An open letter thanking Rahul Dravid for his insane greatness
Dear Rahul Dravid,
Greetings!
Sir, you have been a rock all these years with your contribution to Indian Cricket and world Cricket in general. There aren’t enough words to describe your stature and persona. It is tough being Dravid, no doubt about that. You have always been disciplined and selfless throughout your 16-year association with the Indian national team.
Sir, you have never shied away from donning any role. How do you manage to do that? Even the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have admitted that they have shied away from facing the first ball. You have been a revelation and the word ‘No’ perhaps does not exist in your dictionary. Whether it’s the challenge of keeping wickets or opening the innings in Test matches, you have always put your hand up. It just shows the amount of confidence you have on yourself.
It does take guts to duck Shoaib Akhtar’s bouncers all day long. It does take guts to anticipate and leave the deliveries which are an inch away from the off stump. It does take guts to be a part time wicket-keeper and still manage to keep wickets to the likes of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
Women of all age groups have always adored you and you have taken it in your stride with sheer brilliance. You have never been seen partying around or taking advantage of your stardom. The MTV Bakra video shows how great a man you are.
You have taken the Rajasthan Royals out of turmoil to make them one of the best IPL teams ever. You held them together when 3 of your key players were flushed out due to match fixing and you continue to guide them post retirement as a mentor. You have helped them maintain their brand of cricket (4 foreign players, 5 ‘uncapped’ players and a couple of India regulars).
Sir how do you manage to be the way you have been all these years? When God was scripting the best human qualities, he must have kept you in mind and that is why every parent these days wants their son to follow your path. You are an inspiration for millions across the world. Even if we manage to imbibe half your qualities, we will excel with sheer brilliance in our respective genres of work. And that is why I believe that the Indian team needs you as its next head coach. It needs a person who can guide it through its tough times and help them overcome the toughest of challenges especially when we tour overseas to play Test Cricket.
Sir, Thank you for being the way you are. You will certainly continue to inspire the generations to come in the future as well.
Yours Sincerely,
A fan who thinks you are the greatest cricketer India has ever produced.