Two years ago, Rahul Dravid could not hit the ball off the square. His feet seemed to be stuck in cement, his bat sounded like tin and he looked exhausted.
Two years ago, Rahul Dravid could not hit the ball off the square. His feet seemed to be stuck in cement, his bat sounded like tin and he looked exhausted. On that troubled tour Down Under, he batted for an eternity and was no better at the end than at the beginning. His record alone protected him from the condemnation that usually greets barnacle batting.
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| True blue: Rahul Dravid is all concentration as he plays a shot during the third day's play of the India vs Australia Test in Mohali yesterday. Dravid scored a fine 77. PIC/AFP |
The Australians did not expect to see him again. It was an old story. Middle age had arrived and his gift had departed. Fond farewells were written to mark the end of a distinguished career. A man without ego, he had scored runs against all sorts of bowling on all types of pitches and was universally respected. And he had done it at first wicket down, between the tough nuts and the toffs.
Still, it was over, or so Indians feared and bowlers prayed. However, sportsmen of this calibre are not so easily put down. Far from withdrawing, Dravid has rallied so impressively that all talk of ditching him has ceased.
Certainly it helped that India has played on a succession of sleeping pitches. Even so, he has looked slim, alert and accomplished. It's been an impressive comeback.
Ironically, exposure to 20-over cricket gave this most cerebral of batsman a new lease of life. At first, Dravid looked as comfortable as a virtuoso singing hip-hop. Indeed, he could easily have walked away. Instead, he developed a variety of improvised strokes and before long was playing his part in his team's triumphs.
Nor is he not the first frozen batsman to be defrosted by the lighter version of the game. Suddenly, he was hitting the ball again, and scampering between wickets and clouting rude boundaries. Confidence returned.
Perhaps, too, he remembered that cricket is just a game. He scored runs in the Ranji Trophy and returned to Test cricket with his game in good working order.
And so the Australian bowlers once again found themselves trying to remove an apparently immovable object.
Ricky Ponting's flingers hit the spot regularly, but Dravid was their equal. His batting has not changed much over the years. His success has always depended not so much on style as precision. Flicks played with a late turn of the wrists, cuts past point and once between mid-off and extra-cover and straight drives were his strong points
As usual, his partners stole the show. Sehwag's timing and inventiveness had been remarkable. Tendulkar was at his most composed. He, too, was down in the dumps a few years ago. Like Suresh Raina, he had reason to thank Dravid for wearing down the attack.u00a0
Dravid's name ought to be mentioned whenever talk turns to the great batsmen of the era. Challengers come and go, apprentices trying to displace a master; so far he has outlasted them all. He endures because he respects the game and its skills. He plays with pride and puts a high price on his wicket. It's not a bad
combination.
