There are three hallmarks of a true sportsperson — one, his consistency and dependability; second, the killing instinct and the third his cool, crisis managing temperament. And when we talk about India's "Mr dependable", he has all the ingredient of a great sportsperson. No doubt, Rahul Sharad Dravid is one of the top-ranked batsmen in world of cricket today. Rahul made his Test debut at Lords in the 2nd Test match of India's Test tour of England in 1996, and his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at Singapore the same year. And since then, the great Indian cricketer hasn't looked back. It was in recognition of his outstanding performance that he was named the Wisden cricketers of the year for 2000. Known for his cool, classy and consistent performance, success to this 33-year-old stylish batsman didn't come easily. For, he put himself through hours and hours of hard work and rigorous practice at the net. His fierce determination and his ability to make the best of the opportunity have given him the vintage advantage, which few Indian captains have enjoyed over the years. Rahul's astounding performance and his boyish good looks has made him one of the most likeable faces in Indian cricket. Apart from his personal charisma, the ache cricketer is credited with turning around the Indian ODI team. In fact, under his captaincy, the Indian team has jumped from the 7th position in the ICC rankings to the 3rd position and he helped India break the previous record of most consecutive wins for an Indian team (8 times) under his leadership. Known for his rock solid batting, the Padma Shree awardee captain was also honoured with the ICC Player of The Year in 2004. But there is more to Rahul than scores of awards he has gathered during his decade-long career. In fact, Dravid is among the few cricketers who has the second highest Test batting average among those who have scored over 8,000 Test runs. He also holds the record of longest unbroken streak of consecutive Tests since debut. He is also the only player to score a century against every Test playing nation, until the ICC decides to add more nations to the list of Test playing nations. Having had his education at St. Joseph's Boys High School and St. Joseph's College Of Commerce, Bangalore, Rahul received his formal training in cricket from the coach Keki Tarapore and played county cricket for Kent and Scotland. He also led Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and scored a double century in the final. Nicknamed 'Jammy' by schoolmates because his father worked for Kissan, famous for its jams, Dravid also holds the record of highest partnership made away from home for any wicket for India against Pakistan in 2006. And now with the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies nearing, all eyes are set on Dravid, for India knows, it can depend on him.