Blaze of Glory

Tonight, I will be watching the one day international between India and England with great interest and with mixed emotions. Today is the last time that Rahul Dravid will take the field in “blues”. And, it will indeed be a cocktail of emotions – happiness that he could retire from the one day arena on his own terms; sadness that there will not be another opportunity to watch him in a limited over setting; anger that we have been deprived of watching this class act for the last 4 years due to foolish selection choices; disappointment at the way a legend has been treated in the ODI scheme of things. Nostalgia has crept in and I feel that this is a good time to pen my thoughts as a tribute to Rahul Dravid.

Growing up in Pune and among a friend circle that supported – no, idolized – one person, openly supporting another Indian cricketer was as close as it could get to blasphemy. And yet, going against the established convention, I cheered for Rahul Dravid.  Perhaps, it was because he was always so modest and humble. Or, was it because of his textbook technique and that graceful batting? It could also be for the intensity he brought to the crease with every ball being a battle that needed to be won. In addition to these, I think it is the fact that he has overachieved that has led me to cheer for him. Unlike his other illustrious peers like Sachin, Sourav and Laxman – Dravid has not been blessed with that great talent. It has been sheer hard work and an incredible work ethic that has seen him through this journey.

Today, he will step into his 344^th match – no mean feat for a person who nobody thought could play limited over cricket. 10820 runs have come from his bat – the 7^th highest in the history of ODIs. 94 innings of those have yielded 50+ runs. Add to that a 196 catches and 14 stumpings and you have one of the truly laudable careers – by any standards. Always the bridesmaid – never the bride. In most of his epic ODI innings, he has always been overshadowed by one of his teammates. However, the team man that he is, he does not let it affect him. Few would realize that in the history of ODIs till date, there have only been 2 partnerships that have crossed 300 runs – and Rahul Dravid was a party to both those partnerships.

And, these are just cold, impersonal numbers which don’t fully reflect the contributions made by Rahul Dravid to the Indian ODI team. When the team did not have a bowling all-rounder and was struggling to balance the squad, Dravid stepped up and donned the wicket-keeping gloves – thereby allowing the team to play an extra batsman. At times, when the team lacked a person to finish an innings by batting with the tail and maximizing the slog overs, the team again turned to Rahul Dravid and he did not disappoint – he scored the second fastest 50 by an India in 22 balls. At times, I feel that his willingness to sacrifice for the team’s cause has many a times been taken advantage of by the powers-that-be in Indian cricket.

He has always been the go-to man that India has leaned on in times of trouble. After being discarded from the ODI scheme of things in 2007, he was called in for the Champions Trophy in 2009 since the selectors felt that the other batsmen would not be able to come to terms with the bounce of the South African pitches. After a decent outing, one would have thought that the selectors would have realized their mistake. Unfortunately, they dropped him again once the action shifted to the flat tracks of the sub-continent. And now, in an English Summer where no batsman has been able to even survive, the selectors fell back on Rahul Dravid to lend them the stability again. Hardly a way to treat one of your all-time greats. Fittingly, Dravid announced his retirement on the same day that he was selected to the ODI squad. A rebuke in his usual, diplomatic way.

Even a day before his last ODI, Rahul Dravid is still the first man to arrive at practice. Still eager to learn – always the willing student. Honing his skills in a format of the game that he knows that he would never again participate in. But, that is what he has always done – last game or not.

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Postscript:

September 17, 2011:

I watched the match with a couple of my friends at a lounge in Pune. Last ball of the 42^nd over. Going for quick runs, Dravid – on 69 - tried to hit the ball over the infield and missed. The ball crashed into his stumps. And, that was the end of the ODI innings for one of India’s greatest batsman. The response to his dismissal on and off the field was something to watch. In the lounge, most of the people – in varying degrees of sobriety - stood up and clapped all the way while Dravid reached the dressing room. On the field, all the English players gathered to shake his hand.

A team man to the last. Rahul Dravid – Thanks  for all the pleasant memories from your various knocks and I will miss seeing you in the Indian blues.