Rahul Dravid: The Wall that stood tall in all conditions

The first Test hundred

Dravid had missed his first Test hundred by five runs on his debut and had to wait for nearly six more months for it.

In the series against South Africa, the then Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar won the toss at Johannesburg on 16th January 1997 and decided to bat. Indian opener Vikram Rathour lost his wicket early and Dravid walked in at number three, with 25 runs on the board.

Dravid went on to score a well-compiled 148 against a South African bowling attack comprising Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and Lance Klusener. Dravid batted for 541 minutes and sent the red cherry to the boundary ropes 21 times.

This was Dravid's first of many Test hundreds. He scored 81 in the second innings but South Africa managed to draw the game.