Rahul Dravid - The most classical batsman of our era

Finally, I would like to thank the Indian cricket fan both here and across the world. The game is lucky to have you and I have been lucky to play before you. You represent India and just to represent you has been a privilege and one I have always taken very seriously. My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple, it was about giving everything for the team, it was about playing with dignity and about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness, but also with pride.

These are the few lines spoken by the great cricketing stalwart Rahul Sharad Dravid during his retirement press conference. It was one of the hardest decision which he ever had to take. He left a void in the team after his departure and Cheteshwar Pujara has done a more than decent job so far at that position.

During his remarkable career spanning sixteen years, Dravid attained many cricketing feats. For his patience and temperament in the game, he was recognised as “The Wall” and “Mr. Dependable”. He played 164 Tests and 344 ODI matches in which he scored 13,288 and 10,889 runs respectively. He holds the record for maximum runs (10,524) while batting at No. 3 position. He became the first player to score centuries in every Test playing nation. He was involved in two of the largest partnerships in ODIs: a 318-run partnership with Sourav Ganguly, the first pair to combine for a 300-run partnership, and then a 331-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar, which is the current world record. He was also the leading run scorer in the 1999 World Cup with 461 runs. He faced the highest number of deliveries (31,258) and holds the record for maximum catches in Test matches (210). He has also been involved in 88 century partnerships and has been involved in 20 century partnerships with Sachin Tendulkar – a world record.

Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 2000. He was also awarded the ICC Player of the Year and the Test Player of the Year at the inaugural ICC awards ceremony held in 2004. He became the first non-Australian cricketer to give the Bradman Oration in Canberra. In 1998 and 2004, he was awarded the Arjuna award and Padma Shri respectively, by the Government of India. Now, Government of India added a new feather in Dravid’s decorative crown by awarding him India’s third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan.

In his long career, he played a lot of memorable innings but the match-winning effort of Adelaide Test 2003 was the greatest. It was the first time in last two decades when India prevailed over Australia in Australia. By scoring 233 runs and 72 runs (not out) in 1st and 2nd innings respectively, he negated the effort by Ricky Ponting. Every Indian can’t forget that winning moment when Dravid celebrated the triumph by pumping his fist in the air and raising both his arms towards the sky.

Each new step, each new adventure, brings new richness. Every new dawn brings a totally new world around you. Every decision perfects when it is taken for a right purpose, at a right place and on a right time. Everything was all right with Dravid’s retirement but not the place. It was very sad moment for a Dravid fan who really wanted to give a farewell by giving standing ovation to the legend wearing Indian Jersey in a packed stadium. But all good things always come to an end.

Dravid’s contributions are remarkable in Indian Cricket. He didn’t enjoy keeping wickets but took it as a challenge, to see how good he could be. Due to this acceptance of challenge, India were the runners-up in the 2003 World Cup. Mostly people forget the great contributions of Dravid which gave a new height to Indian Cricket after a long time. The decision to not play T20 cricket was taken by Dravid and it was the right call. Finally, India lifted ICC T-20 World Cup 2007 with a young team.

Talent without hard work does not carry you far. Dravid combined both. He was a great student of a game. Modern cricket didn’t see a better batsman who knew which ball to leave and which to play. His batting was classical, a throwback to the good old days of textbook cricket. He epitomized it perfectly. He was the master at staying patient for long periods of time. Truly, Dravid was an impregnable ‘wall’ for the opposition.

He played in an era of many great players but at the time of retirement, he was acknowledged as a legend by all his peers. Whenever somebody says cricket is a gentlemen’s game, Rahul dravid is the perfect example for that statement. Rahul Dravid, a man of indomitable will retired and cricket lost one of its finest batsmen and gentlemen. But his legacy will live on. Dravid’s retirement was the biggest loss to cricket in the last two decades. Nobody shall come close to being a player like him. Cricket fans now miss seeing a player in whites, walking in at one-down and quelling aggressive bowlers. Really, Rahul Dravid was the Roger Federer of cricket.

MISS YOU JAMMY!