Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Hailing "Wall"


There are a lot of duels played nowadays, both on and off the cricket field. A politician threw a kitchen sink at a cricketer who is probably bigger than any state, and found that a bathroom tub was hurled at him from all directions. Matches have been played in newspapers rather than on cricket fields. Small issues have been made obese thanks to the media, which acts like junk food to the human body. However, one man has been industriously constructing batting knocks in the same passion which reminds you of the glorious days of the Fab four.
Meticulous preparation and earnest resolve to be successful has made Rahul Dravid a serious force to reckon with after being buried by critics and cynics. In October 2007, when the stylish batsman from the garden city was ejected out of the Indian ODI team, few would have envisaged a sort of comeback that the “Wall” has made in the longer version. He was made a guinea pig down under due to the lack of openers in that tour. Still, Rahul answered critics with a sublime knock in Perth, a wicket whose texture can give even silicon carbide serious competition in terms of hardness.
It took more than 15 months for the Indian think tank to realize that Rahul Dravid can never be a liability to a team; the man is always an asset without the slightest of doubt. He was faced with a tough challenge of chasing down a meaty target in centurion, against a rejuvenated Pakistan which was exploding (oops. Wrong word!) With enthusiasm and were intent on turning the table of fortunes in big tournaments, which had always been partial to the its traditional rival. Dravid again replied in style, manufacturing a well paced knock in tough and slow conditions. However, his knock could not deliver a knockout blow as poor running cost him his wicket, and as a result the match.
I am happy to know that other sports are played by the team in training sessions, but the predicament starts when they start applying rules of the other game in the one where they are professionals. Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh seemed to have played baseball in training, and are hell bent on running as soon as bat makes contact with the ball. Few seconds of their haste made sure that the well crafted innings was a total waste.
To his shock, Dravid found himself out of the team for the ODI’s vs. Australia. If only his knock would have been a match winning one, he would have been inside that dark blue jersey at home. As a result of poor commitment and temperament, India could not cling on the No 1 spot, and Australia with a bunch of players whose experience totally put together would be less than Sachin’s experience, went home with a smile as broad as the flight they were in.
Meanwhile, Dravid returned to domestic circuit. The commitment and dedication of the man was shown in the way he conducted himself in Ranji matches. The once” Wisden Cricketer of the year” was prepared to stay in run of the mill type hotels, just for the passion of playing the game.
Soon, he was part of the test series at home against the feisty islanders from the subcontinent. The Lankan lions have struggled and choked in India, making them go on a winless streak of 14 tests without a win. The Indians went into the test seeking the top spot in the test rankings, but were in a soup early on as they lost 4 wickets in a flurry, leaving much to be desired from an intimidating batting line up. However, there was Dravid’s technique. He came, he watched and he conquered. The Motera knock would be one of Dravid’s finest as it saw Dravid in a very positive frame of mind. He dispatched loose bowls with blithe and counter attacked perfectly to pull India out of the quicksand eventually saving the test match. Dravid has once again proved that in time of crisis, it would more often than not be him to the rescue, than other batsmen. In many ways, Dravid would have cursed himself for having been born in the same era of the Sachin Tendulkar. For the past decade, Dravid has been part of many records and partnerships, has played brilliant innings, and has mastered several Indian victories. But still, he falls behind the master who just can’t stop people from admiring him.
The century in the 2nd test at Kanpur is just a testimonial of the fact that when the Dravid gets going, centuries might tumble from his bat. I wonder why people call him The Wall, the wall does not have the tenacity to come back after it is floored, there might be walls that can break easily, but this man is not going to break, he will be expecting to play in the World cup couple of years from now. Dravid’s experience and his keen acumen of the game is a better option than stupidity of certain young players which is falsely termed as exuberance.