BANGALORE, March 9 � Rahul Dravid, one of the most accomplished and greatest cricketers of his generation, today called time on his illustrious Test career spanning close to 16 years during which he became the second highest run getter and gave the country some memorable overseas victories.
The 39-year-old Dravid became the first of the three ageing greats of Indian cricket, besides Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, to retire in the aftermath of India�s disastrous Test tour of Australia.
Born on January 11, 1973 in Indore, the Karnataka batsman had a wonderful tour of England last year, scoring three centuries from four matches when all the other big names struggled but his performance in the recent tour of Australia was below expectations prompting calls for his ouster from the team.
Dravid, a former Indian captain, had a disastrous tour of Australia where he scored only 194 runs in eight innings at an average of 24.25. Even more disappointing was that Dravid, known for his solid technique, was bowled in six out of the eight inning.
Nicknamed �The Wall� for his dour defence, the always thoughtful-looking Dravid walked into international cricket sunset after making his debut in June 1996 though he will lead the Jaipur-based Rajasthan Royals side in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League.
Dravid ended his Test career with 13,288 runs � behind only Tendulkar � in 164 matches, with 36 hundreds and 63 half centuries at an average of 52.31, the 270 against Pakistan being his highest score.