The Great Wall of India

Wait... don’t rush out in search of 21,196 km long wall (The Great Wall of China) or any such sort of a thing along the vast geographical stretch of India because you won’t find any. Confused then???

Rahul Dravid - the name says it all. A gentle giant of the game, he is fondly called, ‘The Wall of Indian Cricket’, after he was called 'A wall' in a Reebok commercial, owing to his strong temperament and mental strength to carry on. Cricket is called the 'Gentleman's Game'. I have often wondered whether this name was adopted after Rahul Dravid arrived on the scene. He is as humble as one could get. Rahul Dravid is the reason I developed a liking for test cricket. He made the defensive technique seem all the more interesting. His batting style is a way of life. Face every challenge head on, stick in there no matter what, and you are bound to be successful more often than not. When he made his debut in ODIs against Sri Lanka on 3rd April, 1996, it wasn’t a great outing for him. But his test debut against England on 20th June, 1996 saw him make a 95 in Lords. That time, one just knew that a future Lord of the game has just been born in Lords. And he proved everyone right too. His hunger was tremendous. He never seemed satiated and always appeared to be game for more. He was a fighter and never went down without a struggle. He just never gave up. A value that is not seen in many players in today’s cricket.

Sachin Tendulkar undoubtedly qualifies to be among the greatest ever cricketers of the world; Virender Sehwag one of the greatest entertainers who can dismantle any bowling attack with sheer disdain; Mohammed Azharuddin the master of the wristy strokes. But Rahul Dravid will always remain the universal role model, on and off the field. On the field, Dravid was always concentration personified, impeccable in his approach; off it, he is the ideal cricketer for innumerable youngsters. Despite his huge demeanor and stature in the game, he has always been down to earth. He has been one of the greatest achievers in the game. Dravid is the second highest run scorer in tests for India, behind only Sachin Tendulkar. It has often been argued that had Dravid played as much as Sachin has, he may have surpassed the Little Maestro too! He has played the most balls in test matches, taken the most catches, and is the first batsman to score a century in all test playing nations. The list of his achievements is never ending. He was always the unsung hero. And instead of being angry about it, he liked to bask in the glory of his other team mates. He was always there for the team. He fielded at every position; opened and batted at different slots in the batting order; came in the middle order and kept things from falling apart; he came in the slog overs and adapted his batting style to get quick runs. And he did this with success more often than not. Dravid brought with him a sense of security, of surety. He brought with him a semblance of calm to whichever team he was related to.

No surprise then that Dravid became the first Indian cricketer ever to give a speech at Bradman Oration in Australia. Rahul Dravid has delivered a stirring speech on the spirit of cricket, proving he is just as eloquent on the podium as he is with a bat on a cricket wicket.

Glimpses of his achievements:

Ø  1998: Arjuna award

Ø  1999: CEAT International Cricketer of the World Cup

Ø  2000: Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2000

Ø  2004: Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy Winner (Awarded for ICC Player of the Year)

Ø  2004: Padma Shri

Ø  2004: ICC Test Player of The Year, ICC Cricketer of The Year

Ø  2006: Captain of the ICC's Test Team

Ø  2011: NDTV Indian of the Year's Lifetime Achievement Award

Ø  2012: Don Bradman Award

Ø  2013: Padma Bhushan

 

Dravid is arguably the most respected cricketer in the world, not only for the way he plays but also the way he conducts himself both on and off the pitch. Hope that others like him will come along and act as guardians of a sport that unites so many people. To India's new cricket audience, Dravid must seem a cricketer out of kilter with the times. He is an education when they fancy a day out; a figure of sanity when what they really want is a figure of fun; a batsman best appreciated by the rheumy-eyed. Rahul Dravid's retirement call may be considered a setback to Indian cricket by many. But it is not. This move by Dravid too, has been well thought of like many of his other moves. He knew it was time to move on and give the talented youngsters waiting in the wings a chance to prove their mettle. Now all we can do is appreciate his call and all the things he has done for Indian Cricket and for World Cricket too. Dravid has been a role model for millions, and a pleasure to watch on the field for even more people. He built his career brick by brick and built a foundation; laid a cornerstone for the next generation. He has given us a chance to reach newer heights and zeniths. Now it's up to the others to build on The Wall's success and build a fortress out of that wall. So as the fact sinks in that we won’t be seeing Dravid playing on the field again, at least we can take some time out to look back on his glory days and all that he has managed to achieve.

No, Rahul Dravid's retirement is not the end of an era or legacy. It is the start of a new one...