Rahul Dravid would have had mixed feelings after his fourth fifty-plus knock in the series possibly his last in New Zealand. After the uncertainty in 2008,he has started 2009 by rediscovering his touch. But with three scores in the 60s and one in the 80s,Dravid must be a touch disappointed about his inability to add to the tally of 26 Test hundreds. Though he might have missed out on a three-digit personal score,Dravids four century partnerships in this three-Test series have seen him break a world record. With 76 hundred-plus run associations,Dravid has overtaken Australian skipper Ricky Ponting,highlighting the Indian batsmans solidity. Interestingly,in all the three Tests here,Dravid has had a century partnership with Gautam Gambhir,and that reflects Indias exemplary batting display in New Zealand. The frequent long associations between a less-flashy opener and a rock-like No.3 means India havent felt Virender Sehwags modest run with the bat in the Test series. From Hamilton to Wellington,Dravid and Gambhir have formed a perfect foil to each other. With both possessing the ability to change gears,they have taken turns to go into a shell or let themselves loose. Its all about partnerships. We wanted to play New Zealand out of this Test match and it was very important for us to have partnerships, said Gambhir. The three Dravid-Gambhir partnerships have played a big role in shaping this Test series. During Indias first innings of the series,Sehwags dismissal saw the scoreboard reading 37-1. Next to go was Gambhir,but by then the score had reached 142. But the most significant partnership between the two came in the second innings of the second Test. Following on,Sehwag fell for 22 and India were on the backfoot. That proved to be the perfect time for a Dravid-Gambhir sequel as they put on 130 runs and set a perfect platform for Indias survival in the second Test. On Sunday,India wanted to assert their obvious superiority over New Zealand. The hit pair of Dravid and Gambhir launched Part III of their association and it proved to be the most successful. They put on 170 runs,shattering New Zealands last hope for an early Indian collapse. Of the 76 century partnerships that Dravid has been involved with,16 have come with Sachin Tendulkar at the other end. This speaks volumes of the contribution made by Indias regular No.3 and No.4,who played together in an era which didnt have stable openers. Dravid and VVS Laxman have been involved in 11 hundred-run partnerships but none is as memorable as the one at Eden Gardens during the famous 2001 series against Australia.
