Fire and Ice: As Kohli Exits, Can We Revisit Dravid's Legacy Too?

During the third Test at Rawalpindi — I was a cricket writer then; he was already one of the Fab Four — and we ended up having dinner with a small group of common friends and acquaintances. It was the evening after the first day's play and Dravid was 10 not out.

- Kunal Pradhan

As he got up to leave, we pressed him to stay for a few more minutes. "No, no, no," he replied with a smile, "I'd better go get some rest. I have to bat the whole day tomorrow." We laughed at his use of the words "the whole day" and waved goodbye.

Against a barrage from Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami the next morning, Dravid stayed true to his word. He was 134 not out at close of play on Day 2.

Then, for good measure, he batted another two-and-a-half sessions on Day 3, for his highest Test score: a match-winning, series-altering, and what ought to have been legacy-defining, 270.

But India has had a strange relationship with Dravid.