Awful is a word not often associated with an Indian batting order consisting of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni. Yet, on August 20, 2011, the famed Indian line-up were exactly that.
They were a shadow of their former selves throughout the series. They had suffered comprehensive defeats in each of the first three Tests against England and were on the brink of losing a fourth, courtesy of some exceptional self-destructive skills on display at The Oval.
After a collectively woeful performance from the Indian bowlers helped Ian Bell to a double ton and England to 591-6, Sehwag was forced to walk down the pavilion stairs without his usual partner Gautam Gambhir. As had been the case for a decade and a half, it was down to Dravid to plug the team’s gap once again and open the innings.
James Anderson’s first over of the innings saw Sehwag returning to the pavilion, dismissed leg before. Familiar misery gripped India as Laxman followed suit, edging one behind off Stuart Broad. India were 13-2 and reeling just four overs in.
DRAVID LEADS A FIGHTBACK
At 38, Dravid was well aware of the fact that this was probably his farewell Test on English soil. This was the country where he had begun his career in the longest format of the game 15 years prior. The poignancy of the moment was not evident on his calm facade but deep inside, he must have wanted the innings to be special.
Dravid’s defiance and refusal to surrender even as his team-mates left him stranded exemplified his nerves of steel. While the Tendulkars and Rainas succumbed to pressure from the England seamers, Dravid stood firm with his fearless resolve and patient approach.
#Dravid sir admiration tweet!
— Shafana Hussain (@not_losechester) August 21, 2016
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Surprisingly, it was Amit Mishra who managed to provide some resistance against Anderson, Broad and Tim Bresnan. He stayed put for as long as 85 minutes and survived 77 deliveries for his 43.
Mishra’s 87-run partnership with Dravid came to a halt when Bresnan induced a mistimed pull off the former which Bell plucked out of the air, completing a stunning catch on the leg side. Dravid now had to shoulder the responsibility of shielding an ill Gambhir and two tailenders in a bid to haul the innings as deep as possible.
STANDING TALL AMIDST THE RUINS
Not that Dravid’s innings was entirely risk-free. He endured the heat from the England bowlers more often than not, but when he played his shots he made sure that those were reminiscent of his younger, more fruitful days.
He was particularly harsh on Graeme Swann. From slog-sweeps and late-cuts to a flick through midwicket, Dravid’s foot movement against the off-spinner highlighted why he is considered one of the best to have ever wielded the willow.
Dravid’s century surmised odds he was up against throughout the tour. He was forced into a dive in order to complete his 99th run when Broad decided to have a shy at the stumps from mid-off. Then a Bresnan delivery rammed into his bottom hand leaving him wincing in pain. As he guided the bowler towards third man for his hundredth run two balls later, Dravid’s deserved ton was complete.
Dravid’s desperate dive to get his 99th run
A VALIANT BUT FRUITLESS EFFORT
The crowd rose to their feet as Dravid cut Bresnan for a single at around half past three on Sunday. For the first time in the series, India had managed to notch up 300 runs, nearly half of which had come off Dravid’s bat.
As the last two Indian wickets fell in quick succession, Dravid remained unbeaten on 146, ending his vigil that lasted more than six hours. En route to his magnificent century – his third on the tour and sixth overall in England – Dravid became the only third Indian after Sunil Gavaskar and Sehwag to have carried his bat through a Test innings.
However, his efforts failed to inspire India out of a follow-on and subsequently, the home team ended up registering a whitewash against Dhoni’s men. India lost the match and the series, but Dravid remained an enormous positive – if not the only one – from their otherwise humiliating summer of 2011.
