Rahul Dravid
'No
sir, I have already made up my mind. I don't want to block a youngster coming
in and establishing a career in the team.'
Friday, March 9, 2012
Rahul Dravid retires from international cricket
As I am
trying to type this, my mind is completely lost in all the memories of this
great man. Not in a mood to write anything, but there is something which I
thought is worth sharing with all of you - a perfect tribute to The Wall from
Harsha Bhogle.
Rahul Dravid batted exactly like
the person he is: stately and upright, dignity and poise his two shoulders,
standing up to everything coming at him with minimum fuss. He picked his shots
carefully, almost like he was weighing the risk for fear of letting himself and
his side down. There was little about him that was flamboyant - there isn't
with an oak - and patiently, brick by brick, he built giant edifices. He is a
good man and he batted like a good man.
And like with most of his choices
in life, he has chosen well again. He has not craved a full house on its feet,
there has been no grandstanding. The retirement is a sports-page event not a
gossip item. He knew it was time. "I'm sure you have thought it through,"
I said when he called. "I know this is the time," he said. "Any
longer and it will be for the wrong reason." I expected nothing less from
a man it has been my privilege to watch and to know for 16 years.
It was but a feather that
prevented him from getting a century on debut at Lord's. He would have liked
it, for he has this sense of history about him. He would have wanted to be on
that honours board, and 15 years later he inscribed his name there with a
Dravid special. They love him there like he is one of their own, and indeed England
has been a recurring motif in his life. The 1999 World Cup; the majesty of
2002, when he outbatted the world and produced one of his finest innings in
Leeds; winning a series as captain in 2007; and then those three centuries last
year that reminded us once again what Test cricket was all about.
At Lord's he remained not out
from No. 3; at Trent Bridge he opened the batting and was ninth out; and at The
Oval, at the age of 38, he had but ten minutes between deliveries as he batted
through the innings for six and a half hours, before returning to open the
batting. A standing ovation had just died down before another took its place. I
stood too, not for the first time.
And he loved to explore England,
on foot, in buses and in trains; always asking about the latest musical and
offering extended reviews of those he had seen. One such exploration took him
to Scotland,
from where he returned humbler, if that was indeed possible. He was getting
paid to play, he said, but everyone else was paying to play - taking unpaid
leave, shutting down shops, all for the sheer joy of playing. He learnt, he
said, how much you can take for granted as an international star. I can see why
he will continue to be a giver, why his doors will be open for other
cricketers. And I hope they learn from him never to say no.
There were two things Dravid
didn't really love in cricket: opening the batting and keeping wicket. He was
asked to do both at various times, and I asked him if he ever contemplated
saying no. He didn't enjoy it, he said, but took it as a challenge, to see how
good he could be. This acceptance of challenges is what has defined his cricket
and made him one of the finest team players there has been. A challenge, he
said, allowed him to understand himself better, it gave him a reason to play
sport. If he shied away, he would never know how good he could be. He kept
wicket in about 70 one-day internationals, never most convincingly, but he
allowed himself to look bad for the team to look good. It was always the team
for him and in the little piece he wrote for the book that my wife Anita and I
did, he quoted Kipling: for the strength of the wolf is the pack and the
strength of the pack is the wolf. It was nice to see a cricketer quoting from
literature.
The team is like a pot, Dravid
often says. Some put in and some take out. The more who put in, the fuller it
gets, and those were the players he enjoyed playing with the most: those who
put into the pot. He was one of the leading contributors and there was never an
effort at gaining sympathy or media attention for it. He gave quietly. He was
one of the reasons why India
recovered so quickly from the match-fixing issue around the turn of the
century. India
had some outstanding men of integrity at the time. Tendulkar, Dravid, Kumble,
Ganguly, Laxman and Srinath. It was a good group to belong to.
The turn of the century was also
the coming of age of Dravid as an international cricketer. He had proved people
wrong about his ability to play one-day cricket at the World Cup but then went
to Australia
convinced he needed to do well there to gain respect. It is a word he will
often use in conversation ("the respect in your dressing room and that of
your opponents is what matters") but in quest of it that time, he tried
too hard, cocooning himself into a mass of nervous energy. He struggled but
returned in 2003, at the height of his powers as a batsman, to peel off a
double-century in Adelaide that won
India a famous
Test.
He scored many in that phase,
most of them away and throughout his career, his home and away averages have
sat close together. It is the mark of a genuinely great player. And it is away
that the most memorable innings were played: in New
Zealand in 1999, England
in 2002, Australia
and Pakistan in
2003-04, and in the West Indies in 2006. To that extent
he was the true successor to Sunil Gavaskar.
And his father will be proud of
that. Oh, we family folk are suckers for that kind of sentiment. In 1994, when
I used to do the highlights of domestic cricket for ESPN, Dravid's father would
often call to ask if he could get highlights of his son's batting. The request
was always very politely made and a thank you was always offered when I met
him. You can see the shyness in the genes, the correctness. I don't mention it
lightly. In our obsession with saluting the here and now we sometimes ignore
what produced success. If Dravid senior was proud of his young man, Rahul was
proud enough of his mother to be the photographer when she received her PhD. It
might seem a small thing to do but it tells you a lot about the person. Giant
edifices are built on solid foundations.
And so it is with a touch of
emotion that I will say goodbye to India's
finest No. 3. He wasn't the Wall, not for me. Yes, his defence was as perfect
as it could get, his steeliness so admirable, but he played shots that warmed
the heart. The cover drive, with the big stride forward, and the prettiest of
them all - the whip through midwicket played so late and while so nimble on his
toes.
He will be missed, as the great
always are. He will see his children grow, take them to school, imbibe in them
the reading habit (for he read more than most people I know and couldn't
understand why others didn't), but from time to time he must tell the new
flowers that will inevitably bloom in our cricket of the need to put grit over
beauty, team over self, challenge before rejection, humility before arrogance,
for that is what he stood for.
Well played, my friend. You have
the honour of leaving the game richer with your legacy and none of us can ask
for anything more than that.
Test records
Matches: 164
Innings: 286
Runs: 13288
Avg: 52.31
50s: 63
100s: 36
HS: 270
Innings: 286
Runs: 13288
Avg: 52.31
50s: 63
100s: 36
HS: 270
Latest achievements
-->He is now the 2nd
highest run scorer in Test cricket, crossing Ricky Ponting
-->He now has 36 test centuries on his name
-->First cricketer to take 200 catches
-->Second test player to score 13000+ runs
-->He has been a part of 85 century partnerships (world record)
-->Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar hold the record of highest 100 run partnerships (19) leaving Ponting and Hayden behind (16)
-->He now has 36 test centuries on his name
-->First cricketer to take 200 catches
-->Second test player to score 13000+ runs
-->He has been a part of 85 century partnerships (world record)
-->Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar hold the record of highest 100 run partnerships (19) leaving Ponting and Hayden behind (16)
ODI records
Matches: 344
Innings: 318
Runs: 10889
HS: 153
Avg: 39.16
SR: 71.24
50/1
Innings: 318
Runs: 10889
HS: 153
Avg: 39.16
SR: 71.24
50/1
Tributes pour in
There was and is only one Rahul Dravid. There can be no other.
I will miss Rahul in the dressing room and out in the middle.
- Sachin Tendulkar
Dravid is obviously one of India's greatest batsmen - great in all conditions - and one who scored runs runs everywhere. From a personal perspective, Rahul is one of the best men I've ever worked with... he's not only a great cricketer, but a great man.
- John Wright
He's probably the nicest guy - no, he is the nicest guy - that I've met in cricket. He's a phenomenal man. He loves the game with so much passion, it's in his blood and in his heart.
- Shane Watson
He was the guy youngsters in the dressing room looked up to. Sachin would always be the guy who inspired awe. But a lot of players knew Sachin was something special, while they could all be Rahul Dravid. Rahul was one of them, working hard - there really is going to be a big void in Indian cricket now.
- Sunil Gavaskar
He was a totally selfless cricketer. He has been very helpful and never said no to anyone and always gave his best.
- Bapu Nadkarni
It's a bold decision. He probably doesn't feel he has no cricket left. He is making way for the youngsters, which is amazing. It's sort of an example for many others.
- Anshuman Gaekwad
There cannot be another Rahul Dravid. He is a legend. As a youngster, I learnt a lot from him. Bowling to him, talking to him, sharing the dressing room...anything cannot be better than that. I personally feel there cannot be another Rahul Dravid.
- Pragyan Ojha
Jam, it was a pleasure & privilege to have played with u and ur presence in the dressing room always added to our confidence. Will miss u lots.
- Virender Sehwag
Congrats to Rahul Dravid on an amazing career! You will be missed. Fantastic person and Cricketer! India's #wall
- Yuvraj Singh
Rahul Dravid retires... cricket loses one of its finest batsmen; sport, one of its finest gentlemen.
- Jeffrey Archer
"Rahul Dravid retires.. the world's most respected cricketer over the last 20 (years).
- Michael Vaughan
"Rahul Dravid-LEGEND!! Plain & simple.. congrats on an incredible career!! India will miss The Wall."
- Kevin Pietersen
Champion on and off the field, showed us all that sky is the limit with hard work, patience and discipline.
- Mahesh Bhupathi
Rahul Dravid is one of the all-time greats of the game. One of the top 5 batters I played against. Lara, Sachin, Ponting Kallis are the other 4.
- Alec Stewart
They say sport serves society by providing vivid examples of excellence. To me the most vivid & dependable has to be Rahul Dravid.
- Shah Rukh Khan
Knew the man behind the bat. Not often do you find a person as exceptional as his achievements.
- Sanjay Manjrekar
Some succeed because they are destined to, but Rahul Dravid succeeded because he was DETERMINED to.
- Navjot Singh Sidhu
Farewell Rahul Dravid - greatest No3 since Bradman. #TheWall
- Piers Morgan
Cricket once was a Gentlemen's game & Rahul Dravid Personified tat. Thanks Rahul for enriching our lives. You'll Never retire in our hearts.:)
- Anupam Kher
Congrats to Rahul Dravid on an amazing career! You will be missed. Fantastic person and Cricketer! India's #wall
- AB de Villiers
Congrats on a Fantastic, Superb International Career! The Great Legend Rahul Dravid !!The wall will be miss!!
- Chris Gayle
Rahul Dravid retires, proof that decent and well-rounded men can excel at the highest levels of sport
- Derek Pringle
Thank you Rahul Dravid, the talent of ur's will be missed which produced outstanding results, and to keep repeating it took character.
- Rohan Bopanna
Congrats to Rahul Dravid on a fantastic career. He can be very proud about what he achieved and the way he went about his business.
- Shaun Pollock
Extremely emotional to see my hero bid goodbye to cricket. Thank You for the memories. Words fail me. You're a legend.
- Sachin Tendulkar
Dravid is obviously one of India's greatest batsmen - great in all conditions - and one who scored runs runs everywhere. From a personal perspective, Rahul is one of the best men I've ever worked with... he's not only a great cricketer, but a great man.
- John Wright
He's probably the nicest guy - no, he is the nicest guy - that I've met in cricket. He's a phenomenal man. He loves the game with so much passion, it's in his blood and in his heart.
- Shane Watson
He was the guy youngsters in the dressing room looked up to. Sachin would always be the guy who inspired awe. But a lot of players knew Sachin was something special, while they could all be Rahul Dravid. Rahul was one of them, working hard - there really is going to be a big void in Indian cricket now.
- Sunil Gavaskar
He was a totally selfless cricketer. He has been very helpful and never said no to anyone and always gave his best.
- Bapu Nadkarni
It's a bold decision. He probably doesn't feel he has no cricket left. He is making way for the youngsters, which is amazing. It's sort of an example for many others.
- Anshuman Gaekwad
There cannot be another Rahul Dravid. He is a legend. As a youngster, I learnt a lot from him. Bowling to him, talking to him, sharing the dressing room...anything cannot be better than that. I personally feel there cannot be another Rahul Dravid.
- Pragyan Ojha
Jam, it was a pleasure & privilege to have played with u and ur presence in the dressing room always added to our confidence. Will miss u lots.
- Virender Sehwag
Congrats to Rahul Dravid on an amazing career! You will be missed. Fantastic person and Cricketer! India's #wall
- Yuvraj Singh
Rahul Dravid retires... cricket loses one of its finest batsmen; sport, one of its finest gentlemen.
- Jeffrey Archer
"Rahul Dravid retires.. the world's most respected cricketer over the last 20 (years).
- Michael Vaughan
"Rahul Dravid-LEGEND!! Plain & simple.. congrats on an incredible career!! India will miss The Wall."
- Kevin Pietersen
Champion on and off the field, showed us all that sky is the limit with hard work, patience and discipline.
- Mahesh Bhupathi
Rahul Dravid is one of the all-time greats of the game. One of the top 5 batters I played against. Lara, Sachin, Ponting Kallis are the other 4.
- Alec Stewart
They say sport serves society by providing vivid examples of excellence. To me the most vivid & dependable has to be Rahul Dravid.
- Shah Rukh Khan
Knew the man behind the bat. Not often do you find a person as exceptional as his achievements.
- Sanjay Manjrekar
Some succeed because they are destined to, but Rahul Dravid succeeded because he was DETERMINED to.
- Navjot Singh Sidhu
Farewell Rahul Dravid - greatest No3 since Bradman. #TheWall
- Piers Morgan
Cricket once was a Gentlemen's game & Rahul Dravid Personified tat. Thanks Rahul for enriching our lives. You'll Never retire in our hearts.:)
- Anupam Kher
Congrats to Rahul Dravid on an amazing career! You will be missed. Fantastic person and Cricketer! India's #wall
- AB de Villiers
Congrats on a Fantastic, Superb International Career! The Great Legend Rahul Dravid !!The wall will be miss!!
- Chris Gayle
Rahul Dravid retires, proof that decent and well-rounded men can excel at the highest levels of sport
- Derek Pringle
Thank you Rahul Dravid, the talent of ur's will be missed which produced outstanding results, and to keep repeating it took character.
- Rohan Bopanna
Congrats to Rahul Dravid on a fantastic career. He can be very proud about what he achieved and the way he went about his business.
- Shaun Pollock
Extremely emotional to see my hero bid goodbye to cricket. Thank You for the memories. Words fail me. You're a legend.
- Aakash Chopra
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