Dravid becomes first player to take 200 Test catches

Durban:

Indian middle-order batsman Rahul Dravid on Monday achieved a rare milestone in his career when he took his 200th catch in Test matches to stay on top of the list in the five-day format of the game.

An accomplished slip fielder, Dravid achieved the feat when he brilliantly caught Dale Steyn off Harbhajan Singh, diving in a flash to his left, during South Africa's first innings in the ongoing second Test against India at Sahara Kingsmead Stadium here.

Dravid now tops the list of most number of catches in Tests. He registered the feat in his 149th match.

Former Australia opener Mark Waugh is at the second spot with 181 catches from 128 Tests, followed by Australia skipper Ricky Ponting (174), former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming(171) and West Indian batting great Brian Lara (164).

Nicknamed "The Wall" for his stubborn and gritty display with the bat that holds the foundation of his team's batting line up, Dravid is also considered to possess the safest pair of hands in world cricket.

Apart from his exploits with the bat and in the slip cordon, Dravid is a handy wicket-keeper who has don the hat many a times for the Indian ODI side in times of necessity.

Dravid also ranks third in the list of top run-scorers in Tests with a total of 12,025 runs in 149 matches.