"The Wall" shall always stand tall

I have often bred a distaste for cricket of any form in the near past as I feel the game is the bane of Indian sporting fraternity. So while other sports have been languishing for want of funds, the BCCI, governing body of cricket in India has been awash with it. So much so that it is the envy of even the ICC. With money comes power, amply illustrated by the impunity with which World Cup hosting rights were gazumped by the Indian body despite it being Australia's turn to host the big show. The mass marketing and appeal of the players attract imitations and hero worship from parents and their kids alike, which is why every street can be seen with makeshift stumps hunched kids, rather than a football and kids running helter skelter. The cricketers, every other one being hailed as the next genius by the commentators increases my distaste for the game and the word genius itself. While players obviously riding the cash wave and the celebrity status flaunt girlfriends and cars and bikes which make the other athletes look downright pauper-esque in comparison. But in all this hubris, one man has been my sole so called bright star in an otherwise dark night, the only man who has displayed dignity on and off the field, who has behaved like a Man both in victory and defeat and hasn't batted an eyelid when all his years of servitude to the nation have almost been overshadowed by every new kid on the block. The man is Rahul Dravid.
Starting his career on the English tour, with the seaming,swinging,overcast and cold blustery conditions is not the easiest introduction to cricket. Yet, in typical fashion, the successful introduction to cricket that Dravid had was overshadowed by Ganguly in the series. Coming in with India at 5-202 and just the tail enders to follow was not the situation for a traditional top order batsman to commence his test career. Yet Dravid took to the task like duck to water and gave a sumptuous display of strokeplay which had the purists cheering. With the South African home and away series next, it was baptism with fire for him. Yet Dravid gave a glowing account of his talent. People would forget statistics over time. But ask any cricket lover, and he would tell you that India folded up for 100 and 66 in the two innings of the Durban test in the 1996 season. Few would remember that Dravid stood unconquered in the second innings scoring nearly half the Indian total. He went on to top score for India on the unsuccessful tour, almost setting up a stunning victory in the final test, only to be denied by a Messrs Klusener and the timely intervention of rain.
Statistics confirm that Dravid has been the best away batsman for India over the past decade. Indian batting for long was also termed as the paper tigers, good only at home. Yet Dravid would be sole exception having averaged better on away matches than at home. It is then unsurprising that he has been the mastermind of many a famous victory, the one against Australia in Adelaide in the 2003-04 season being the most remarkable. For until Tendulkar's recent maturity in closing out matches notwithstanding, Dravid was the most dependable batsman in a run chase in difficult conditions. McGrath regarded him as the most difficult batsmen to get out in the Indian batting order, better than even Sachin when India toured in 2003. Nicknamed "The Wall" for his tight defence and ability to shut out opposition seamers, Dravid was again the unsung hero when Laxman became the toast of the cricketing fraternity in the famous Kolkata test against Australia, many forgetting that it was Dravid who held forte at one end while Laxman butchered the Aussie bowlers at the other. Many attribute that turning point to be the turning point of Indian cricket, when we metamorphosed into a team of believers. Fitting then, that Dravid was one of the vanguard of this change.
Few have been shuttled up and down in the batting order like Dravid has, having played at every position from 1 to 7 in tests. He donned gloves despite being a top order batsman in the ODIs to provide balance to the team. He opened the batting when no other dared to, made the number 3 position his own. Not surprisingly, it is the most important position in a batting line-up, coming in when an opener has fallen early with the responsibility to shied the middle order from the new ball. He accepted captaincy when others had declined, gave it up of his own accord, convinced that it was time for the younger brigade to take over, and lost his place in the ODI team shortly thereafter despite a healthy record. Protests broke out when Ganguly was dropped from the ODI side for poor performance, barely an eyebrow was raised when Dravid was. That in essence sums up Dravid's contribution to Indian cricket. Always willing to fight it out and ready to be the fall guy, sacrificing glory in the greater good of the team, but significantly, always staying out of the limelight and below the radar of any controversy, Dravid has quietly penned his name in the list of all time greats. As the sun sets on his brialliant career, it is time for us to appreciate and applaud a true gentleman, the likes of whom the game may never see again for generations to come.