Rahul Dravid is a remarkable cricketer who throughout his illustrious career has always thought positive and preferred to see the glass half-full rather than half-empty, even in pressure situations. He enjoys the confidence of the selectors, as can be seen from their decision to name him captain till the end of the series against England that follows the tour of Pakistan.

This means that Rahul will keep the job even if India loses in Pakistan. The selectors' decision would only have added to Rahul's confidence and made him feel more secure in the hot seat, which is always a good feeling for an Indian captain to have when on tour in Pakistan. For history tells us that as many as four Indian captains lost their jobs after returning from a tour of Pakistan. This is India's seventh tour of Pakistan, and the captain has been deposed after four of those!

The exceptions are Sunil Gavaskar in 1984-85 and Sourav Ganguly in 2003-04. The 1984-85 tour was a brief affair, wherein the first two Tests were drawn and the third Test was called off after the assassination of the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Ganguly of course led India to its first series win on Pakistani soil two years ago, so there was no question of sacking him.

Let's take a look at their fellow Indian captains who were not as fortunate:

* Vinoo Mankad, 1954-55: The great all-rounder led India in a tedious series in which all five Tests were drawn. Neither team wanted to lose. Consequently, both camps opted to 'play safe'. Mankad himself played poorly, making 51 runs at an average of 10.20, and claiming 12 wickets at 33.25

* Bishan Singh Bedi, 1978-79: The great left-arm spinner led India to a 0-2 defeat in a three-Test series. India lost both games by the identical margin of eight wickets. Bedi had a horrifying series with the ball, taking just six wickets at an average of 74.83. He was replaced by Sunil Gavaskar on the team's return to India. * Sunil Gavaskar, 1982-83: It was now Gavaskar's turn to get the boot. The selectors had no option but to dethrone him after India suffered a 0-3 bashing in a six-Test series. Gavaskar had a satisfactory series with the bat, scoring 434 runs at an average of 48.22, but he was overshadowed by his counpterpart Imran Khan, who bagged a record forty wickets in the series. Gavaskar lost his job to Kapil Dev for the tour of the Caribbean that began a fortnight after the end of the Pakistan tour.

* K.Srikkanth, 1989-90: All four Tests were drawn, which in itself was an achievement of sorts for an Indian team against a strong Pakistani outfit. Srikkanth though had a horrendous series with the bat, with 97 runs from seven innings at a poor average of 13.86. However, Srikkanth's captaincy was appreciated by one and all. Hence, it was a surprise when Mohammad Azharuddin succeeded him for India's next assignment; a tour of New Zealand.