At the core of the great athlete often resides a self-centred animal.
Lit up by the spotlight, the rest of the world falls into his shadow.
Qualityand gentleness is ever hated. Rahul Dravid is a quality cricketer on the
field and a great gentleman off the
field - Anonymous
Excerpts
from a conversation between Harsha Bhogle and Rahul Dravid
Harsha: You made a
very good hundred in Headingley in 2002. Tell us about that.
Dravid: Yeah that was a good innings but Sanjay Bangar played well
too. He was asked to open on a tough pitch and fought very well. It's not easy
to do that.
Harsha: You were brilliant for India in test cricket from 2002 to 2005
Dravid: Yes, but we won test matches because of our brilliant
spinners. Harbhajan and Kumble who used to take heaps of wickets on Day 4/5 of
the test match.
Harsha: That is how Rahul Dravid is. You tell him he played well
and he will tell you that somebody else played well too! This is who Dravid is!
“Ask him to walk on water for his team and he will
ask you how many miles” -Harsha Bhogle
A fortified
wall that stood impregnable while everything collapsed.
Salute to one of the greatest legends of all the time. An indefatigable fighter
and a true gentleman !!
Rahul Dravid
*No.1 overseas batsman in Indian cricket (with avg of 65)
*No.1 batsman at no. 3 (with 10524 runs)
*No. 2 Indian batsman after Tendulkar with most runs in tests won by India
*No. 2 batsman with highest balls per dismissal in test (123)
batsman with most century partnership stands (88)
*No.1 fielder with record 210 catches
"I have
failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with
sadness but also with pride." - Rahul Dravid
THANK YOU FOR BEING RAHUL DRAVID
Sportspersons retire every day, but legends retire only to achieve immortality.
On Friday, 9th March, 2012, the greatest example of sincerity,
dedication and humility decided to call it a day. Sachin Tendulkar aptly
described the man-“There was and is only one Rahul Dravid.”
It was in 1996 when this gaunt, lanky gentleman from Karnataka had walked to
the crease at Lords. 16 years and more than 24000 international runs later,
this unsung hero of Indian cricket is still the same. He doesn’t have a
swagger, doesn’t have exaggerated emotions, doesn’t flash the middle finger and
still doesn’t cuss. But that doesn’t even remotely imply that he wasn’t
aggressive. To quote Matthew Hayden, “All this going around is not
aggression; if you want to see aggression on cricket field, look into Rahul
Dravid’s eyes”. Enough said.
I feel for the coming generations for they shall never experience the
feelings I’ve experienced. The nervousness of seeing India time and again slump
to 0/1 and then 3/2. Fretfully chewing away at my nails, cussing the Indian
openers, only to see a calm, composed, but an intense Dravid walk out to the crease.
Watching him was reassuring. One could relax hearing those four banal
words- Dravid abhi baaki hai!!
As I sit today on my chair trying to pen something of a Thank You note to this
legend, motley memories of a multitude of cricket grounds flash by. Calcutta.
Adelaide. Lords. Georgetown. Headingley. Many losses, a few draws and a
handful of victories. And in most of these joyous moments of victories there
was only one constant. Rahul Dravid and his unfaltering defense. Non strikers
came, showcased their fluid cover drives, elegant leg glances, languid caresses
and got out. But one man slowly chipped away, run by run, ball by ball, session
by session, match by match, and year on year. He got his hundreds. People
applauded. All he managed was a restrained fist pump, sometimes not even
that. He then cleared his helmet of the sweat and put it back on to face the
next ball. There were seldom any pulls that went for sixes, no dance down the
tracks that sent the balls sailing out of the parks in his meticulously
constructed career. There were only hard earned runs which aided him to yet
another milestone, yet another landmark and yet another victory for India.
Where the Tendulkars, Gangulys and the Laxmans overshadowed his watertight
defense with their graceful strokes, he always went by unnoticed. But he never
complained. He was the Dark Knight since he was there when the team needed him.
Always. The shadows would lengthen, the sun would set behind the scoreboard,
the bails would be flicked off the stumps when the day was called and more
often than not, only one warrior had withstood the onslaught.
The bowlers would frustrate, but the concentration in his eyes did not as much
as waver. That’s Rahul Dravid for you.
To sum it up, he was one of the most dignified men the game has ever seen. . At
39, in his penultimate series, the man notched up three centuries in four
tests, a testimony to the talent and the amount of cricket still left in him.
But isn’t that what champions do? Leave on a high. His last series was a one
off aberration in his otherwise sparkling career.
Sir, we will always remember you for the teammate you were, for your fiery eyed
concentration, for your picture perfect defense and for your ability of
befriend everyone you ever played with. Really, there isn’t a greater man than
the one who can garner the respect of his contemporaries.
“If you can’t get along with Dravid, you are struggling in life.” -Brett
Lee
Three days before BCCI announced that Rahul dravid is selected as the
new A and U19 coach. This is one of the finest decision BCCI has ever taken.
This decision is lauded not just in our country but also far away in other
countries. Pitersen in an interview described thisdecision of BCCI as an
“absolutely brilliant move”. Dravid
himself is very keen to take this job of shaping the new generations.
Our Crcket future is surely in good hands or rather i sould say God hands. His
deep dedication towards success will definitely make our young cricketers
shine.. THE WALL STANDS TALL
Some famous quotes on Dravid :
Glenn McGrath
"Dravid has been a class player for a long time now and we know his
ability better than anyone. He's not like the other guys who love scoring off
every ball, and there's no real weakness in his game either."
Shoaib Akhtar
"Even though Sachin is great, I have always found Rahul more solid and
hard to get out. He has a solid defense and plays less shots than others. When
a batsman plays less shots then it is tough to get him as he makes less
mistakes."
Javagal Srinath
"I have also not seen him lose his temper. He has that uncanny skill of
keeping his frustrations to himself. He hates to get out though and you can see
the restlessness in him till he gets his act together in the next outing. He is
the most hard-working guy in the side."
Allan Border
"Everyone has already exhausted superlatives so I would not bother myself
with any additional praise but you could be sure my admiration for him has
grown tremendously."
Shane Warne
"Rahul Dravid being known as 'The Wall' is pretty much spot on. 'The
fortress' could also describe Rahul. Because once, Dravid was set, you needed
the bowling equivalent of a dozen cannon firing all at once to blast him
down,""
Chris Gayle:
"Dravid Could play attacking cricket like me but i could never play like
him"
Shahid Afridi :
Once Shahid Afridi was asked for his Favourite Player and He says "Rahul
Dravid"
Brian Lara :
"If I have to put anyone to bat for my life, it’ll be Kallis or
Dravid".
Navjot Singh Sidhu:
"Rahul Dravid is a player who would walk on broken glass if his team asks
him to"
Brad Hogg :
"Nothing can beat experience"
Matthew Hayden:
"All this going around is not aggression. If you want to see aggression on
cricket field, look into Rahul Dravid’s eyes"
Peter O’ Toole (Legendary Irish Actor):
“Everyone praises Sachin Tendulkar. He may be a genius in his own right but in
my book, Rahul Dravid is the artist. Dravid’s defence tactics, his strokes, his
cuts, his grace are truly amazing. I’d like to meet the chap sometime and take
my hat off to him.”
Mahesh Bhupati:
“He deserves his success as he has worked hard for it. He is one of the most
down to earth and disciplined professionals I’ve met.”
Ian Chappell
“Team in trouble? Whom do you turn to? Rahul Dravid!”
Steve Waugh
"Rahul is the kind of person who young cricketers can look up to; not only
because of his success but also because of the way he conducts himself."
Gaurav Kapur
“Ask any bowler and he will tell you that all the greats will give you a half
chance early in their innings, except Dravid.”
“The people back home deserve a fighting team” – By The Man Himself
