Why does Rahul Dravid love England?

The institution of being a batsman does always have its own charm and charisma. From building their own technique while playing, to executing bizarre shots with utmost efficiency, batsmen have evolved, along with the evolution of the game itself. If Sachin can pull a short ball with ease, Dravid would be a stark contrast, trying to cut the ball on the off-side. It varies with every batsman, as it is a matter of technique and the attitude with which the batsman perceives the ball. He could defend, attack or let the ball be.

In the same regard, Dravid is a known ‘I-grind-it-out-to-score-runs’ kind of player, and it is not completely surprising to see the amount of success Dravid has had while touring outside the subcontinent. Probably, he is one of the most prolific run-scorers outside the sub-continent, and one can attribute his success to the amount of effort he puts in every time he walks out to bat. While Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have been stroke-makers who would love the spectacular in their batting, Dravid has been content playing the sweet little jabs and kisses to great effect.

One cannot easily budge a Dravid. As a bowler, you know that you have to be better at grinding than he is to pick his wicket, because the Dravid that we have always seen puts a price on his wicket, which can seldom be won through luck. Dravid knows that he is not a naturally talented stroke-maker like his counter-parts, and he has indeed admitted to the same in countless interviews. He gets dehydrated soon enough and his body takes a lot of punishment while playing under the scorching sun. Knowing one’s limitation and accepting it is the key to a successful career, and Dravid is spot-on when it comes to playing within his limits. He prepares like a soldier on the war-front, and he would only walk out after ensuring that all his routines have been followed with immense care and attention to details.

From the time he made his debut at Lord’s, Dravid was groomed as an exciting prospect, just like our modern day Pujara. The main aspect of Dravid’s batting is that he does not sit around experimenting, but gets to work straight away, understanding the conditions and extracting the run-scoring opportunities from the bowler’s head. The battle is half-won at that moment, and then it is all about making it count.

England is a country where the ball has got its own set of wings, and it sways to the music of the bowler. So you’d have to be smarter to play within yourself to attain success. On that regard, Dravid acquires it much easier because he cuts out the flair from his batting, and goes on the defensive mode, and settles in like a door that opens slowly without a creak. After that, it is just like a flood that has been unleashed, who picks his balls at will and dispatches it off to the boundary.

In 2011, when India toured England, it was mayhem that uprooted the volatile hill-tops some of the Indian batting ‘stars’ stood on, but for Dravid, it was just another day in the office. He practised, warmed up, and walked out to bat like he did for the past 16-odd years. Nothing changed for the man, only a slight change in the timing and foot-work, and the rest took care of itself. It wasn’t easy like it seems, when you put it in a couple of sassy sentences. Dravid fought alone, resisting the impulse to fall under the so called trap of flamboyance and flair. Rather, he chose to sit tight, concentrate on the work at hand, and was immensely successful. Three scintillating hundreds later, he was hailed as our face-saver, for India minus Dravid on that tour would have been blasphemy.

It wasn’t a one-off performance like our beloved Rohit Sharma‘s gritty knock two days ago. Dravid has been relatively successful in England, averaging well over 60 in Tests. One cannot fail to mention the whirlwind knock of 92 runs to win the second Natwest ODI in the year 2007. It was crucial to India’s chances in the series and it was a pleasure seeing Dravid unleash a range of strokes to take India to safety.

Another aspect of Dravid’s batting includes the fact that he has an uncanny knack of timing the ball rather than trying to bludgeon it, and England is a place where we can rely on the pace and carry of the ball. It makes it easier for Dravid and he was only too happy to oblige. That’s what makes him a master at playing fast bowling.

When batting against fast bowlers, it doesn’t matter how many runs have been scored. The way the bowler has been negotiated makes the difference. You could swing your bat like a Virender Sehwag or Tillakaratne Dilshan for all the money in the world; one day you would be a success, while on the other, you would be called a waste of space on the team. Even leaving the ball requires the right amount of knowledge and talent, and Dravid sure possesses that.

A fast bowler would know whether the batsman is comfortable or not, even as he is bowling to him, seeing the way he approaches the ball. He devises his plan based on the tactics employed by the batsman, and is all game if the batsman decides to put bat on ball without thinking. Dravid is a batsman who knows where his off-stump is, and he plays the ball on merit. With Dravid, it is hard to witness a poorly executed shot. It unsettles the bowler, who is at a loss for an answer to Dravid’s technical brilliance, which may sound clichéd by now.

He is a once in a life-time player, and it was a pleasure to witness his battles in alien lands to save our face and pride, and for that, Dravid qualifies for the ‘take-my-hat-off’ phrase. His last tour wasn’t as successful as he would have liked, and I am sure he would have liked to bow out at home, but things weren’t as filmy. He is a warrior and warriors do not walk into the sunset; rather, they die in the battle-field. Thinking back, it makes me sad thinking about Dravid’s sudden exit from the scene and realizing that only he could have resisted the English advance last year.

The moon does not shine forever and legends do not last forever; though Dravid retired last year, the respect and the love that we had for him, for his game and for being the gentleman that he is, has only increased with every passing day, and every appearance of him in the commentary box. Our mood immediately lifts upon hearing the humble man pouring out the wise talks, and we would love to hear more of him in the forthcoming days. Dravid. Phenomenon. Humility. Hard-work. That’s the man for you!