Notes of nostalgia: Remembering Rahul Dravid

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 27: Rahul Dravid of India sweeps with Brad Haddin of Australia looking on during day four of the Fourth Test Match between Australia and India at Adelaide Oval on January 27, 2012 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)

Last Saturday (9th June) could have possibly been the last tournament that featured Rahul Dravid in whites taking up his position at slips, cheering his fellow team mates of Vijay CC at the Chepauk in Chennai. There were quite a few people who had come to witness the game, purely because it was a rare chance to see Rahul Dravid don the test cricket attire and watch him bat. It is not quite often you see players who have achieved every accolade possible in the top most level of the game, agree to participate in a league tournament that features relatively unknown stars, just to express your gratitude for what that team has done for you. All those who turned out at Chepauk weren’t disappointed on day 1, as they witnessed vintage Rahul Dravid, a man in full flow.

Dravid is like an iron which needs no galvanization. All though he appeared rusty at the start, it was just a matter of time before he was back to being his sublime best. Dravid made 56 (46 overnight with nine beautiful boundaries) coming in at No. 6. Rahul Dravid played all kinds of shots – from his trademark kneeling down cover drive to the textbook flick – Rahul Dravid oozed class as always. Every stroke was executed with great timing, exquisite precision, perfect balance and solid footwork. One cannot isolate Rahul Dravid from the square cut. Dravid playing the square cut is like a ballerina performing the Vaganova. He raises from his stance, observes patiently, shuffles and switches his weight between his legs, balances perfectly and cuts the ball with exquisite precision and panache. The scene that unfolded before me, took me back to the day when Rahul Dravid announced retirement from International cricket.

A lot of times, we have seen experts say that the difference between mortal sports persons and true greats of the game, is the preparation and effort put, day in and day out. I wonder what preparations could an ardent fan of the game do, when he/she sees his/her idol hanging up their boots. I was talking to the elders of my family to know if they faced a similar situation back in the 1980′s when an iconic cricketer announced retirement and if they felt a part of their life that they had cherished most suddenly fell into a vast bottomless pit. They thought hard and replied with a firm NO.

I am glad Rahul Dravid debuted in 1996, and played some of his finest innings from 2000. It perfectly coincided with me growing as a cricket fan, and I began to understand and appreciate what this man actually plays for – fulfilling his duty as a batsman by giving his best for the country, every single time. When I used to learn how to play cricket during my childhood, I remember the younger students practicing Sachin Tendulkar‘s straight drive, or Sourav Ganguly‘s back foot punch right from the start, only for my coach to go over and advise them “Sachin’s drive or Lara’s pull is secondary. What you need to first learn, is how to leave a ball, and how to defend another. Start observing Dravid!”. Profound apothegm.

The media, people, fans are always obsessed with the word, ‘Greatness’. Not many realize that this is a very relative word that raises it’s bar every time when the domain changes. Rahul Dravid is beyond these debates. It actually doesn’t matter because ‘great’ alone is not a word to be associated with Dravid. He should be acknowledged as the ‘greatest complete’ cricketer, ever to have graced the game. One of the best fielders in the slip cordon, a cricketer who possessed remarkable reflex during his younger days, fielded in almost every position, bowled when asked to and even kept wickets for almost three years, in order for the team to get its composition right. Even Sachin is being constantly compared to Sir Don, but rarely was Dravid compared with anyone. It is a futile experiment if anyone tries to compare him with any other great simply because he is a class apart. Be it on any ground, or on any time of the day he bats in the middle, one could always witness those beads of sweat falling from his helmet rim. Dravid toiled hard and earned every run. The word ‘commitment’ always appeared in a blurred form before me, until the moment I saw Rahul Dravid.

When a metamorphosis began in the manner in which the game was played and while many promising cricketers failed to adapt and succumbed to the demands, ‘The Wall’ stood tall. He acclimatised. He improvised but never digressed from classic textbook display of cricket. When a bowler delivers a ball, full in length on the middle stump, you have players making room and whipping the ball towards leg side. Then there is Dravid, who gets to the pitch of the ball and hits it to the long on/deep mid-wicket fence.

It is funny that people thought the Indian team, that toured Australia last winter, were capable of winning on foreign soils. If at all we were able to stamp our authority on the global platform, it is due to Rahul Dravid along with other legends. Indian team has been mediocre at its best. A crop of great batsmen with a big heart come along and create a decade of bending the game to their will, dictate terms to world class bowlers and establish an era of domination at the top. Rahul Dravid has single handedly snatched pride from the jaws of humiliation.

Dravid has have been the architect of India’s finest victories. He made us realize how crucial the No.3 slot is. “India loses an early wicket. In walks, Rahul Dravid, the most consistent player who needs to stay and stabilize the Indian innings”- this statement can now Rest in Peace. I am sure the safety net that protected the team before will never be the same again. While other batsmen play through an inning, he constructed them. His retirement was not the last brick in the wall, but it signified the completion of a monument with many walls that will stand tall forever. Every Indian fan feels privileged to have cheered for him.

After the First Division game was over, Dravid walked back, and reality struck me hard. That possibly could have been the last time one could have witnessed Dravid playing in a competitive game. Thanks to Dr. Seuss, I know how to handle the situation now. I won’t cry that an era is over, but I will smile that it happened.