Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid are widely regarded as two of the greatest batsmen to have played the game. The duo had shared numerous memorable partnerships during their playing days, including the record 100-run stands and most number of runs while batting together in Test cricket.
In 143 Test innings that Tendulkar and Dravid played together, they amassed 6920 runs at an average of 50.51 with 20 hundreds and 29 fifties; while in ODIs, Tendulkar and Dravid batted together in 98 innings, aggregating 4117 runs at 44.26 with 11-century and 14-fifty stands.
As far as their individual cricket credentials are concerned – Tendulkar played 200 Tests and 463 ODIs for India during his 24-year-old career, scoring the world record number of runs (15921 in Tests and 18426 in ODIs) and centuries (51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs) whereas Dravid aggregated 13,288 runs in 164 Tests with 36 centuries and 10,889 runs in 344 ODIs with 12 centuries during his 16-year long international journey.
Recently, Sachin and Dravid shared their experience of playing at the Home of Cricket – Lord’s.
Even though the Little Master boasts an outstanding record on English soil, he couldn’t quite leave his mark at the Mecca of Cricket. In contrast to his Test average in England (54.31), Sachin averages only 21.66 at Lord’s in 9 innings without a single fifty or a hundred.
“To come here and play is always special. I have always enjoyed being here at Lord’s. Somehow I couldn’t get big runs here but I also see at the same time that some big name is missing out there on the honors boards,” Tendulkar said in a video posted by Lord’s cricket ground’s official page on Facebook.
Sachin might have missed out on making it to the Lord’s honors boards, Rahul Dravid fulfilled this wish on his last tour to England in 2011. Fondly known as ‘The Wall’ for his watertight batting technique, Dravid had also made his Test debut at the Home of Cricket back in 1996 and played a glorious knock of 95.
Recalling his maiden outing at Lord’s as a 23-year-old young man, Dravid said: “I was very nervous going out there to bat. I think it was a good thing that England batted first as it gave me the couple of days to settle into the game. But yeah remember being extremely nervous going out to bat. I batted at No. 7 in those days.”
“Got off to a start and started feeling a bit better about myself. It was a flat wicket and I was a little disappointed to walk away with 95. It would’ve have been lovely scoring a hundred here, my first Test match at Lord’s. But 95 felt like a victory as well. It felt great and it gave me a lot of confidence,” he added.
In his four Tests at Lord’s, Dravid scored 354 runs at an impressive average of 59 with 1 ton and 2 half-centuries. He also has an outstanding record on English soil in red-ball cricket, scoring 1376 runs in 13 Tests at an incredible average of 68.80 including 6 centuries and 4 fifties.
Talking about his 103* at Lord’s during the 2011 series, Rahul said: “I was a lot more experienced than when I came first here. So I probably knew a bit better as how to deal with that sort of nervousness and tension. It was a huge relief. I felt like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders.”
“At the end of that series, I was able to bring my two young boys to this ground and actually look up at that board. And for them to see my name there I think was a nice feeling,” he concluded.
In the video, cricketing giants such as Waqar Younis, Kumar Sangakkara, and Sourav Ganguly have also pitched in with their tributes to the modern masters – Tendulkar and Dravid.
Here’s the video:
