The Gentelman of Gentelmans Game
If cricket is a gentleman’s game, then Rahul Dravid is that gentleman.
First things first, I am a die-hard Dravid fan. I have done it all. Observed him, gathered publication writings about him, went all alone to Bangalore to meet him, and even woke up at 5 AM to see him bat in Australia.
Because there are some incredible souls and he is inevitably one of them. Any new adjective I use to relate him would end up being another adjective. His stature is way beyond any adjective which can be used to portray him.
Vijeeta Dravid once upon a time said this on Rahul, ‘He believes you cannot complain about anything because there is no end to complaining. And he knows there is no end to developing either.’
Rahul Dravid has largely been in the silhouette of Sachin Tendulkar, despite his humungous accomplishments right throughout his career. And that is how it was until the very end. When the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) 2013 final ended the other day, Tendulkar got a hero’s good-bye, while Dravid — bidding a final adieu to the game — made a calm and unceremonious departure. Dravid would have taken it in his stride, as he has all along in his career.
Dravid does not have the magnetism of Tendulkar, the cockiness of Virender Sehwag, the aesthetics of VVS Laxman, the swagger of Sourav Ganguly or the bludgeoning energy of MS Dhoni. What he has is quiet confidence — in substantial amounts — which enables him to get the job done.
Whatever the condition, Dravid would always be the first one to put his hand up. There cannot be a better example of a team man who has taken up numerous tasks with such selflessness and effectiveness. He has done almost everything a person can perhaps do on a cricket field. He has bowled, kept wickets, opened the innings, functioned as a finisher, has been an exceptional slip catcher. You name it, he has done it, and what’s more. If it’s done by Dravid, it would be meticulous. Take any great match from the last decade that India won: Hyderabad and Taunton 1999, Kolkata 2001, Adelaide 2003, Rawalpindi 2004, Dravid always had a hand in while others walked away with the praise.
Unlike other seniors in the squad, Dravid readily agreed to bat at any position, be it Tests or One-Day Internationals (ODIs). It speaks volumes about his versatility and the mastery to put the team interests before self. He was the go-to man in every sense of the word. Captains knew that if no one else was keen to take up a challenge, there was always Dravid to turn to.
Here is a man who has been the quintessence of sustained merit in an international career spanning 16 spectacular years, over 500 matches for the country and scoring 24,000 runs and 48 hundred. He has also been exemplary in his conduct on and off the field — arguably India’s greatest-ever cricketing ambassador. The gems that he mouths are a sheer exhilaration to the ears: be it the Bradman Oration or insightful conferences in the media. It’s a pity while one great cricketing son is showered in hosannas, another cricketing son — not far behind in terms of cricketing excellence and achievement — is largely overlooked as both say sayonara to the game.
The loss of Rajasthan Royals in the final of CLT20 brought a downpour of posts on social media about how Rahul Dravid ended his career without earning anything big. No IPL, no World Cups, no CLT20, about how he always lived in the silhouettes of likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. But I think rather than being sad about what he didn’t accomplish, we should be proud of what he actually did.
If you look at his records, they would be considered remarkable by any standards. He has scored 13288 runs in his Test career with an average of 52.31. He has 36 hundred to his name. These records may not be as stunning as those of Sachin but that doesn’t make him an inferior player. Rahul Dravid was often the core on which middle-order batsmen carved their innings. Out of the total runs made by the Indian team in test matches in which Dravid played, about 36% were scored with him on the pitch. When players like Sachin or Ganguly scored a 200 or 250, he was often clutching the other end with an incredibly tender 100 or 150.
It would be a slur to Dravid if I don’t touch upon arguably the best innings of his career. Well, who can forget that memorable win against Australia at Eden Gardens or the innings of 281 by VVS Laxman but not many recall his 376 run alliance with Dravid who himself slashed 180 in nearly twice as many balls?
There were myriad times when he drove the innings after the downfall of the opening partnership. He was the go-to man of the Indian team in times of crisis or as we call in Hindi ‘sankatmochak’. He scored three tons in England in 2011 when Indian batting was toiling to avoid a follow-on or an innings defeat most of the times. When the team needed him to play ODIs on the same tour, surprisingly he was elected in the ODI squad after almost two years. He played because the team needed him and retired from ODIs forthwith after the series. Long back, when the team needed a wicketkeeper, he donned the gloves and gave the team resilience.
The climax of his career was indisputably test cricket where his hard-fought and patient innings became a trademark and gave him the name ‘The Wall’ but his contributions in the shorter format can’t be bypassed. In ODIs, he scored 10889 runs with an average of 39.16 and a strike rate of 71.24. He has 12 hundred to his name.
The final of CLT20 was labelled as a battle between Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, and how aptly it ended, adhering to the script of their lives; Sachin Tendulkar basking in all the acclaim, while Rahul Dravid pushed to the background, amidst the shadows, with no limelight, but abundant respect.
He was bowled attempting an ugly slog sweep in the final of CLT20. These beautiful lines probably paraphrase his career.
“In a career that is marked by grace, style and beautiful batsmanship, it’s a slog that’s ended Rahul Dravid’s career. But once again, it was what was needed.”
– Harsha Bhogle.
The retirement of Rahul Dravid from competitive cricket brought tears in millions of eyes. He is a man worthy of our respect even without his cricket records because there is no greater gentleman in the ‘game of gentlemen’. If you fuse that with his cricketing skills and records, he is one of the brightest stars our country has produced.
First things first, I am a die-hard Dravid fan. I have done it all. Observed him, gathered publication writings about him, went all alone to Bangalore to meet him, and even woke up at 5 AM to see him bat in Australia.
Because there are some incredible souls and he is inevitably one of them. Any new adjective I use to relate him would end up being another adjective. His stature is way beyond any adjective which can be used to portray him.
Vijeeta Dravid once upon a time said this on Rahul, ‘He believes you cannot complain about anything because there is no end to complaining. And he knows there is no end to developing either.’
Rahul Dravid has largely been in the silhouette of Sachin Tendulkar, despite his humungous accomplishments right throughout his career. And that is how it was until the very end. When the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) 2013 final ended the other day, Tendulkar got a hero’s good-bye, while Dravid — bidding a final adieu to the game — made a calm and unceremonious departure. Dravid would have taken it in his stride, as he has all along in his career.
Dravid does not have the magnetism of Tendulkar, the cockiness of Virender Sehwag, the aesthetics of VVS Laxman, the swagger of Sourav Ganguly or the bludgeoning energy of MS Dhoni. What he has is quiet confidence — in substantial amounts — which enables him to get the job done.
Whatever the condition, Dravid would always be the first one to put his hand up. There cannot be a better example of a team man who has taken up numerous tasks with such selflessness and effectiveness. He has done almost everything a person can perhaps do on a cricket field. He has bowled, kept wickets, opened the innings, functioned as a finisher, has been an exceptional slip catcher. You name it, he has done it, and what’s more. If it’s done by Dravid, it would be meticulous. Take any great match from the last decade that India won: Hyderabad and Taunton 1999, Kolkata 2001, Adelaide 2003, Rawalpindi 2004, Dravid always had a hand in while others walked away with the praise.
Unlike other seniors in the squad, Dravid readily agreed to bat at any position, be it Tests or One-Day Internationals (ODIs). It speaks volumes about his versatility and the mastery to put the team interests before self. He was the go-to man in every sense of the word. Captains knew that if no one else was keen to take up a challenge, there was always Dravid to turn to.
Here is a man who has been the quintessence of sustained merit in an international career spanning 16 spectacular years, over 500 matches for the country and scoring 24,000 runs and 48 hundred. He has also been exemplary in his conduct on and off the field — arguably India’s greatest-ever cricketing ambassador. The gems that he mouths are a sheer exhilaration to the ears: be it the Bradman Oration or insightful conferences in the media. It’s a pity while one great cricketing son is showered in hosannas, another cricketing son — not far behind in terms of cricketing excellence and achievement — is largely overlooked as both say sayonara to the game.
The loss of Rajasthan Royals in the final of CLT20 brought a downpour of posts on social media about how Rahul Dravid ended his career without earning anything big. No IPL, no World Cups, no CLT20, about how he always lived in the silhouettes of likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. But I think rather than being sad about what he didn’t accomplish, we should be proud of what he actually did.
If you look at his records, they would be considered remarkable by any standards. He has scored 13288 runs in his Test career with an average of 52.31. He has 36 hundred to his name. These records may not be as stunning as those of Sachin but that doesn’t make him an inferior player. Rahul Dravid was often the core on which middle-order batsmen carved their innings. Out of the total runs made by the Indian team in test matches in which Dravid played, about 36% were scored with him on the pitch. When players like Sachin or Ganguly scored a 200 or 250, he was often clutching the other end with an incredibly tender 100 or 150.
It would be a slur to Dravid if I don’t touch upon arguably the best innings of his career. Well, who can forget that memorable win against Australia at Eden Gardens or the innings of 281 by VVS Laxman but not many recall his 376 run alliance with Dravid who himself slashed 180 in nearly twice as many balls?
There were myriad times when he drove the innings after the downfall of the opening partnership. He was the go-to man of the Indian team in times of crisis or as we call in Hindi ‘sankatmochak’. He scored three tons in England in 2011 when Indian batting was toiling to avoid a follow-on or an innings defeat most of the times. When the team needed him to play ODIs on the same tour, surprisingly he was elected in the ODI squad after almost two years. He played because the team needed him and retired from ODIs forthwith after the series. Long back, when the team needed a wicketkeeper, he donned the gloves and gave the team resilience.
The climax of his career was indisputably test cricket where his hard-fought and patient innings became a trademark and gave him the name ‘The Wall’ but his contributions in the shorter format can’t be bypassed. In ODIs, he scored 10889 runs with an average of 39.16 and a strike rate of 71.24. He has 12 hundred to his name.
The final of CLT20 was labelled as a battle between Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, and how aptly it ended, adhering to the script of their lives; Sachin Tendulkar basking in all the acclaim, while Rahul Dravid pushed to the background, amidst the shadows, with no limelight, but abundant respect.
He was bowled attempting an ugly slog sweep in the final of CLT20. These beautiful lines probably paraphrase his career.
“In a career that is marked by grace, style and beautiful batsmanship, it’s a slog that’s ended Rahul Dravid’s career. But once again, it was what was needed.”
– Harsha Bhogle.
The retirement of Rahul Dravid from competitive cricket brought tears in millions of eyes. He is a man worthy of our respect even without his cricket records because there is no greater gentleman in the ‘game of gentlemen’. If you fuse that with his cricketing skills and records, he is one of the brightest stars our country has produced.
Comments
Post a Comment