Rahul Dravid Retires: A Glorious Farewell
Yes, it's true! Rahul Sharad Dravid, one of the five enduring colonnades of Indian cricket, will no longer adorn the whites again. While I was never his greatest fan, I still was unable to digest the fact that come November, a new number 3 will be walking out for India. While some people may feel that this change was essential; and is the harbinger of a golden era for Indian cricket, I feel that this marks the beginning of the end of one. Sachin, Rahul, VVS, Sourav and Anil are veraciously irreplaceable.
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| Rahul Dravid: 'I leave with sadness, but also with dignity' |
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Rahul Dravid is the word 'pillar'. He embodies the pillar of a house in every sense of the word. While Sourav Ganguly was like Italian marble flooring, flashy and graceful at times, yet cold and intolerable at other; Sachin Tendulkar is like the temple of the house, pure, divine and untouchable; Dravid truly is akin to a pillar. He may seem like a hindrance at times, especially when you want to ornate the house; but he is the one who provides the real strength to the house. And now that he has retired, this house needs a new foundation.
While I can go on and on about Dravid's glorious career, I feel that job is best left to the statisticians and commentators. What I am going to elaborate on is the indelible imprint that Dravid has left on world cricket and its followers. When Dravid entered international cricket in 1996, the sport as a brand was still in its infancy. (and so was I!) In 1996, the Indian team comprised of Sanjay Manjrekar, Vinod Kambli, Salil Ankola and Sachin Tendulkar. And now when he has retired, the team includes MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. Talk about leaving the game better than you found it!
Dravid's peers talk about his ceaseless, almost saint-like resilience. The root of all this lies in his insurmountable will to succeed; to become the best batsman that he could ever become. From the outset, Dravid knew that he was no Viv Richards who could annihilate bowling attacks by sheer aggression, and yet, he worked around a way to defeat the opposition attack; not by dominating them into subservience, but by wearing them down with his own brand of stylish doggedness and indomitable perseverance.In fact, his technique is so renowned that to this day, a batsman who plays defensively is termed as 'Dravid'!
The general perception that people have of Rahul Dravid is that of a shy, docile person that was constantly overshadowed by some of his more illustrious teammates. However, I feel that being out of the limelight suited Dravid the most. He really wasn't born to be a superstar like MS Dhoni or Yuvraj Singh; but was more conformed towards a non-controversial, reticent way of life, that is so reminiscent of the way in which he batted. Several of his fans feel that he was a greater batsman than Sachin, and yet more underrated. However, the last thing that Dravid would himself want is for us to compare his feats with Tendulkar's, saying that he was better/worse than Sachin. Both have served Indian cricket in their own capacities; one as an anchor, the other as an accelerator of progress, and both have done so magnificently. So cheer for them, adore them, admire them, for we never know when both will stop playing all forms of cricket. Till then, all I can say is Fare Thee Well, Rahul Dravid!
Good one, really will miss Jammy immensely
ReplyDeleteDravid, Sachin, Saurav, Kumble cannot be compared and cannot be replaced. That was an era etched as a most memorable times of India cricket....
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