A house has four walls. Every wall is in itself complete. But together they make something that has a lot more meaning. But for now, let us concentrate on a single wall. Have you ever wondered how much stress falls on a single wall in holding up a house, or any free-standing structure for that matter? How much all the bricks have to work together as a unit to maintain the shape of which it is a part. Measure it and you'll be amazed. It's a wonder that buildings can stand on their own at all! Now consider the weight of expectations which fall on a cricketer in India, where cricket is more than a sport, and its players are more than demi-gods. In a country of more than 1.2 billion people, were every leading edge, every wide ball is scrutinised more than investigators at a crime scene, it is staggering to think that a player would last for 1 and a half decades, playing like he used to when he started, and remaining the perfect gentleman that he always was.
That, my friends, is the story of Rahul Sharad Dravid. A cricketer who represented the country with the verve and passion matched only by a few others. A player who brought hard work, dedication and determination to a sport, in a country which treats its players like a yo-yo, lifting them to the highest of highs one moment, and then plunging them into the deepest abyss the next. All because they won or lost a 'game'.
He made his debut at the crease on a cloudy day in the summer of 1996, at Lord's, no less, the home of the sport of cricket. But right from the start the spotlight seemed to have a way of avoiding him, running circles around his person but never settling on him. His debut score of 95 was overshadowed by the amazing debut century of a certain Prince of Calcutta, Sourav Ganguly. When he made 145 three years later at Taunton in the 1999 World Cup against Sri Lanka, he was overshadowed again by a pulverising 183 by that same guilty party. When he scored 180 against Australia in the now legen...wait for it...dary Test match at Eden Gardens (woohoo!!), a Very Very Special Laxman scored 281, which was at that time the highest score by an Indian. Not that Dravid did not get any plaudits for that innings, but again he was playing second fiddle. Even the Test match in which Dravid reached 10000 runs, Sehwag scored a record breaking triple century, blistering through the opposition bowling attack.
Not that he didn't star in any of India's wins. In the greatest Test achievement oversees(in my opinion) in the past 10 years, the win over Australia at Adelaide in 2003, Rahul Dravid played the lead role, scoring 233 in the first innings and a 70 odd not out in the second to pull India over the line, and forever engraving his name as a legend of the game.
His decision to retire came yesterday in what has to be described as typical Dravid fashion. When the spotlight was elsewhere, when he wasn't in the news, he decided to call an end to an illustrious career which reached across three decades of the calendar. I have come to expect nothing less of the great man. This is my salute to the glue which held the Indian batting line up together for 15 long years. Sad to see you go, The Wall. Thank you for the memories.
That, my friends, is the story of Rahul Sharad Dravid. A cricketer who represented the country with the verve and passion matched only by a few others. A player who brought hard work, dedication and determination to a sport, in a country which treats its players like a yo-yo, lifting them to the highest of highs one moment, and then plunging them into the deepest abyss the next. All because they won or lost a 'game'.
He made his debut at the crease on a cloudy day in the summer of 1996, at Lord's, no less, the home of the sport of cricket. But right from the start the spotlight seemed to have a way of avoiding him, running circles around his person but never settling on him. His debut score of 95 was overshadowed by the amazing debut century of a certain Prince of Calcutta, Sourav Ganguly. When he made 145 three years later at Taunton in the 1999 World Cup against Sri Lanka, he was overshadowed again by a pulverising 183 by that same guilty party. When he scored 180 against Australia in the now legen...wait for it...dary Test match at Eden Gardens (woohoo!!), a Very Very Special Laxman scored 281, which was at that time the highest score by an Indian. Not that Dravid did not get any plaudits for that innings, but again he was playing second fiddle. Even the Test match in which Dravid reached 10000 runs, Sehwag scored a record breaking triple century, blistering through the opposition bowling attack.
Not that he didn't star in any of India's wins. In the greatest Test achievement oversees(in my opinion) in the past 10 years, the win over Australia at Adelaide in 2003, Rahul Dravid played the lead role, scoring 233 in the first innings and a 70 odd not out in the second to pull India over the line, and forever engraving his name as a legend of the game.
His decision to retire came yesterday in what has to be described as typical Dravid fashion. When the spotlight was elsewhere, when he wasn't in the news, he decided to call an end to an illustrious career which reached across three decades of the calendar. I have come to expect nothing less of the great man. This is my salute to the glue which held the Indian batting line up together for 15 long years. Sad to see you go, The Wall. Thank you for the memories.
Wish there was a like button here.. truly,an unsung hero who did take Indian team to great heights but more often than not,other managed to steal his thunder..But he shall always be remembered as the WALL which is more than an achievement in his already, illustrious career. His recent speech at The Bradman Oration was just another feather in his cap. I really couldn't have agreed more with this article.
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