The Legend Of THE WALL

This day I would never forget. Rahul Dravid is going to retire is what I was hearing, reading, seeing since yesterday. But I did not want to believe it. My mind was saying ‘yes! This is probably right’ but my heart just could not bear the possibility of not having Dravid around playing, fighting, winning and saving test matches for India. So I was eagerly waiting for today’s press conference, hoping against hope that this conference might be for some different reasons (though my brain couldn’t think of any). But that was not to be the case and Dravid indeed announced his retirement today.

Retirement of Rahul Dravid has left a big, very big void in, not only team india but also in every cricket lovers life.

I started following Cricket since 1996. And it is no surprise that Dravid made his debut in that year. I still remember that day, I, 7 years old then, watching a live match with all my friends on TV. The match was India Vs Pakistan at Sharjah. That day I first saw Dravid batting. He was still a new comer in Indian team having made a not-so-good debut in Singer Cup earlier month. He did not score much in that match either (just 11 or something). At that age of 7, I did not understand much about Technique of batting but what impressed me more was his style and beauty of strokes. To me Rahul Dravid instantly became a player to watch.

As if on an auto pilot mode, I started following his career from that day, trying to read every bit about him in newspaper, watching live telecast wherever possible. Eventually He made his test debut in following few months in England. When everyone in India was going gaga over another debutante’s, Ganguly, Century, I was feeling sad for this guy, Dravid, who missed his century by mere 5 runs.

He eventually got his first century when He scored 148 against South Africa in 3^rd test (at Durban I think.) Over the next few years he evolved as a test cricketer and became a regular member (but not yet considered as a backbone.) in test team.

But in ODIs it was totally a different situation. He was criticized then for being too defensive. His strokes were still the craftsman’s but somehow kept finding the fielders. Needless to say he eventually lost his place in the ODI team. That was the year 1998. I was heartbroken then unable to understand the reasons behind his expulsion from ODI.

As they say a real fighter may back down a bit but never quits, and Rahul Dravid was the real fighter. He came back strongly. On the strength of his stellar performance in test series against New Zealand in 1998/99, he brought his way back in the ODI team. He did not just comeback but made a century in very first match that too with a strike rate of 100. I, somehow, could not catch the live action but heard it in news and felt extremely happy and somewhat avenged. He continued his incredible transformation into ODI player and amazed 2 centuries in World Cup 99 in England. Not only that, he finished the cup as a highest run getter much to everyone’s surprise. That performance made him ‘a regular’ in ODIs, too. But all these years Dravid was considered as a good player and not a great or legend.

Then there was the epic series of 2001 between India and Australia. That series, literally, changed the course of Indian cricket. Rahul Dravid was once again held the lions share along with VVS and Harbhajan.  Since then Dravid’s journey of Good to Great to Legend began. In between the period of 2001-2006 Dravid had achieved such high feats that very few can manage to achieve in their entire career. His 233 in Adelaide, 270 in Rawalpindi, 145 in Headingly, twin fifties in Jamaica were the testimonies of his impregnable technique and match winner image.  

His achievements are just too many to list down all and stats worthy of a legend but people love him not just because of that glorious stat but the great human being in him. There may be a bunch of players who can match or may even overtake his achievements but no one, absolutely no one, can even come closer to being gentleman that he is.

I did not even realize when Rahul Dravid, from just a cricketer became my most and all time favorite cricketer and my lifetime Idol. Befittingly that transformation was also as smooth as his batting.

I never thought myself as a emotional person but today when Dravid announced his retirement he made me realize that my emotions can take over my senses and I can have big lump in my throat. It is very hard time for a fan like me who literally worshiped him and followed his career to such an extent that his each test match and centuries in cricket and that too with details like opposition, place and year have been stored in my brain and heart.  I don’t know how I can spawn any interest to watch a test match from now on. I am not sure I can fathom the fact that next time when India plays a test match and when 1^st wicket falls, the man coming out to bat is not Rahul Dravid-the wall. All these 16 years it has become my habit to start a T.V. to watch a match when 1^st wicket falls. But it seems that from now on I would stop watching a match after first wicket falls.  

To sum up my emotions I would just like to say this-

May every mother in India want her Son to be famous like Sachin but definitely she would want her Son-in-law to be a gentleman like Rahul Dravid.

Rahul Dravid, you can retire from cricket but he cannot retire from our heart.