Rahul Dravid, just goes on and on!
He first started with a mere brick and as he grew in size, stature and experience, Rahul Dravid, over the years weaved not just magic with the willow, but also gave the purists and his fans the joy of watching batting in its purest form.
In his decade-and-half innings with international cricket, not for once has the former Indian captain given anything but 100 per cent. Interestingly, Dravid always finished second. How? Right from his debut Test at Lord’s in 1996 where he fell agonisingly short of a well-deserved century, his compatriot, Sourav Ganguly stole the limelight with a debut ton. If that was not enough, his debut hundred at Chepauk in May 1997 was overshadowed by Saeed Anwar’s brilliant 194.
His chanceless 145 at the LB Stadium in Hyderabad was yet again overshadowed by Sachin Tendulkar‘s 189.
Unlike some of his other teammates, Dravid’s life or what he wears off the field has never been a subject of intense scrutiny or debate. But once he gets the bat in his hand, he is the master of his own destiny. Those rasping cover-drives and flicks towards mid-wicket boundary are shots that are constantly written and embedded as part of India’s cricketing folklore. Dravid’s knocks — both in Tests and ODIs — are lessons for youngsters on how to consolidate and rebuild the innings when your side is in a spot of bother. It may have lacked the finesses of a certain VVS Laxman or the frenzied pace of Virender Sehwag, but Dravid ensured that he did hardwork to take the team out of the glut.
The turn of the millennnium saw Dravid bat in a variety of positions in ODIs and sometimes in Tests too. He would bat. He would keep wickets, he would be asked to take strike when the chips were down. And, he would do it all with aplomb. Not surprisingly, Dravid has not missed a game because of injury, spasms etc. which showcases his levels of fitness and the way he has been in shape.
It would be fair to say that durability is the other name for Dravid. As he hit his 36th Test century on Monday, I had the good fortune to watch it on screen and admire the man who continues to do his job —-score runs, and, by truckloads!
