Book review: Rahul Dravid - Timeless Steel

Rahul Dravid – Timeless Steel is an anthology published by ESPNCricinfo, which features 29 pieces on India’s greatest ever No. 3 batsman, Rahul Dravid.

The book is divided into various sections – a part on The Cricketer, then a section where his peers talk about him, then the Great Innings (yes, they’re all here – the 180 at Kolkata, the 233 at Adelaide, the 270 at Rawalpindi, and my personal favourite – the 148 at Headingley, surely one of the greatest ever pure Test innings), the Man himself, a few interviews and a section on stats.

While not outstanding in terms of insights provided, the book is a fascinating read. Let me validate that statement.

We’ve been treated to a lot of Dravid-love over the media. It’s almost fashionable to talk about Dravid, as if it were a point of support and saying ‘we think beyond Tendulkar’. So all of us know of his dedication to the game, physical training, his obsession with his technique, the gentleman-ness, everything. In that regard, the book tells us nothing ‘new’ – it reinforces all we knew from various perspectives.

And what writers! It was a star cast, alright – from the awesomeness of Gideon Haigh, Rohit Brijnath, Sid Vaidyanathan and Mukul Kesavan, to peers like Suresh Raina, Jason Gillespie and of course, an incomparable section on stats by the peerless S Rajesh. I actually liked the piece by Raina – it wasn’t ‘supremely well written’ like some of the other legends, but it was so honest and from-the-heart that it was hard not to feel endeared to it. A surprise was in the form of a tribute by Greg Chappell – fans of Indian cricket will remember the Dravid – Chappell phase as not the best of moments for the team, but Chappell does a good job clarifying a lot of things (albeit with a lot of diplomacy) and the inclusion of the article was a nice touch.

Other pieces I really liked was the one by Sanjay Bangar – who contributed a fabulous 50 in the Leeds match where Dravid scored his immortal 148. In fact, a lot of the great innings were ‘re-lived’ through various lenses – Bangar from the non-striker’s end, the Rawalpindi 270 by Rahul Bhattacharya, in tremendous detail.

There’s also a piece by his wife, Vijeeta Dravid, which provides a lovely insight into ‘my husband, the legend’, and of course, that joker, Jarrod Kimber who states Dravid was the reason he got married.

What comes out from the book? A lot of Dravid love. A lot of insight into his life, his technique, his attitude to cricket (which goes beyond knocking balls around) and surprisingly, his sense of humour (he said that if he had to break Lara’s 400, then they’d need to play a 6 day Test), a lot of “playing-second-fiddle”, and not to forget the fact that he has been instrumental, probably more than any other cricketer, for India’s successes in the 2000′s.

There’s nothing that will extraordinarily shake up your world here, but it’s a lovely read if you’re a Dravid fan. Chances are, you are. So pick this up while it’s still available for just INR 431 at Flipkart, here.

Rating: 7/10