produced his career-best in Rawalpindi in 2004, his 270 leading India to 600 in the first innings, after which they eventually won by an innings and 131 runs. India won the series 2-1, their first series victory in Pakistan

London, September 7, 2004: Dravid was named the ICC Test player of the year and player of the year in September 2004

Nagpur, October 29, 2004: Ganguly withdrew from the third Test against Australia and Dravid stood in as captain on a greentop. He was hit by a Michael Kasprowicz bouncer during India's 342-run defeat

Kolkata , March 19, 2005: Dravid's twin centuries against Pakistan in Kolkata 2005 gave India a 195-run victory and the series lead.

Harare, September 2005: The spat between Ganguly and Greg Chappell, which blew up during the tour of Zimbabwe in 2005, led to Dravid's appointment as India captain ahead of the home series against Sri Lanka in December

Lahore, January 16, 2006: Dravid and Virender Sehwag set the record for the highest opening partnership in Pakistan - 410 in Lahore in 2006. Dravid's unbeaten century was his first as captain

Nottingham, July 31, 2007: Dravid and Ganguly completed a seven-wicket win in Trent Bridge. India maintained their 1-0 lead to win a series in England for the first time since 1986. He resigned from captaincy after the tour.

Perth, January 16, 2008: India won by 72 runs. In the first innings of that Test, Dravid top-scored with 93 in India's total of 330. They eventually took a decisive lead of 118.

Wellington, April 6, 2009: Dravid broke the record for most catches in Tests, going past Mark Waugh's 181. India won the series and Dravid would later become the only player to complete 200 Test catches

Lord's, July 23, 2011: In his first Test at Lord's, in 1996, Dravid had made 95. In his last Test there, in 2011, he made his first century at the home of cricket.

Nottingham, July 30, 2011: In the second Test on that tour of England, Dravid's century at Trent Bridge, while opening the innings, gave India the first-innings lead. They went on to lose by 319 runs, though.

The Oval, August 21, 2011: At The Oval, with the series lost and the rest of India's batsmen continuing to flounder against swing and seam, Dravid's resistance continued. He made his third century of the tour, an unbeaten 146 as opener, and was only the third Indian to carry his bat. He finished India's 0-4 defeat with 461 runs at an average of 76.

Adelaide, January 28, 2012: Dravid played his last Test at Adelaide Oval, in January 2012. 

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There can be no other like Dravid, says Tendulkar

New Delhi, March 9
Sachin Tendulkar has paid rich tributes to Rahul Dravid, who today bid adieu to all forms of cricket, saying there can be "no other" cricketer like him. "There was and is only one Rahul Dravid. There can be no other. I will miss Rahul in the dressing room and out in the middle," Tendulkar said.
Rahul Dravid (R) is the second highest Test run scorer, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar (L).
Rahul Dravid (R) is the second highest Test run scorer, trailing only Sachin Tendulkar (L). 

Batting great Rahul Dravid, the second most prolific batsman in the game's history and India's middle order bulwark for years, today brought down the curtains on his glorious 16-year career, saying it was the right time to move on and allow "a new generation of cricketers to make a new history".

Test cricket's two most prolific batsmen, Tendulkar and Dravid together fashioned many of India's famous wins with crucial partnerships over the past one and a half decade.

Talking about those partnerships, Tendulkar said, "I have shared the best moments with him. Our many century partnerships are testimony to the hours we spent together in the middle.

"For someone who has played 164 matches and over 13000 runs, no tribute can be enough." — PTI

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Louis Philippe Cup
Ahmedabad in final
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 9
Ahmedabad and Banglore advanced to the final of the inaugural city-based Louis Philippe Cup being played at the KGA in Bangalore on Friday. In the semifinals, Ahmedabad defeated Chandigarh 2-1 and Bangalore got the better of Chennai by an identical scoreline.

Sujjan Singh was the only winner for Team Chandigarh, as Harendra Gupta and Gagan Bhullar lost their respective matches to the Ahmedabad players.

In the other semifinal, host team Bangalore was made to work hard and ultimately local hero Anirban Lahiri was able to subdue the challenge of Chennai’s Anura Rohana in a tense match. Abhishek Jha was the other winner for Bangalore but their third player Manav Jaini suffered defeat at the hands of SSP Chowrasia.

But the day’s marquee match was between India’s top two pro-golfers Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa. Jeev playing for Team Noida did not make use of the putting opportunities and went down to Gurgaon’s Randhawa as he was three down through 16 holes.

This was the first time in their long professional careers that these two pros came head to head in a matchplay format and Randhawa converted the crucial shots to win this one.

"It was great playing against Jeev. The intensity of the match was phenomenal. We both pushed ourselves to play our best and fortunately I played solid enough to win without dropping a single shot to par in 15 holes." said Jyoti Randhawa after the win.

"I am disappointed . Jyoti putted better than me that's what cost me the game. Overall the week has been excellent. The Louis Philippe Cup is an amazing format. A lot of people are going to come out and watch the sport played in this format. I am really glad I was here to be part of the inaugural edition of the event. This tournament also served as a great match practice as I haven't been playing competitively for two weeks,” said Jeev.

The final will be played on Saturday and the winning team will pocket the top prize of Rs 36 lakh.

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Kanwarpreet bags inter-varsity gold
Gagan K. Teja
Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 9
Punjabi University, Patiala, boxer Kanwarpreet Bainiwal won her second successive gold medal at the All India Inter-University Boxing Championship held at Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar.

Two more pugilists, Balbir Singh (69 kg) and Bikram Singh (64 kg) from the same university also won bronze medals in the tournament.

Bainiwal who is a BA-II student of MM Modi College, Patiala, and plays in 91 kg weight category won this laurel defeating the Haryana boxer 18-11 in the final bout. Interestingly, he knocked out all his opponents to reach the final.

Notably, Bainiwal had won gold during the last All India Inter-University also that was held in Jaipur last year and watching his performance, Airport Authority of India have been his sponsors since last year. He has also won various medals at national championships in the past.

Talking to The Tribune about this achievement, Bainiwal said this was just the beginning. “I too want to earn a name like my senior players and make the country proud. I have been training under boxing coach Harpreet Singh and Jaswant Singh and taking tips from chief boxing coach of India Gurbax Singh Sandhu," he added.

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