I've always found that it takes a while for a big event to sink in for me, in all spheres of life. The notion of what is big of course varies from person to person but not watching Dravid walk out to bat at the fall of the first wicket for India in a Test match will certainly be a hole in my cricket universe for some time. Its been nearly a month since he announced his retirement and I finally feel like I'm ready to pen down my tribute to him.
If I had to summarise my view of Dravid in a phrase it would be "he made effort beautiful". The most talked about and written sportspersons are either those whose skills and athleticism take your breath away or those who spill their blood and guts out for all to see in a very visible manner. The biggest compliment that can be paid to Dravid is that he was probably both of these archetypes rolled into one supremely effective cricketer but you couldn't attach either label to him. There were times when the blood, sweat and tears were apparent and you could see he was willing himself to battle through a phase and most often he would come out on top. And there were other times when his strokes were amongst the most pleasing I have seen (certainly his cover drive and leg glancing were the best I have witnessed live). And yet, his biggest appeal to me was not just as a batsman (despite his considerable ability and achievements) but the fact that in a team sport which for some reason has always been more obsessed with the individuals playing it, he epitomised the ultimate team-player. Enough has been written about it so I won't dwell on it but just the way he exited the ODI arena suffices to demonstrate the kind of man he was. No other senior Indian player (and I can't think of too many from other cricket playing nations) would have been ok with the treatment Dravid received in England last year, especially after playing one-man army through the Test series. And it is this "my-team-above-everything-else" attitude that Dhoni's men will miss the most in the days ahead. Its the rarest of qualities and for some reason, even rarer amongst Indians.
Can't write a piece without some stats so just a few here as well, mostly well-known ones again but they bear repeating just to draw out what made Dravid special. Amongst players who have played in 10 or more away victories outside the subcontinent, Dravid has the sixth-highest average (#2 on the list was a surprise but that's another story). There is no other player from the sub-continent in the top ten and the first one at #11 is Younis Khan, who many would consider Pakistan's version of Dravid himself (classy No.3, top-notch slip fielder, and much under-rated captain). And (continuing on the away greatness theme), amongst players who have scored more than 3000 runs away, Dravid is one of only 19 players ever to register a 50+ score in less than every third innings, well ahead of many contemporaries like Lara, Ponting, and Steve Waugh. Add to these the fact that he is the only player to grab more than 200 catches and at a rate that is the ninth-best for players who have pouched more than a 100, and you have his cricketing value in a nutshell.
He was a much under-rated captain and given that he had a W/L ratio nearly as good as Dhoni and Ganguly he doesn't get as much of the credit as he deserves. It was under him that India won their first series in the West Indies and England after 35 and 20 years respectively and he also captained for most of the series win in Pakistan in 2003-04. Tactically he was streets ahead of most other modern Indian captains and as good as the more acclaimed Stephen Fleming, Michael Vaughan and Mahela Jayawardene. It did weigh his batting down though and again, the team-man that he was, he gave up the mantle without a fuss.
Above all though, he was an inspiring role model because he made you realise that you owe it to yourself to make the most of any abilities you have been given and that as a professional there are never any excuses to not keep learning and keep improving yourself. It will be a strange feeling to see him playing in the forthcoming IPL and then never again. Maybe I'll keep that television/laptop switched off when the Rajasthan Royals are playing.
If I had to summarise my view of Dravid in a phrase it would be "he made effort beautiful". The most talked about and written sportspersons are either those whose skills and athleticism take your breath away or those who spill their blood and guts out for all to see in a very visible manner. The biggest compliment that can be paid to Dravid is that he was probably both of these archetypes rolled into one supremely effective cricketer but you couldn't attach either label to him. There were times when the blood, sweat and tears were apparent and you could see he was willing himself to battle through a phase and most often he would come out on top. And there were other times when his strokes were amongst the most pleasing I have seen (certainly his cover drive and leg glancing were the best I have witnessed live). And yet, his biggest appeal to me was not just as a batsman (despite his considerable ability and achievements) but the fact that in a team sport which for some reason has always been more obsessed with the individuals playing it, he epitomised the ultimate team-player. Enough has been written about it so I won't dwell on it but just the way he exited the ODI arena suffices to demonstrate the kind of man he was. No other senior Indian player (and I can't think of too many from other cricket playing nations) would have been ok with the treatment Dravid received in England last year, especially after playing one-man army through the Test series. And it is this "my-team-above-everything-else" attitude that Dhoni's men will miss the most in the days ahead. Its the rarest of qualities and for some reason, even rarer amongst Indians.
Can't write a piece without some stats so just a few here as well, mostly well-known ones again but they bear repeating just to draw out what made Dravid special. Amongst players who have played in 10 or more away victories outside the subcontinent, Dravid has the sixth-highest average (#2 on the list was a surprise but that's another story). There is no other player from the sub-continent in the top ten and the first one at #11 is Younis Khan, who many would consider Pakistan's version of Dravid himself (classy No.3, top-notch slip fielder, and much under-rated captain). And (continuing on the away greatness theme), amongst players who have scored more than 3000 runs away, Dravid is one of only 19 players ever to register a 50+ score in less than every third innings, well ahead of many contemporaries like Lara, Ponting, and Steve Waugh. Add to these the fact that he is the only player to grab more than 200 catches and at a rate that is the ninth-best for players who have pouched more than a 100, and you have his cricketing value in a nutshell.
He was a much under-rated captain and given that he had a W/L ratio nearly as good as Dhoni and Ganguly he doesn't get as much of the credit as he deserves. It was under him that India won their first series in the West Indies and England after 35 and 20 years respectively and he also captained for most of the series win in Pakistan in 2003-04. Tactically he was streets ahead of most other modern Indian captains and as good as the more acclaimed Stephen Fleming, Michael Vaughan and Mahela Jayawardene. It did weigh his batting down though and again, the team-man that he was, he gave up the mantle without a fuss.
Above all though, he was an inspiring role model because he made you realise that you owe it to yourself to make the most of any abilities you have been given and that as a professional there are never any excuses to not keep learning and keep improving yourself. It will be a strange feeling to see him playing in the forthcoming IPL and then never again. Maybe I'll keep that television/laptop switched off when the Rajasthan Royals are playing.
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