Rahul Dravid in his final 50 over match, against England, at Cardiff (September 2011). Photo (c) Azahar Machwe
It is said that a man may pass on but his ideas live forever.
Rahul Dravid, the man, ended his cricketing career today (9th of March 2012). Rahul Dravid, the idea will live on. The idea is embodied by four words: commitment, professionalism, class and willpower.
In this day and age of T20s and IPL it is very difficult to find these four qualities in any one new player. Don't get me wrong, it is not because the players do not have talent. It is just that the shortest version of the game does not require these four qualities, in the same measure as the longest version, for a successful career.
As a player he had a slow start to his career. When he entered the international arena the Indian cricket team was going through a post-World Cup shakeup. The world of cricket itself was changing and the game was becoming faster. Jayasurya was giving a master-class on rapid-fire run making and all of a sudden 300 was no longer an impossible target to chase.
Rahul Dravid stepped into the middle of this whirlwind. He found it tough going in the one-day format where he was quickly labelled as a 'slow and defensive' batsman. Being solid in his defense, which accounted for his success on bowler friendly pitches outside India, also earned him the nickname of 'The Wall'. The nickname was not all positive, it was also a reference to his slow and defensive style of play; that is why he was never happy about it.
But his style of batting paid off in the five day format of the game where he quickly racked up the runs and ended his career as the second highest run-scorer of all time.
Later in his career the nickname 'The Wall' also stood for his fielding in the slips and his stint as the wicket keeper. His fielding ability is highlighted by his world record for the most catches in Test cricket. Imagine the commitment to fielding over a five day period!
Even a quick glance at Dravids' statistics for the period before December 2009 shows how he, along with Tendulkar and Laxman, took up the responsibilities of a senior player. This payed dividends as the cricket team, running on all cylinders, reached the number 1 rank in Test cricket.
Being a part of the 'general public' what I learnt from Dravid is that you loose only when you give up, if you have the willpower and the commitment to carry on in the face of tough opposition, then you can never loose.
I don't want to make this a long winded piece about Dravid, his achievements are already known to all who enjoy cricket. I will just end this with something a friend of mine said (which I happen to agree with):
'Now when India looses one of the openers we won't be able to comfort ourselves by thinking we still have Dravid to follow'
:)
