Rahul Dravid - The name says it all

That year was a blissful year for all Dravid fans like me. Scoring 5 centuries in a single year, Dravid had emerged as the highest run getter in 2011. His impeccable technique, incomparable ability to withstand any attack, immense powers of concentration and inspirational consistency seemed to have seeped into him all over again, never to leave again. He was playing, running and scoring like he did from 2000 to 2006, the golden era of his career. His eyes twinkling with that unwavering focus, his bat making that beautiful sound when he connected it with the seaming and swinging balls, his legs as graceful as a dancer’s and his movements as precise as an artist’s. Witnessing him in a tremendous form like that, we Dravidians kept soaring higher and higher into the skies, filled with pride, devotion and delight for our hero, in expectations of a replica of that golden era.

However the second highest run getter in tests then, decided to hang his boots after the terrible series in Australia. He was criticized by the media, the same media which was pouring praises at him during the England series when the rest of the team crumbled like a pack of cards. Did he deserve this treatment that he was bestowed with? Did one bad series mean that his powers of concentration had dwindled, his focus had faltered? No, it did not. But he never showed a glint of arrogance, as Rahul Sharad Dravid was, is and always will be a man of dignity. He did not wait to be shown the door, but left the door himself, confident and satisfied, leaving the Indian dressing room distraught. Mingled with this dignity, his immense commitment to the team and his selflessness made his decision easy for him. The time was right, he says.

But did we all feel the time was right? No, we certainly wanted him to play at least for six months more. Why was Rahul Dravid so important, so irreplaceable and so incomparable for us? The answer is easy, because he is RAHUL SHARAD DRAVID, the one and the only one. The one who is fathomed for his technical perfection, the one who played out his heart and soul in every match, the one who mingled blood with sweat to take his team home, the one whose commitment to the team was beyond any limits and the one who always selflessly played not only for his team, but for his nation. He kept on winning and saving matches for India with the help of nothing else but utter commitment, hard work, patience, practice and timely execution of plans. Blending all these virtues, he stood up, head held high, to attain nothing else but perfection.

His approach to the game of cricket was simple he says, about giving everything to the team, about playing with dignity and about upholding the spirit of the game. He has not managed to do some of that, but all of that and even more. The game has not given him as much as he has given to the game. Cricket will miss its decent, selfless, quiet and yet dignified son. Rahul Dravid’s spot maybe will be taken up by someone from now on, but no one can ever fit into the mighty shoes of the Great Wall. He has made a tremendous impact on the game and on the hearts of the people following it and has proven to one and all, that nice guys do not always finish last…