I had entered my teens when I heard of a man replacing Sanjay Manjrekar in test cricket after latter was injured in an English summer of 1996. We did not have cable connection then and I would hear the commentary on our radio set amidst angry faces of my mom and didi as it avoided them to hear their pleasing late night radio shows. I remember one Jack Russel who used to take maximum amount of time to come to crease, all geared up (this man was actually once give "time out" of not coming to crease within two minutes after a batsman has been dismissed). England though had not so favourable start eventually did well and posted a competitive score of 300 plus. 300 was going to be a mammoth task as first test was won easily by England.
That test started a new beginning.At number 3 batted a man who was returning after a gap of around 4 years and was already known as the prince. This man had left the tour mid way in australia in 1992 as he did not want to carry drinks. And when he had a test debut he made a brilliant century. He also partnered with another boy who already drew comparison with Gundappa Vishwanath and did not wanted to be just a man who was clicked alongside Gavaskar and Gundappa but be like them. This man started living in a shadow making a niche of himself. Hit a brilliant 95 and added valuable 100 plus runs with tail enders.When he walked back he got a standing ovation. The last time he batted at australia he got a standing ovation as well irrespective of his score. Cricket had got his character back. Dravid had arrived and Dravid walked back. When he walked back last time perhaps he knew baton has been passed (Kohli made an exciting century from the position he batted first).
As it was destined to be Dravid, from his first test started under a shadow of charismatic players. He was always talked less, written less and was in lesser hype. Though it was strange Reebok gave him his endorsement deal much before he made his test debut. The wall paper in magazine would be Dravid with sweat and intense eyes. If he was talked less he consumed most deliveries. If he was written less he wrote records. If he was in lesser hype, he ensured his doggedness gave others chance to hype. Like a meticulous worker he followed what he was meant to be. Time and again. No batsmen has played more deliveries than him and perhaps no one will play that many deliveries ever. playing more deliveries means giving more chances for bowlers to outplay him. But bowlers were outplayed. For me he is the biggest aggressor and someone bowlers wont like to bowl. For how long a bowler can execute his plans. A bowler would always feel this guy cant score of me. But he would always be aware that they cant get him. For people who think Dravid cant score, 24000 runs are not by someone who cant play shots.
Alan Donald rated three players he dreaded most (all three were Indians) and amongst the three (azhar, sachin and dravid) he held Dravid in highest regard. He would claim to stay Dravid blunted me and then Azhar And Sachin scored of me. This, infact has been the norm. Dravid, though spend most of his career as a number 3rd, almost 60 percent of his innings overseas has started within first ten overs. He has been our invisible opener. In ancient wars first arrows and spears were thrown upon. Whoever could sustain it better, won in face to face man to man combat, which required butchering and lesser skills to endure. Dravid resisted spears and arrows and lesser mortals followed suit and won laurels.
There is something about Dravid which cant be written at a go My archive already has a blog on him http://rishi-shankar.blogspot.in/2011/06/masterpainter.html. And today if he retires , I wonder whose shadows would people get shade from. Will cricket remain same. Will cricket writers get stories about classical cricketers anymore ? Will steel, wall and resolve be no longer used as a metaphor ?
Cricket and cricket literature will be losing its stories .
That test started a new beginning.At number 3 batted a man who was returning after a gap of around 4 years and was already known as the prince. This man had left the tour mid way in australia in 1992 as he did not want to carry drinks. And when he had a test debut he made a brilliant century. He also partnered with another boy who already drew comparison with Gundappa Vishwanath and did not wanted to be just a man who was clicked alongside Gavaskar and Gundappa but be like them. This man started living in a shadow making a niche of himself. Hit a brilliant 95 and added valuable 100 plus runs with tail enders.When he walked back he got a standing ovation. The last time he batted at australia he got a standing ovation as well irrespective of his score. Cricket had got his character back. Dravid had arrived and Dravid walked back. When he walked back last time perhaps he knew baton has been passed (Kohli made an exciting century from the position he batted first).
As it was destined to be Dravid, from his first test started under a shadow of charismatic players. He was always talked less, written less and was in lesser hype. Though it was strange Reebok gave him his endorsement deal much before he made his test debut. The wall paper in magazine would be Dravid with sweat and intense eyes. If he was talked less he consumed most deliveries. If he was written less he wrote records. If he was in lesser hype, he ensured his doggedness gave others chance to hype. Like a meticulous worker he followed what he was meant to be. Time and again. No batsmen has played more deliveries than him and perhaps no one will play that many deliveries ever. playing more deliveries means giving more chances for bowlers to outplay him. But bowlers were outplayed. For me he is the biggest aggressor and someone bowlers wont like to bowl. For how long a bowler can execute his plans. A bowler would always feel this guy cant score of me. But he would always be aware that they cant get him. For people who think Dravid cant score, 24000 runs are not by someone who cant play shots.
Alan Donald rated three players he dreaded most (all three were Indians) and amongst the three (azhar, sachin and dravid) he held Dravid in highest regard. He would claim to stay Dravid blunted me and then Azhar And Sachin scored of me. This, infact has been the norm. Dravid, though spend most of his career as a number 3rd, almost 60 percent of his innings overseas has started within first ten overs. He has been our invisible opener. In ancient wars first arrows and spears were thrown upon. Whoever could sustain it better, won in face to face man to man combat, which required butchering and lesser skills to endure. Dravid resisted spears and arrows and lesser mortals followed suit and won laurels.
There is something about Dravid which cant be written at a go My archive already has a blog on him http://rishi-shankar.blogspot.in/2011/06/masterpainter.html. And today if he retires , I wonder whose shadows would people get shade from. Will cricket remain same. Will cricket writers get stories about classical cricketers anymore ? Will steel, wall and resolve be no longer used as a metaphor ?
Cricket and cricket literature will be losing its stories .
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