Rahul Dravid: A royal salute to the royal 'wall'

Rahul Dravid

“It must have been quite cold there in my shadow, to never have sunlight on your face. You were content to let me shine, that’s your way. You always walked a step behind, so I was the one with all the glory, while you were the one with all the strength.” We have often perceived Tendulkar hogging more limelight and similar scenes were witnessed when the Mumbai Indians emerged triumphant over Dravid’s Royals to clinch the Champions League 2013 title. The victory marked a fitting end to the limited-overs’ career for Sachin Tendulkar, while Rahul Dravid hung up his boots, with no spotlight, but copious respect from all around, yet concluding on the winning side would have been a fairytale finish to an illustrious career spanning seventeen years. Much known for his unassuming nature, Dravid wanted to do it for the Rajasthan Royals, who had made the headlines for wrong reasons during the later stages of the IPL-6, be it on or off the field.

As it is said, “All good things must come to an end”. Rahul Dravid, perhaps the most elegant cricketer, the game has ever seen, would surely have been extremely proud of what he had achieved over the years. Apart from being a technically-gifted cricketer, Dravid has been a true ambassador of the game, someone who has taught many of his aficionados how to play solidly at any position and contribute the best as a team player and a leader.

Despite retiring from tests and one-day cricket, Dravid knew he had the IPL to look forward to. When many said that Dravid was too obsolete to play T20s, he made all his critics eat humble pie as he redefined his class at the top of the order, opening the innings for the franchisees he played for. He continued to prove his worth with his batting and his charisma on the field for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. After a couple of horrid seasons, Rajasthan Royals needed a meticulous player with enormous experience and someone who could lead the team in future and replicate Shane Warne’s magic and so in the 2011 player auction, they put their money on Rahul Dravid. Right from Season 1, the team from Jaipur is known to keep a low-profile with not many big names and this is probably one of the reasons that makes the franchise different.

In 2012, when Dravid took over the captaincy, Rajasthan Royals looked like a rag tag and bobtail club, nevertheless, the experienced – Shane Watson, the t20 specialist – Brad Hodge and the likes of Brad Hogg and Rahul Dravid himself, had the knack of winning matches single handedly for the side, on their day. But as Michael Jordan once said, “Talent wins matches, Team-work wins championships!’’, the Veteran captain, knew he had to build a team wherein everyone had a role to play. The weak link of RR’s lineup was their bowling unit which consisted of a mix of vulnerability and inexperience. But it was Dravid’s inspiring words and methodical approach of the coaching staff in the camp that lifted the spirits of everyone to perform their best. The versatile Dravid-Rahane opening pair, Watson’s big hitting and wicket taking ability, Stuart Binny and Brad Hodge’s down-the-order heroics, impressive bowling with variations by the lesser known Trivedis and Coopers, gave the other star-studded sides run for money, but wasn’t enough to make it to the semi finals of the fifth season. However, there were a lot of positives to take back and at the end of it all, it seemed that things would only get better from then and they promised a much improved performance in the next season.

When the Royals embarked on their IPL-6 journey, very few would have labeled them as favorites to even reach the semis. But what followed was no less than a dream run. The rampant Rajwadas were on a roll, winning all their home matches and Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Stadium had become an invincible fortress. Dravid’s excellent leadership skills and an all-round support from his team mates transformed the outfit from being underdogs to table-toppers and even title favorites. Moreover, in the later stages of the tournament, when the news regarding spot-fixing broke and the accused Royals’ players – Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandila were suspended, Rahul tried to maintain a positive environment across the team and made sure that it won’t affect their performances in the later stage. ”Fortune favours the brave!” Amidst controversy, Royals did reach the semi finals but lost against the mighty Mumbai Indians, assuring themselves a berth in the Champions League.

Dravid was all set to take up his final assignment as captain and player with RR in the Champions League. This time though, the team did not carry the tag of underdogs but the main objective was to literally ‘’HALLA BOL!’’ (play hard as a unit) and clear all stains of the controversies. With every match they played in CLT20 2013, there was a new match winner. Praveen Tambe, a 42 year old Mumbai- based cricketer turned out to be an overnight hero for his team, who finished the tournament with the Golden Ball for picking the highest number of wickets, while Ajinkya Rahane got the Golden Bat for scoring the maximum runs. Apart from them, the lesser known, Vikramjeet Malik, Rahul Shukla and James Faulkner were outstanding as a bowling unit, while Sanju Samson proved to be a revelation with his exceptional temperament and will surely be up for grabs in the next IPL auction.

Finishing the year, being unbeaten at home, would have been so satisfying for the skipper. Neither Dhoni’s flair nor Tendulkar’s magic could breach the fortress. According to Dravid, it was only about culture, self belief and the freedom to express yourself that helped them perform successfully as a team. His stint with the Rajasthan Royals as captain is surely an inspiring one. It was also under his captaincy that the team was always amongst the top contenders for the Fairplay Award. He may not have ended on a winning note but he did win millions of hearts and it’s a reward of years of hard work and his ethical approach. Thank you Rahul Dravid – Someone who played the gentleman’s game like a true gentleman.