Dravid's World Record

Rahul Dravid today equalled a world record of which no body seems to be aware of. Dravid had made his Test debut against England at Lord’s in June 1996. Since then he has appeared in 84 Tests at a trot without missing a single one. Dravid's 84 Tests in a row equals the record for maximum Tests played by any player in Test history since debut without missing a match. Incidentally the player whose world record Dravid equalled is none other than fellow teammate Sachin Tendulkar who made this record from his debut against Pakistan at Karachi in November 1989 to Harare Test against Zimbabwe in June 2001. Interestingly enough, before Tendulkar it was another Indian, Kapil Dev, who held the record of playing most Tests (66) in a row since his debut Test in October 1978.

The only current player capable to challenge Dravid’s record is Australia’s Adam Gilchrist, who has played 61 Tests at a trot since his debut in November 1999.

New Zealand's John Reid and England's Tony Greig are the only ones to have appeared in fifty-plus Tests without missing a single Test during their entire Test career. England's all-rounder Frank Woolley was the first player to appear in 50 or more matches in a row since debut between 1909 to 1926. The following table lists players who have played 50 or more Test matches in a row since debut.

Player          Country Tests     Period

Sachin Tendulkar  Ind    84   1989-90 to 2001-02

Rahul Dravid      Ind    84   1996 to 2004-05

Kapil Dev         Ind    66   1978-79 to 1984-85

Ian Healy         Aus    64   1988-89 to 1994-95

Rohan Kanhai      WI     61   1957 to 1968-69

Adam Gilchrist    Aus    61   1999-00 to 2004-05

John Reid         NZ     58+  1949 to 1965

Tony Greig        Eng    58+  1972 to 1977

Alistair Campbell Zim    56   1992-93 to 2001-02

Gary Kirsten      SA     53   1993-94 to 1998-99

Frank Woolley     Eng    52   1909 to 1926

Rodney Marsh      Aus    52   1970-71 to 1977

Andy Flower       Zim    52   1992-93 to 2001-02

Greg Chappell     Aus    51   1970-71 to 1977

+ consecutive appearances from debut to retirement