The Ashes
End of Dravid-ian era!
“The God, his brother Laxman, other demigods rest in the temple of success. Once the door closes, they are all behind The WALL!,” read a placard during India’s tour of England last year.
There have been enough sobriquets that have been showered on Rahul Dravid, and trust me the former Indian captain deserves every bit of adulation and much more.Playing alongside demigods such as Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly must have given complex to many, but Dravid created his own niche through sheer determination.
He was a player who wrote his destiny through grit and grandeur. When I watched Dravid make his debut in the summer of 1996 at Lord’s against England, he appeared calm and seldom smiled. As he batted and batted, the opposition lay battered and rightfully so. Dravid did not go for shots right from the outset, he middled the ball and then went about grafting runs. His water-tight technique and his ice-cool water running in his veins gave a sturdy impression to the opposition and the Indian dressing room could afford to relax.
As Dravid fell for 95 in his debut innings, he not only set a precedent for the next 16 years, but also provided the solidity in batting which was lacking at the time of his debut. If one has to know the dedication with which Dravid worked, one must see him sweat it out in the nets. He will come all armed and displayed focus that bordered on the maniacal, but it also won him fans all over the orb. His dedication towards the game made him the most respected and the adulations from his opponents on his retirement is a testimony to that. Dravid was a proud man and he should be. A record that keeps him the best among equals. Even today a child dreams of becoming a Sachin Tendulkar or Virender Sehwag. The reason being they are flashy and gain instant attraction with the crowd. Dravid presented the straight bat always, and that’s why he is irreplaceable. They was, and will be only one Rahul Dravid.
It’s the end of the Dravid-ian era!
Dravid’s profile and statistics
Date of birth: January 11, 1973
Major teams: India, Karnataka, Kent
Test debut: vs England, Lord’s, 1996
ODI debut: v Sri Lanka, Singapore, 1996
T20 debut: vs England, Manchester, 2011
Career:
Tests
Matches 164, Runs 13,288, Highest 270, Average 52.31, Centuries 36, Fifties 63
One-dayers
Matches 344, Runs 10,889, Highest 153, Average 39.16, Centuries 12, Fifties 83.
Twenty20 international
Match 1, Runs 31, Highest 31, Average 31.00.
Records:
- First batsman to score a century in all Test-playing nations.
- Most catches in Test cricket (210).
- Second-highest run-maker in Test cricket after Sachin Tendulkar.
- One of Wisden’s cricketers of the year in 2000.
- Won the International Cricket Council’s player of the year and Test player of the year awards in 2004.
- Most century partnerships in Test cricket (88)
