Cricket: Mighty trio still raising the bat

Rahul Dravid remains a formidable figure, though there are signs of crumbling round the edges. Only six players have bettered his five double centuries. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Live scoring

Now there are three. When former captain Sourav Ganguly retired last year, India's fabled middle order quartet became three.

This NZ tour is almost certainly the last opportunity to see perhaps cricket's finest group of middle-order batsman in action together.

No 3
Rahul Dravid
Born Jan 11, 1973, Indore
Tests: 133 (including Napier)
Runs: 10,583
Highest score: 270 v Pakistan, Rawalpindi, April 2004
Average 52.39
100/50: 26/54
Debut: v England, Lord's, June 1996, scored 95

Numbers tell the story of the man known throughout the cricket world as "The Wall", and although there have been suggestions of signs of crumbling round the edges, he remains a formidable figure.

Only six players have bettered his five double centuries. Three of them came in the space of six months from late 2003, including 222 against New Zealand at Ahmedabad.

His first two innings in tests were 95 and 84 against England 13 years ago, so he started as he meant to go on.

Four of Dravid's hundreds came in the space of four tests in 2002; 115, 148, 217 against England and 100 not out against the West Indies.

Three months older than Tendulkar, he has been akin to a lieutenant to the champion one spot lower in the order. That does not do him justice. A superb technician, he is sixth on the alltime test runmaking list, second among Indians.

His average against New Zealand is 59.88, with four hundreds, superior to his two teammates (Tendulkar is 53.13, Laxman 48.0).

Like his two fellow middle-order maestros, he is an articulate man.

When his time comes he'll go out as one of the alltime batting greats, perhaps unfortunate to have played his career in the shadow of a more famous compatriot.

But any question over Dravid's value to India should be washed away by a glance at his achievements.

No 4
Sachin Tendulkar
Born April 24, 1973, Mumbai
Tests: 158
Runs: 12,589
Highest score: 248 not out, v Bangladesh, Dhaka, Dec 2004
Average: 54.73
100/50: 42/51
Debut: v Pakistan, Karachi, November 1989, scored 15

In his first test innings, the 16-year-old Tendulkar was struck a nasty blow in the mouth by Pakistan's speedster Waqar Younis.

The discomfort and the blood-soaked shirt might have been enough to deter the teenager had he been made of less stern stuff.

Instead, Tendulkar has gone on to become the world's top test and ODI run maker, been likened to the great Sir Don Bradman - by Bradman himself - and has rewritten the record books.

He has four double centuries, but a highest score of 248, which seems low for what he has achieved.

If you want to watch how an innings should be compiled - by mixing patience with superb shotmaking, by taking the opportunties presented but paying due respect to the good ball - watch a Tendulkar display.

On this tour he has played two outstanding hands, 163 off 133 balls in an ODI in Christchurch, and 160 in the first test at Hamilton last week.

Contrasting innings which showed two sides to his batting character.

For years it was a fascinating, if futile talking point: which of Tendulkar or Brian Lara was the greater. The West Indian could destroy any attack, but bowlers talked of always feeling they had a chance of dismissing him.

Tendulkar doesn't give you that opportunity. His is a wicket to be earned; a player to sit at cricket's top table.

No 5
VVS Laxman
Born: November 1, 1974 Hyderabad
Tests: 104
Runs: 6476
Highest score: 281 v Australia, Kolkata, March 2001
Average: 44.35
100/50: 13/37
Debut: v South Africa, Ahmedabad, November 1996, scored 51

John Wright reckons Laxman played the finest test innings he's seen, and he's seen a few.

Laxman's 281 against Australia was among the most pivotal test innings played by an Indian.

It came at Kolkata in March 2001, when he and Dravid batted through a day in sharing a 376-run fifth wicket stand to pull India back from a series-losing defeat to a point where they went on to win the series.

The Indian tiger has roared ever louder since then.

Known by his initials - which stands for Vangipurappu Venkata Sai, or more commonly Very Very Special - Laxman has been a standard bearer for elegance at the crease.

Blessed with good hands and timing, at his best he's a delight to watch.

He likes batting with Dravid. They also shared a 303-run stand at Adelaide in 2003, which set up India for a notable victory after Australia had started with a first innings 556.

Indeed, his record against the Aussies is outstanding, averaging 126 in 13 tests with six of his 13 hundreds off them.

On his previous trip to New Zealand, Laxman was badly caught out by the green seaming pitches.

He was not alone. He's got a maximum four innings left to leave his mark on New Zealand.