After days of mourning the end of an era, reading umpteen tributes, watching his videos on Youtube trying to fathom what has hit us, the feeling has slowly sunk in. I did not want to rush in to writing this tribute. It is easy to get carried away when you are emotional. So I waited for the feeling to sink in and then captured my thoughts on the champion cricketer, Rahul Dravid, in this piece.
Dravid’s retirement has made me think a lot. I have never given so much thought to a retirement. I did feel bad when Lara, Warne, Kumble left. But Rahul has left an indelible impression in the hearts of his fans. Sachin was God’s gift to the game; he was destined to be the most celebrated cricketer there ever was. He won over millions of fans worldwide in a short span of time but Rahul's connection with his fans is like a personal relationship one builds over time. It has been a process. He has methodically made his way into the hearts of his fans. This relationship has grown stronger with every innings of his. He may have been a quick favourite of the purists, of the previous generation fan (the Gavaskar, GR Vishwanath era), but he made viewers of my generation understand the importance of virtues like patience, grit and determination with every innings he played. As the young Indian fan grew up, he began to realize and appreciate what Dravid brings to the game. It is no surprise that today, people of all age groups are, in unison, saluting him. The reactions from fans worldwide on a popular cricket coverage site are testimony to the fact that Dravid has touched their lives at an emotional level. It seems he is finally getting the glory that was due him, albeit after retirement. When such a person departs from the game, it is indeed shattering for the stranded fans.
Dravid’s accomplishments as an all-round cricketer in the ODI and Test arena truly justify that he is one of the modern greats of cricket. For a player of his caliber and who has played for sixteen years, these astonishing statistics are expected (as Rahul himself suggests). So I don’t want to dwell too much into the statistics, for they spring up those unending “who is greater than whom” kind of debates. I just want to point out one very important number here though - Dravid has been involved in the most century partnerships (88) in Test cricket. This for me exemplifies his brand of game, his reassuring presence at the crease (as said by Anil Kumble). It shows that batsmen feel more secure with Dravid at the other end and hence play with more confidence. Cricket is a team game and partnerships are more important than individual heroics. That’s Rahul, the ultimate team man.
Such has been his impact that it has always been heart warming to just see him take guard at the fall of the first wicket, let alone start stroking the ball. He is regarded as the most technically sound batsman of his generation, the last of the classical batsmen. For me, he is the only batsman who has given life to the pictures painted in my mind by my father about the great batsmen of his generation - Dravid is the link that binds generations of batsmen and fans alike. That’s Rahul, the evergreen purist.
Rahul’s career coincided with another very similar player – Jacques Kallis. Rahul and Kallis symbolize the beauty of Test cricket in the purest of forms. Patience, hard work, temperament, elegance have become synonymous with their style of playing cricket. There is another reason I mention Kallis here. He serves as the best example to explain what Rahul means to the Indian team. It is sometimes easy to overlook your own strengths and worry about the opposition’s strengths. So, if you are an Indian and did not understand Rahul’s importance to the team, just imagine what Kallis’ wicket meant for India. That is what Rahul’s wicket meant (or perhaps more depending on the situation) for the opposition. While still on Kallis, would like to mention that it was bliss for the fans watching them together playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. Aesthetics was the name of their partnerships.
For years, Rahul and Sachin forged one of the greatest batting partnerships. Many images come to mind when I recall the hard fought battles they faced innumerable times to save/win a match for India. It was all a fan could ask for - Sachin and Dravid batting together. Though one could see every possible cricketing shot played with poetic beauty, a completely different picture will remain in my mind forever - the mid pitch silent conversations they had at the end of an over or during a break. They would stand staring at the pitch, deeply engrossed in thought, completely aware that they had to be equal to the challenge posed by the opposition once the next over began. It showed that they connected mentally. Each knew how important their partnership was for the team. That image (try to paint it in your mind), for me, symbolizes their worth for Indian cricket for the last sixteen years.
It is an emotional time for the fan when legends retire. But in the case of Dravid, it is all the more difficult for the feeling to sink in, for he scaled greater heights as a dignified cricketer. Anil Kumble called him an exceptional student of the game; I feel he has become a lesson of the game in himself. Every cricketer ought to learn how to carry forward the game in a humble, graceful and passionate manner from Rahul Dravid.
Thank you Rahul for upholding the Gentleman’s game in the best possible fashion. You have earned both love and respect of people around the world - a feat not too many cricketers have acheived. Will miss you and that elegant on-drive.
