Not too many songs for him

As I sit and write this blog another song which could have sung for him gone to Mahela Jayawardene, this is the sum up for the cricketing career of Rahul Dravid. He always been there rock solid for his team, when needed but some one else take away the limelight. Never saw him complaining about it, shows the greatness about his character.

This is not new phenomenon if you ask me. It started right from the very first innings he played for India. India were in some sort of trouble at 202 for 4 with all the big guns returned to the dressing room and he along with his co debutant named Sourav Ganguly were at the crease. They put up partnership of 94 runs and then his partner got out. But he took the team to a respectable score of 419 along with tail lenders and got out. He made gritty 95 and announced his arrival, but all the accolades gone to his co debutant, whose fluent offside play made the home of cricket proud of itself. All the limelight was taken by Ganguly as he was feared to be the spoiled child of Indian cricket and made a come back after five years. Not a problem that can happen it was first time.

But all these years it was happening again and again for Rahul Dravid. Some how I feel he has not got the due from Indian media or public, which he deserves. People may say that he got the highest position possible in Indian cricket and that was his due. But let me tell you even then also he was not on his own. Some “Guru” from down under were calling all the shots, well mostly if not all. I have seen Dravid like this only. He mined his own business and not peep his nose in every thing he sees around him. But he missed the trick when he was captain of India that he needed to call most of the shots then the Guru to achieve the target, for which he was given the reins. India came back home earlier then what entire team thought they will. Some times being too good is also too bad for you. Media gives plenty of columns & programs to Sachin and but Rahul Dravid who is not far from him as far as talent is concerned or number of runs scored, ignored by them, which is rather surprising for me and many in this cricket mad country. Sachin is made for records and he achieves them perhaps every time he walks out, but Dravid, who achieves milestones one after one without making any show offs gets very less attention by the media. Recently when Sachin surpassed 17000 runs in ODIs, you could see the euphoria in Indian media, but nothing of those sorts when Dravid crossed 11000 test runs at Ahmedabad.

Perhaps only one occasion comes in my mind, when he got due credit. That was when India won the first ever test match in Australia after many years in Adelaide. Dravid’s double ton in first innings and 72 not out in the second innings made sure that India crosses the line in time. It was because of his knock India could achieve that feat, no less credit should go to Ajit Agarkar who got vital 6 wickets in the second innings to restrict Australia. Even during last tour of Australia his 93 in the first innings at Perth was invaluable, but again the lime light hogged by the new comer called Ishant Sharma, whos devastating spell against Ponting became talk of the town for few days.




Just yesterday when the boring test match ended in Ahmedabad, I felt that Dravid may sneak in with a Man of the Match award for his match saving first innings 177, Jayawardene snatched it with his 275 runs. Nothing against Jayawardene or his innings, but in the context of the game, I felt Dravid had more challenges then Jayawardene had when he came out to bat.

You will never see cricketers like Rahul Dravid in next generation to come for sure. A generation, who can go for fashion show even between two matches, can not leave a chance to hog the lime light at any cost. Dravid will should be remembered not only for the amount of runs he scored at the international level, but also for his silence to every thing he did. Few silences were not required though, but at least he was consistent about it, like he was with his bat through out his career.

>Hit Wicket!!!

“He played like a God!!”

- Sourav Ganguly, reacting to Dravid’s performance in Adelaide test against Australia in 2003.