Why Rahul Dravid is my favourite cricketer

k77sujith @ The Roar 

Coming from India, I am sure it surprises many that I haven’t mentioned my favourite cricketer as Sachin Tendulkar.
Make no mistake, I am a huge fan of the Little Master and I hope there would never come a time when he decides to call it quits.
However, there is one man who has always been in the shadows of Saurav Ganguly and Tendulkar, one who has quietly and religiously gone about his business – ‘The Wall’ Rahul Dravid.
Despite being recognized as one of the most mentally strong cricketers the game has ever seen, he has always preferred to stay away from the spotlight and let his performances do the talking.
Dravid, along with Ganguly, burst onto the scene with his brilliant batting efforts in a Test match at Lord’s against England in 1996. He exhibits brilliant batting technique, be it defence or offence and is supremely sincere and dedicated to his craft.
Dravid has constantly improved his technique over the years and has adapted to the different modes of the game. Like the Little Master, Dravid is a highly disciplined cricketer who has seldom been embroiled in controversy.
Dravid is a hard-as-nails gentleman who commands respect on the field, not just from his team-mates but from the opposition as well. Ask Allan Donald!
He is not identified with flamboyance when it comes to batting; the Sehwags and the Gayles handle that feature of the game. Dravid is duly respected for his determination, temperament and endurance at the crease.
He is a master when it comes to wearing out the opposition in the extended form of the game and works exceptionally hard in executing his role in conventional fashion.
One can argue pointing out that his batting is mind-numbing but having cemented the all-important number three position in the batting order for a long time, he is expected to hold up one end while the other batsmen take their chances playing around him. And how well he has executed and glorified this role for over 15 years at the top level against all international teams.
More importantly, he has done this, playing away from home, when most of his team-mates have struggled to cope with the bounce and pace on foreign pitches.
It is also worth pointing out that Dravid is a very dependable slip fielder and has accounted for numerous dismissals in tandem with Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and other pacers, fielding in the slip cordon.
Dravid has been a pillar of strength and support for the team and has on many occasions bailed the team out of trouble through sheer application.
Who can forget his contribution of 180 runs along with VVS Laxman in one of the most dramatic Test matches in Kolkata in 2001 when the two of them took India to victory from the brink of defeat?
I would run out of space and superlatives if I had to hand-pick his best innings as there are several of them.
Despite being a very accomplished player, throughout his career, Dravid has had to deal with a lot of criticism from both the media and selectors for his ‘inability’ to compete in the one-day format.
It is true that initially, he did struggle to come to grips with the shorter version of the game. He was deemed incapable as his detractors thought he could not rotate the strike and was unable to score runs at a brisk pace.
In typical Dravidesque fashion, without making a noise about the entire backlash, he took it all in his stride, put in the hard yards, worked on his weaknesses, honed his skills and evolved to become one of the most reliable one-day batsmen in the game.
The fact that he has scored over 10,000 runs in both forms of the game easily propels him to the list of greats.
Without doubt, Dravid is a legend and a perfect role model for wannabe cricketers. Moreover, he is a picture of discipline and integrity and a living example of someone who never rests on past success and constantly strives for improvement and he does not consider himself bigger than the sport.
‘The Wall’, as they say, never crumbles.

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Dravid Statistical Highlights After 2nd Test

# Rahul Dravid  (55) has recorded his second highest innings at Bridgetown -- the highest being 78 in March 1997.
# Dravid's knock is his 11th fifty against the West Indies.
# Dravid is the first player to complete 200 runs in the present series, totalling 212 (ave.53.00), including one hundred and one fifty.
# Dravid (6996 at an average of 53.81 in 85 Tests) needs just four runs to complete his 7,000 runs overseas.
# Dravid now holds an Indian record with his 60th fifty, eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar's tally of 59 fifties.
# Dravid is the second batsman to post 60 fifties in Tests, joining Allan Border (63).
# Rahul Dravid is the first player to appear in 200 innings at number three in Test cricket.

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Mukund says batting with Dravid helped

@IEWY News

After contributing to India’s cause by scoring 48 runs in the second innings, opener Abhinav Mukund said he took inspiration from the rival batting line-up.
“Sitting at forward short leg and watching ( Marlon) Samuels and (Shivnarine) Chanderpaul bat, I took a leaf (out of their book),” said Mukund after his career-boosting knock at the Kensington Oval on Friday.
“The two were playing too late. Chanderpaul was leaving a lot of balls which were close (to the off stump) also. I too wanted to play as late and leave as many as possible,” remarked Mukund who shared an important 63-run second wicket stand with Rahul Dravid.
His innings somewhat redeemed the tour for Mukund after his failures in the first three Test knocks of his international career.
“We (the two openers) didn’t have enough time to adjust. We landed here just three days before (the first Test). It’s been tough, I can be honest about it. The bounce is really steep. But I feel it’s good for me that I have played in tough conditions.”
Mukund was hit on his helmet by one such steep bouncer from Edwards and he remembers the delivery as a really quick one.
“Any human being will tell you (it hurts). When you are hit, your body tells you are at war. It’s a state of shock. But I wanted to convince myself I could face Test bowling.”

Mukund said a punched drive he executed off Edwards in the second innings of the first Test gave him a lot of confidence.
“I remember the shot I played in the second innings of the first Test, punching Fidel (Edwards) for four. I felt confident that I could straight drive too (at this level).”
Mukund revealed he couldn’t sleep much ahead of his first Test at Jamaica last week.
“I didn’t sleep much on the night before the first Test. My body clock wasn’t set either. I remember the first over I played in Test cricket. I was nervous but I didn’t try to do anything about it.”
Having been nervous, it still surprised most that Mukund preferred to take first strike rather than his more experienced partner Murali Vijay go for it.
“I told him that I would take the first strike. I have always taken the first strike, even at Ranji Trophy level. It isn’t as if he didn’t want to face first.”
Mukund termed it a fortunate coincidence that he has played with the first five batters of the present Indian line-up.
“I am fortunate that I have played with all the first five batters previously. It is a really comfortable atmosphere in the dressing room.
“Having batted with Dravid today, you learn a lot. He is gutsy, he keeps talking to himself in the centre. He kept telling me watch the ball, watch the ball.”
Mukund termed the Kensington Oval pitch as unpredictable. “A few deliveries rise off a length. The new ball holds the key, for them and for us as well. If the weather is good,, it could be a good Test match.”

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India's batting line-up can grind any pace attack: Tremlett

ANI Jul 3, 2011, 12.37pm IST @TOI
LONDON: England pacer Chris Tremlett is fully aware that it is not easy to bowl to India's star studded batting line-up, as the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman are capable of crushing any pace attack in the world.
The Hampshire-born pacer made his England debut against India at Lord's in 2007 in an ill-tempered series that the tourists won 1-0.
After shining against Sri Lanka in the on going series and getting into the top 10 of the ICC bowling rankings, Tremlett is ready to take on the ultimate test in world cricket to stop India's batting line-up.

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Chris Tremlett is worried of India's star studded batting line-up. (TOI Photo)

 

Tremlett said: "If they've got all their main players playing then it will be tougher than Sri Lanka - they're the number one side in the world for a reason."
"I played in 2007 which was obviously a great experience for me. We lost that series even though I don't think we bowled too badly," he said.
"They are probably the hardest batsmen in the world to get out - they're certainly the most patient," Tremlett said.
"For a bowler, taking on that batting line-up is as big as it gets because they will grind you down. They are never in a hurry to get their runs," The Mirror quoted him, as saying
Since coming back into the England side Tremlett has taken 32 wickets at an average of just over 23.

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The Rise of the Indian Cricket Fan

by Freehit @ Sportskeeda

The rise of Indian cricket in recent years has been an emotional ride for the nation's die-hard fans

At the start of the previous decade as a young 9-year old, I was a fan of Steve Waugh and his dominant Australian side. Keenly following Australian cricket was in fact, one of my favourite hobbies. There were so many wonderful players who would turn the game on their head when least expected. Everytime the chips would be down, someone would put their hand up and pull out the team from the jaws of defeat.

Seeing India win would obviously make me happy, but phrases like “India ka kuch nahi ho sakta”(translation: India can’t make it big) were heard far too often. They were an talented yet inconsistent side. As Indian fans who followed the game in the 80’s and 90’s would tell you, there were far too many heart breaks.
Then came the Kolkata test of 2001. India performed poorly in the first two innings after having already lost the first match. Even the Australian fan inside me wasn’t enjoying such bashing that the Indians were getting. Like many others, I too believed this test would decide the series in Australia’s favour.

The Marathon innings: Unforgettable moment in Indian cricketing history

Then came the 3^rd day, where VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid were batting at start of play. They batted and batted AND batted, all day long. As Steve Waugh later said “It seemed as if their bats got wider with every ball.” I can still remember Zaheer Khan walking off the field as India declared on 657-7 after following on. Heroics of Harbhajan Singh meant we had stopped the mighty Australians in their prime. The Indian in me smiled. No prizes for guessing who I supported in the final test of that series.

Fast forward to the 2002. India were visiting England and just a day before the series was about to start, various news channels and newspapers kept talking about how India had always failed in English conditions. It seemed as if hardly anyone in media believed that the team could fight. For some reason, I had this intuition that India would do much better than expected. It had no cricketing logic associated with it. Just that I still had the memories of Kolkata test of last year and other wins around that time. So, I was hopeful that they would come up with a respectable performance.

The Natwest Series Triumph: The day the nation woke up to new heroes

Nasser Hussain’s men were stunned as two hardly known youngsters by the name of Mohammed Kaif and Yuvraj Singh snatched victory out of no where to chase down a massive 325. No longer were we dependent only on Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid or Anil Kumble as another youngster Zaheer Khan emerged as the highest wicket taker for the ODI series. Then came the 4-match test series. Having not won any test series in England for 15 years, India’s chances at best, were not great.

The test series finished at 1-1, thanks mainly to the efforts of Kumble, Zaheer, Harbhajan and of course, Dravid in his fluent prime. How many in India, would have bet on India coming back without losing the series ? Hardly anyone. From being pushovers overseas, India had started showing fight.

The batting was looking superb from Virender Sehwag at top till the late middle-order, all filled with classy players. A lot of other things were changing too. The bowling was getting better all the time and India had started its journey towards being consistent. The feel-good factor started kicking in and everyone back home, supported the team with their full heart. Fielding was now given a lot more importance and to see Kaif, Yuvraj among others dive around gave us immense pride. As Indians, we were tired of the tag of being clumpsy in field and felt glad that we were improving on this important aspect.

All those who felt the Natwest win was just a fluke were silenced as the team showed they could perform repeatedly under pressure by chasing 325 yet again in Ahmedabad against West Indies. The players were getting better at holding their nerve and giving their best when the chips were down. Probably the most important thing that was changing was their attitude. We had learnt to never back down in a fight. Two incidences I particularly remember I are Ganguly’s shirt waving at Lord’s and later, Rahul Dravid staring back at Mohammed Sami in Pakistan.

By the time 2003 World Cup started, India had a good balanced team and hence a fair chance. However, the Australians were clear favourites and in spite of Steve Waugh’s absence, I was hoping they would do well. India,  managed to win 9 out of 11 matches during this campaign, but unfortunately, the two they lost were one-sided defeats to eventual winners Australia. Nevertheless, India had come a long way from their previous World Cup showing in 1999. The ’03 WC had some amazing performances from various Indian players, with the star being Sachin Tendulkar.

The Adelaide Test of ’03 was wonderful for Indians who dearly wanted to beat Australia after the bashing at the WC Final. The heroes of Kolkata ’01 stood tall yet again and made sure that Australia were trailing in a test series down under. This didn’t happen too often those days, after all, Australia had been the #1 team for quite a while. As one of my heroes, Steve Waugh retired from international cricket, Dravid was steadily becoming my favourite and has remained ever since.

With the departure of the Aussie captain, my inclination towards Australian cricket decreased for sure. However I remained a fan of these men, since their fitness, skill and ability to handle different situations was very professional and impressive. Good thing was that Indian cricket was taking major but silent steps towards becoming a superb team. Whether at home or abroad, India was becoming more and more competitive and determined.

The second match that I saw live in a stadium(1^st that I actually remember watching),was India v England at Faridabad in 2006. Sure, I did appreciate Kevin Pietersen’s aggressive batting, but it was no match to Suresh Raina’s match-winning 81 or Ramesh Powar’s 3-wicket haul. India winning the match gave me pride I hadn’t felt before. One lesson I learnt that day, was Cricket united us like nothing else can. The same people who were fighting during the match were celebrating together once Irfan Pathan scored the winning runs.
By the time India had won its first test series in West Indies in 35 years, I had become a proud Indian supporter(and a Dravid fanboy). Not many expected India to win, after all it was only the second time we managed to pull it off. Ever since, I easily get nervous if India has a weak start to some game or I get filled with pride as India demolish the opposition. Indian cricket has given me reasons to celebrate over and over again.
Yes, there have been some low points like the 2007 World Cup. But, victories in England Test series ’07, Perth test ’08, CB ODI Series in Australia ’08, Chennai test ’08, Napier ’09, Mohali test ’10 and of course, Durban test ’10, has given us all the reasons to believe in this Indian line-up.

Reaching the Promised Land

Then came the World Cup of 2011, co-hosted by India. After the sour memories of the ’07, Indians badly wanted to win this and the team did not disappoint us. They may not have had a brilliant start to the campaign but players put their hand up at the right time and peaked to take a big step towards being #1 in the world.
I followed the team in Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mohali and it gave me immense pride to see the men in blue lift the coveted prize. I was hooked to the game since a kid, but it has never been this easy to stay up till 3 AM to watch India’s matches. People easily forget their tensions and problems as their own team, the Indian team keeps on doing well. My transformation into an absolute Indian supporter was complete about 5 years ago, but this has easily been the sweetest phase of supporting team. Here’s hoping that this is just the start to a long phase of being the best in the sport.

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