31,258: ICC Shares Rahul Dravid's Iconic Test Record

The ICC's post on Twitter read: "31,258 - Rahul Dravid has faced more balls than anyone else in Test cricket. No other batsman has even crossed 30,000 deliveries! Dravid faced an average of 190.6 balls per Test match across his career #HallofFame."

Photo: Twitter

The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Saturday, took to Twitter to post the Test record of one of the finest batsman ever to play the game of cricket - Rahul Dravid. The Indian cricket team's iconic batsman, popularly named as 'Wall' of the team's middle-order was one of the most important batsmen in red-ball cricket for his team during his playing days.

The ICC's post on Twitter read: "31,258 - Rahul Dravid has faced more balls than anyone else in Test cricket. No other batsman has even crossed 30,000 deliveries! Dravid faced an average of 190.6 balls per Test match across his career #HallofFame."

3️⃣1️⃣,2️⃣5️⃣8️⃣ – Rahul Dravid has faced more balls than anyone else in Test cricket. No other batsman has even crossed 30,000 deliveries! Dravid faced an average of 190.6 balls per Test match across his career 👏#ICCHallOfFame pic.twitter.com/G4D6LWBqLV

— ICC (@ICC) July 11, 2020

Rahul Dravid played 164 Tests in his career between 1994 till 2012. Interestingly, the other two batsmen in top-three - Sachin Tendulkar (200 Tests and faced 29,437 balls) and Jacques Kallis (28,903 deliveries in his 166-Test career) -  played more matches than Dravid but faced lesser deliveries.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and  National Cricket Academy (NCA) Head Rahul Dravid had made their Test debuts together at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground back in 1996. Ganguly, who smashed a century on his debut, recalled how he was standing in Lord's balcony, expecting Dravid also to score a hundred in that match.

"I was too engrossed in my performance to be honest. When he (Dravid) came into bat, I was already at 70 odd. I remember my 100 scoring shot which was a cover drive through point and he was at the non-striker's end. I finished the day at 131, I got out an hour after tea and he carried on," he added.

"He came back the next morning and got 95. I was standing at the Lord's balcony hoping that he would get a hundred. I have seen him play at the under 15s, then Ranji Trophy together. I had seen his debut at Eden Gardens and then seeing his debut at Lord's. So, I watched his career closely. It would have been great had we both got hundreds that day," Ganguly had said.