From The Vault - Rahul Dravid's Solid Act Of Defiance Leaves Sri Lanka Scratching Their Heads In Ahmedabad

Rahul Dravid is not called The Wall or Mr. Dependable for no reason. The man has on more than one occasion rescued India from a precarious position.

Well, in the first Test against Sri Lanka in 2009 in Ahmedabad, that's what he did yet again.

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Soon after he came out to bat, the hosts were reeling at 32/4 and the Lankans were breathing fire. The visitors had their tails up and India seemed to be crumbling in favourable conditions.

Then came a masterclass from Dravid. The veteran put on 125 runs with Yuvraj Singh (68) for the 5th wicket before adding 224 for the 6th with MS Dhoni (110).

Slowly surely the runs began to flow and then the rate increased. The Lankans had no backup plan and were left scratching their hands. They were not prepared for this assault.

AFP

As Dravid spent more time at the crease, he got more confident and brought up his 28th Test hundred. By the time Day 1 ended, India were in a position of strength.

The Wall finally fell early on Day 2 for 177, with the team's score on 389. India finished off with 426 and the match ended in a draw. That result proved to be crucial as India won the series 2-0.

Dravid made 177 in 261 balls with had 26 fours and one six.

AFP

He has 36 Test hundreds, but this ton certainly ranks pretty high up as it came under tremendous pressure.

Don't feel bad Sri Lanka, when a legend in on song, there's not much you can do.