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CONTENTSIntroduction:Yourregular,everydaysuperstar>SambitBal

THECRICKETERExtravagantlysound>MukulKesavanThetalentmyth>SureshMenonThemanwhoacquiredgreatness>SambitBalThegrittobegreat>SanjayManjrekarAcricketermostevolved>AakashChopraThejobhefelloutoflovewith>SidharthMonga‘Thebestbattinghappenswhenyouarebattinginthepresent’>SambitBal

INTHEWORDSOFHISPEERSTherockaroundwhomtherestmoved>JohnWrightAgentlemanchampionoftimelesssteelanddignity>EdSmithTheeternalstudent>GregChappellThemasterwillseeyounow(andalways)>SureshRaina‘Ididn’tbeathimmorethanaballinarow’>JasonGillespieHisteam,histime>RahulBhattachariya

THEGREATINNINGSKolkata2001:Herculesonsecondfiddle>SidharthMongaLeeds2002:ThemonkofHeadingley>SanjayBangarAdelaide2003:Twintreatisesincourage>RohitBrijnathRawalpindi2004:Notesfromanuglyepic>RahulBhattacharyaJamaica2006:TheKingstongrind>SiddharthaVaidyanathanNottingham2011:Apartofhisbestself>ShardaUgra‘Therearenoeasycatchesintheslips’>NagrajGollapudi

THEMANDignity,grace,conscience>RohitBrijnathAsportsmanofmodeldecorum>GideonHaighThereasonIgotmarried>JarrodKimberThemoneymoment>SamirChopraStartasyoumeantogoon>FazalKhaleelMyhusbandtheperfectionist>VijeetaDravid‘Whenyou’veplayedatthetop,it’shardtosettleforsecond-best’>InterviewbyShardaUgra‘Everythingthathasgivencricketitspowerhasstartedfromthefan’>RahulDravid

THENUMBERSThemantheycouldn’tmove>SRajeshRecordsAcknowledgements

A

Yourregular,everydaysuperstarSAMBITBAL

tRahulDravid’sretirementpressconference,mostthingsranalongexpectedlines.Dravidcamedressedsmartly–whiteshirt,blackjacket,hairneatlycombed– lookingboyish,studiousandabitnervous.Hisfamilytroopedinbehindhim;AnilKumblesatbyhissideandJavagalSrinathandGRViswanathinthefirstrow.Therewasthefamiliarchaosatthestart,withphotographerscrowdingthedaisandbeingheckledbytheirmates.Tothosewhoknewhim,Dravid’sretirementwouldnothavecomeasasurprise.Themannerofhis

departure bore the stamp of theman: not for him the fanfare of a build-up to a farewell Test, theshowmanshipofafinaldoffingofthehat,oramilkingofemotions.Hewouldn’tbehumanifhehadn’twishedforabetterfinishthantheairy,un-Dravid-likewaftthat

carriedtheballintothelapofgullyinhisfinalinnings,inAdelaide,buthewasmatureandpragmaticenoughtoacceptthatfairytaleendingsareamatterofchance:itwouldhavebeenfutiletryingtowaitforoneortotrytomanufactureone.Dravid read from a prepared text. The words were carefully chosen – no flash, not overly

sentimental,alonglistofthankyous,andonepoignantsentenceattheendthatwasperfectheadlinematerial.Kumbletooreadoutatributethathadalltherightwords,andatouchofhumour.Thetwist,andthetears(well,almost)camefromthemostunlikelyquarter.Duringhisyearswith

theBCCI,NSrinivasan,whoalsorunsIndiaCements,hascultivatedtheimageofatoughandtaciturnoverlordwhotakesnoprisoners.UnlikeDravidandKumble,hespokeextempore.Hewaseloquentandemotional,andbecausetheycamefromtheheart,hiswordsresonatedintheroom.Itwasalovelypassageonitsown,foritallowedthosepresentarareglimpseofthesoftersideof

themostpowerfulmaninIndiancricket,andarguablyworldcricket.ThosewhohaveknownhimforlongtalkaboutSrinivasan’s loveforcricket,but inrecent times theBCCIpresident’spublic imagehas been that of an authoritarian, even somewhat uncaring, figure. But on this day his obviousaffectionforDraviddrewoutthecricketloverinhim.Dravidcanhavethateffectonpeople,onthosewhogenuinelylovethegame,thosewhohavebeen

drawn to cricket by itswholesomeand timeless qualities, its intellectual dimensions, and its innategrace and beauty. In many ways Dravid personified many aspects of Test cricket that fans findappealing.Itwas remarkable,buthardly surprising, thathis retirementevokedasmanyappreciations in the

media thatwere about the cricketer asmuch as theywere about theperson.Dravidwasperceptiveenough to notice the difference between the obligatory platitudes that are part of the journalisticroutineforsuchoccasionsandthesincerityinthetributesthatcamehisway.Whatwastouching,hesaid,wasthatitwasobviousthatpeoplehadtakenthetimetothinkaboutwhattheywrote,notmerelydashedoffpiecesthatweremandated.Thereasonisstraightforward.Dravidthecricketerwasimmense,butthemanisjustasexceptional,

ifnotmoreso,which isamazing,because to remainasuccessfulathleteat thehighest level foraslongashedidrequiresadegreeofself-absorptionandevennarcissism.This isnot tosuggest that

therearen’tnicemeninsport–infact,Indiancricketwasblessedthatithadsomanyatthesametime–butrarelydoessportallowitssuccessfulpractitionerstodeveloproundedpersonalities.In a sense, that was Dravid’s biggest triumph. It would be hard to find a cricketer who was as

devotedandconsumedbyhiscraft,oronewhospentasmuch timepolishing it,buthealso foundenergyandtimetounderstandandengagewiththeworldoutsidecricket.HeoftencomparedthelifeoftheIndiancricketertoafishbowl,butforhimselfhewasdeterminednevertobetrapped.Itwasgoodtoknowhim–notinthesenseofhowitfeelsgoodtoknowasuperstar,butbecausehemadeitpossibleforyoutoengagewithhimatanormal level.Hewasearnestandcurious,andhadvariedinterests.HewouldaskmeasmanyquestionsaboutmyprofessionasIdidhimabouthis.Myprofessiondemandsthedisciplineofkeepingadistancefromyoursubjects.WithDravidthat

codewasbroken.It’snotthatIcultivatedafriendshipwithhimdeliberately.Itdevelopedorganicallyover theyears,overphonecallsabout theoccasionalpieceshewrote forus,overmealson tours,overchatsaboutparentingandbooks,oversharedthoughtsandinterests.Thatnoneofithaseverfeltwronghasbeendowntothekindofpersonheis.There is anormalcyabouthim that is almost abnormal.Therearepublic figureswhogooutof

theirwaytoputyouatease,buttheeffortinvolvedispalpable.Draviddoesitjustbybeinghimself.There is no affectation and artifice involved. Not that he is unaware of his stardom or is falselymodestabouthisachievements,buthecanstepoutsideall thatandconnectwith theworldata reallevel.It’s almost as if he leaves that part of his life behind himwhen he leaves the cricket field.And

perhapsthat’swhyhecanseecricketfromtheoutside,reflectonitobjectively,andseetheironiesandfutilitiesofstardom.It’sarareandremarkablequality.Ithashelpedhimengageinrelationshipsintheoutsideworldwithoutbaggage.It made him one of the rare cricketers a journalist could afford to be friends with without

compromising on professionalism. Through the years our relationship has never been hostage towhat was written about him on ESPNcricinfo under my watch. You could write about a poorperformanceorapoorrunofscoresfromDravidwithoutworryingabouthisresponse,becauseheunderstoodthatyouhadtobehonesttoyourjob,likehedid.Thevery first time I spoke tohimwas toaskhim,over thephone, ifhewouldwriteapieceon

SachinTendulkarontheoccasionofhis100thTest.Ididn’tknowwhattoexpect,butDravidagreed,andinsistedhewouldwriteithimself.Wedidn’tdiscussafee.Hewroteforusafewtimesafterthat,andeachtimethecopywouldturnupneat.Therewouldbetimeshewouldcalltotweakalineortwo.Hewouldlatertellmethathehadgotafriendtolookthroughthecopybeforehesentitover,whichwasimpressive,giventheprevailingcultureofplayercolumns,wheresomeplayersfirstreadpiecesthatrunundertheirbylines–iftheydosoatall–aftertheyarepublished.Apartfrommyfirstlongandsatisfyinginterviewwithhimin2003,afterhehadbattedIndiatoa

win in theAdelaideTest,hedidn’t submit toanotheruntil theendof theEnglish summerof2011,whichturnedouttobe,forhimpersonally,oneofthegreatestofhiscareer.InsixoftheeightTestinnings hewas forced to open in difficult conditions, and in theOval Test, after carrying his batthroughinthefirstinnings,ashisteam-matescombustedaroundhim,hewasbackfacingthenewballlateintheday,whenEnglandenforcedthefollow-on.Thatwas the theme throughhiscareer:whena tough jobneeded tobedone, itwasDravid India

turnedto.Hedidn’tlikeopening,buthedidopen.Firstslipwashisnaturalhabitat,butheyieldedthepositionbecauseateam-matewithabadbackfounditdifficult tostandatsecond.Hedidthetoughpressconferences.Andatthefagendofhiscareer,hemadehisinternationalT20debut,longafterhehadoptedoutofformat,becauseIndiawerestrugglingtoputtogetheranXI.Iaskedhimifheeverfeltlikethesacrificiallamb.Iwasconvincedhedid.Dravid’sresponsewasdisarminglysimple.“Ineversawitthatway.TomeitfeltlikeIwasbeing

trustedtodoatoughjobbytheteam.Itmademefeelvalued.”I spoke tohimagainafter the tourofAustralia,whereheseemed to findeveryconceivableway

there isofgettingbowled.Hismindwasalmostmadeupabout retirement. Iaskedhimif,with thebenefitofhindsight,henowregrettednottakingtheopportunitytoleaveonahighafterthetourofEngland.Hewouldhavegone,hesaid,ifhehadhadapoorseries.Buthavingdonesowell,hefeltobliged to travel toAustralia,where the teamhadneverwonaTest series.Andno, therewerenoregrets.Indiancricketmayfindabatsmanascapable,but to findamanasexceptional is likely tobe far

tougher.This book, a collection of fresh pieces and ones previously published on ESPNcricinfo and in

someofitssisterpublications,isanexplorationofthecricketerandtheman,anditemploysawiderangeofvoices–thoseofwriters,team-mates,opponents,andevenDravid’swife.Someofthesearticleshavebeenedited,rewrittenandexpanded–thepiecebyVijeetaDravid,who

hasnotonlylookedaftertheirhomebutbeenherhusband’sbestsoundingboard,islongerherethantheversionthatappearedonthewebsite,andtheinterviewwithDravidafterhisretirement,too,isanunabridgedversion.Thisbookdoesn’tpurporttobedefinitive,butinitsfivesections–thebatsmanandwhathemeant

toIndiancricket,impressionsbyteam-matesandotherpeers,hisfinestinnings,personalaccountsoftheman,andinterviewswithDravidovertheyears–itaimstoprovideawell-roundedportraitofacricketerwhomadecompetitivenessandgraceperfectcompanions,andbroughtdignitytohissportevenashefoughtfiercelyinhisteam’scorner.Sambit Bal is the editor of ESPNcricinfo

Thecricketer

WithouttoomucheffortDravidcouldalsokeephisheadwhenallabouthimwerelosingtheirsandblamingitonhim,aswellastrusthimselfwhenallmendoubtedhim.Hisapproachtosport,andindeedlifeitself,hasbeenKiplingesque.

Suresh Menon,Thetalentmyth,page18

I

[1]

ExtravagantlysoundMUKULKESAVAN

s RahulDravid a great batsman? If this is the big question, there’s a flotilla ofmore specificquestionsthatfollowitincloseformation.IsDravidthegreatestbatsmanevertorepresentIndia?

Doeshehaveaclaimtobeingthegreatestbatsmanintheworldtoday?To play sublime innings every now and then isn’t enough. On this score Dravid was the most

dependable batsman India ever produced, statistically more reliable than Gavaskar, which is astaggeringachievement.I’darguethatGavaskarfacedthegreaterchallenges:heopenedthebattingagainstbetterfastbowlerswithoutahelmet,butabatsmancanonlyplaytotheconditionshe’sgiven,so that can’t be held against Dravid. You could also argue that Tendulkar in his pomp averagedroughlywhatDraviddidinhis,andthathemadethoserunsatagreaterrate,andthatwouldbetrue.It’s also true that to compare the figuresof a completed career against one that’s still awork in

progressismisleading:averagestaperofftowardstheendofaplayer ’sspan.Dravidfinishedintheearly 50s, which is where Gavaskar ended his wonderful career. Still, the fact that a pessimisticforecasthasDraviddecliningtoGavaskar ’sstatisticallevel,sayssomethingabouttheheightatwhichhecurrentlystands.OnprettymucheverycountDravid’s record isoutstanding.Hehasby far thebest record foran

Indianbatsmanawayfromhome,acrucialstatisticforateamthat’snotoriouslyshakyatdealingwithforeignconditions.Inwisden.com’slistof thetop100innings,Dravid’sbestcenturieswererankedhigherthanTendulkar ’s.But figures aren’t everything. If theywere, wewouldn’t be asking the questionwe startedwith.

NobodyasksitofLaraorTendulkaranymore;weknowtheyaregreatbatsmen.Sowhy,despitethemassiveconsistencyofhisrecord,dowenottakeDravid’sgreatnessforgranted?The simpleanswer is thatDravidplayedallhis cricket in the shadowofTendulkar, regardedby

mostcriticsasthegreatestbatsmaninthehistoryofIndiancricket.BythetimeDravidbeganplayingTestcricket,TendulkarwasaTeststarofaboutsevenyears’standing.IftheearlyninetiesbelongedtoLara, the second half of the decade was Tendulkar ’s. The seal on Tendulkar ’s pre-eminence wasaffixedbyDonBradmanhimself,whenheobservedthatTendulkar ’sbatsmanshipresembledhisown.It is natural for a young batsman to supersede the champion of the previous generation, as in themannerinwhichTendulkarreplacedMohammadAzharuddin.ButprodigieslikeTendulkarupsetthissequence: toDravid, threemonthsolder than thegreatMumbaikar, itmusthavesometimesseemedthathehadbeensentencedtosecondfiddleforlife.But through the first half of the 2000s Dravid, by sheer weight of runs, was the most valuable

batsmanintheIndianside.ThathispeakcoincidedwitharelativedeclineinTendulkar ’sperformanceunderlinedhispre-eminence. Journalists andcommentatorseverywhereacknowledgedwith respectandadmirationDravid’sachievement,but therewasnogreat rush tocelebrate thearrivalofanew“great”.Itisthefateoflow-profilehighperformerstobetakenforgranted.

Also,Dravidisagreatdefensivebatsmanandthelabel“great”isgenerallyappliedtobatsmenwhodominate the bowling, whose preferred style, as with Lara and Tendulkar, is attack, not attrition.Attackingbatsmenare sexier thandefensiveones.HadTendulkar inhispompnotwalked in at hisassignedpositioninthebattingorder,collectivedisappointmentwouldhaverustledroundthearena.NotsowithDravid.Henevermadeyourpulserace;acknowledgingthegreatnessofthosewhodo,likeVivRichardsorTendulkar,comesmoreeasily,morenaturally.Butthiscan’tbethewholeexplanation.Gavaskarplayedmostofhisinningsindefensivemodeand

theIndiancricketingpublicwastednotimeinhailinghimasthegreatestever.Thishadsomethingtodowithhisrecord-breakingdebutseries,wherehescored774runsinfourTestswithfourcenturiesand three fifties. In the greatness stakes, getting off to an early start helps (Tendulkar), as does anexplosiveone(Gavaskar).ThefactthatGavaskarwasanopeningbatsmaninvestedhisinningswithdrama:there’ssomething

about an opening batsman facing down fast bowlers that is dramatic and exciting in itself. Also,Gavaskargenerallyclosedouthiscenturies,unlikeDravid,whothroughthefirsthalfofhiscareerhadthefrustratinghabitofgettinghimselfoutintheeightiesandnineties.Butevenallowingforthesedifferences,it’scuriousthatweadmireDravidwhereoncewestoodinaweofGavaskar.I think the reason for this has to do with Dravid’s style of batsmanship. Spectators and cricket

writers reserve their highest praise for batsmanship that seems effortless. The oohs that followTendulkar ’sattenuatedstraightdrive, thehigh-elbowoneminusfollow-through,areour tributes tomagic.Whattiming!Genius!Dravid’sbattingstylewastheoppositeofeffortless.Itwaselaborate,flourishingandeffortful.You

seldomapplaudedaDravidstrokeforitsvelocityortiming.Energetichookshotsdribbledovertheboundaryline.Driveswerehithardintotheground,andnothingwaseverhitontheup.Everyshotwasprecededbyahigh,flourishingbacklift,butunlikeLara,whosebackliftendedinhigh-riskshot-making,Dravid’sarabesquesmoreoftenthannotresultedintheballbeingdroppedbyhisfeetforasingle.Andtheman-in-a-bunkereffectwasexaggeratedbythestance:low,dogged,sweatrunningoffhiminrivulets.Dravid didn’t fit into the rudimentary templates that the great art of coarse cricket writing has

invented for batsmen.Here a sound technique always implies a “compact defence”.Well,Dravid’sdefencewasn’t compact: it was extravagant.Hiswrists twirled, his bat looped before the ballwasdisciplinedintotheground.Dravidwasagreatbatsmanwhocoulddoeverything:hehooked,pulled,cut,swept,flickedanddrove,buthisentiretechniquewascentredontheneedtomakesurethattheballhitthegroundfirst.Tothatendheplayedtheballlaterthananybatsmanincricket;solatethatmore often than not the ballwould ricochet off an angled bat and hit the ground at a steep angle.Dravid’sapparenteffortfulness,hissadhu-likeindifferencetothesexappealofshotshitontheup,theabsenceofooh-makingtiming,weresymptomsofhisdecisiontosacrificevelocity, toreducerisk.The reason his shot-making sometimes looked studied (his pull, for example,where he rolled hiswristsovertheballwithalmostpedanticdeliberation)wasbecausehewaswhollycommittedtothegroundbeneathhisfeet.His methods weren’t orthodox. It’s impossible for a lay viewer to know how a great player

achieves his effects, but for what it’s worth I think the flourish in Dravid’s batting was a way offindingbalanceanddelayingtillthelastpossiblesecondthedecisiontoplay.Watchinghimbatwaslike watching the movement of an old-fashioned clock: the pendulum working, gears and levers

movinginperfect,elaborateaccordtostrikethehourwhenit’sdueandnotasecondearlier.

Styleand idiosyncrasy incricketareassociatedwithattackingbatsmanship.Dravid taughtus thatbatsmencanbedefensivelysoundinanoriginalway.Someoneshouldbreakhistechniquedownintoitscomponentpartssoitcanbetaughttoothersatatimewhendefensivetechniquesareatrophying.TendulkarhasbeenpingedmoreoftenthanIcancount,andSehwagwithoutahelmetwouldn’t lastthelengthofaTestmatch.Dravidalmostnevergothitbythefastmen.Morethananybatsmanofthisage,hecanbecomparedwiththegreatsofthepre-helmetepoch,becauseyouknowthatheowedhisrunstohistechnicalgenius,nottotheinsuranceheworeonhishead.Mukul Kesavan is a writer based in New Delhi. A version of this article was first published in the print version of CricinfoMagazine in August 2006

Ofthe210catchesDravidtookinTestmatches,morethanhalfwereoffthebowlingofAnilKumble(55)andHarbhajanSingh(51).

I

[2]

ThetalentmythSURESHMENON

tisfashionableinourtimestoclaimthatthereisnosuchthingastalentandthatallachievementistheresultofhardwork,or,inthewordsofMalcolmGladwell,the“10,000-hourrule”.Aslew

ofrecentbooks–MatthewSyed’sBounce,DavidShenk’sTheGeniusinAllofUs,Gladwell’sOutliersamong them–hasbeenhammering this ideahome.Theyarenotdesignated self-helpmanualsbutprovidesuccour to theuntalented.Talent isOverrated is theunambiguous titleof abookbyGeoffColvin,wherehespeaksof“deliberatepractice”asbeingmorecrucialthantalent.The10,000-hourrulereferstotheamountoftimesomeonehastoworkathiscrafttoreachthehighestlevel.Themodern reductive thinkingwas set off by thework ofAndersEricsson, a psychologist and

researcheratFloridaStateUniversity.Mostpopularbooksonthesubjectquotehiswork.ThedifferencebetweentheaveragejoeandVSNaipaulisthatthelatterworksharderandputsina

lotmorehours.DittowithRogerFedererorTigerWoodsorEricClapton.Whatarelieffortherestofus!Wearenotlesstalentedatall–wemerelycan’tbebotheredtospendallourtimedoingjusttheonething.Imean,wehavealife!There is a comfort in such smug thinking. It is at once an insult to a person’s ability and an

inspirationforthosewhohaveneitherthetalentnortheinclinationofthesuccessful.Forget 10,000 hours. I can practice continuously for 10,000 days and still not be a Sachin

Tendulkar. Or a Kevin Pietersen. For the essential flaw in the argument is that you need to havesomethingtobuildon.Andthatsomethingistalent.Genius,saidEdison,is99%perspirationand1%inspiration.Butwithout that1%,youdonotbecomea99%genius. Just adud.Talentwithouthardworkwithersearly;hardworkwithouttalentgetsyounowhere.TheformerEnglandbatsmanandnowauthorEdSmithhasasimpledefinitionfor“talent”.“It is

what you can’t learn, honeor teach…a skill canbe learned, talent can’t… talent isGarrySobers,talentisJimiHendrix…”Notsolongago,thelackoftalentwasthethemeofmanystudiesofPeteSampras.Hewasseenas

boring,mechanical,untalented,andhis14GrandSlamtitleswereseenastheresultofhardworkandself-denial.Oneofthegreatest tennisplayersofall timewasseenasuntalentedbecausehewasnotflamboyant–acommonenoughmistakefor theunsophisticatedfantomake,butscarywhengivenrespectabilitybycolumnistsandpoppsychologists.The thought was articulated by Sanjay Manjrekar in a piece. The former India player –

coincidentally themanRahulDravidreplaced–wrote,“Thatyoudon’tneedtohavegreat talent tobecomeasportsmanisreinforcedbyDravid’sachievements.”This is one of sport’s biggestmisconceptions. It leads to the spurious conclusion that some top

performers–Sampras,GaryLineker,SunilGavaskar–areoverachieverswhomadealittletalentgoalongway.

This is the Fallacy of Incomplete Reasoning. The definition of talent is far too restrictive. This“talent”clearlydoesnottakeintoaccountthestrokeplayDravidwascapableof–theonsidewashis,justastheoffsidewasSouravGanguly’sinIndia’sgreatmiddleorderofthetime.Worse,itdoesnotevenconsidermentaltoughness,theabilitytoreadagame,theskilltochangetackatwill.Fifteen years at the top level without talent? Over 10,000 runs each in two forms of the game

withouttalent?ThreeTestcenturiesattheageof39inEnglandwithouttalent?ThenletusalldrinkwhatDraviddrinks.WhenDravidwent out to bat at Lord’s in his final Test there, the rest of uswere not thinking,

“Gosh,ifonlyIhadlistenedtomycricketcoach,Iwouldhavebeeninhisplace!”Atleastsomeofusweremarvellingatthementaltoughnessandthesheergritoftheman.Theabilitytoworkhard,theskilltoswallowdisappointmentsandreturntothefray,thecussedness

neededtokeepatitandexcelatitareallpartoftheconceptof“talent”.Orhavetobe.Bylimitingthedefinitionwefallfortheseductiveargumentsofpoppsychology,thusdoingthetalentedaninjustice.Andweignorethemystiquethatistheessentialcompanionofthegreatperformer.Thericharedifferentfromyouandme,saidthewriterFScottFitzgerald.Soarethetalented.They

aredifferent fromyouandme.Dravidovercamemoreproblems in thecourseofa single inningsthanmanyofusdoinawholeyear.Youcannotdothatwithouttalent.Smithhassaidthattalent,ironically,“hasanastyknackofprotectingthetalentedfromtheurgeto

self-improve”.Dravid’sgreatnesslayinthefact thatheworkedonpreservinghistalent,onhoningskillsthatwouldhelpthetalentbecomeproductive,andinthefactthatfromhisteenshewasalreadyoneofthemosttalentedbatsmeninthecountry.Thefirsttwowouldhavebeenmeaninglesswithoutthethird.Cricket is the only sport where the term “old-fashioned” is a compliment. It is a quirk of the

language,andperhapsof thegame itself, that“old-fashioned” incricketdoesnotmeanhidebound,inflexibleoranythingnegative.Dravidwasanold-fashionedcricketerwhogavebreathandbodytothequalitiesthatcricketaspires

to, all the more startling in an era where selfishness is mistaken for professionalism and badbehaviourseenastheragetoperfection.Dravidwasastoughandasprofessionalastheycome,yetwithamoralcentrethatwasuncompromising.HebefriendedbothtriumphanddisasterinhisfirstTest,makingasmanyas95butmissingouton

a century. Perhaps out of that experience grewhis essential character, the ability to treat these twoimpostorsjustthesame,asrecommendedbyRudyardKipling.WithouttoomucheffortDravidcouldalso keep his headwhen all about himwere losing theirs and blaming it on him, aswell as trusthimself when all men doubted him. His approach to sport, and indeed life itself, has beenKiplingesque.Byanymeaningfulreckoning,traditionalandexperimental,hewasIndia’sgreatestmatch-winning

batsman, with 24 away wins (Sachin Tendulkar has 20) where he averaged nearly 70. Whenimponderablesareintroducedintotheequation,withsuchthingsastheabilitytoabsorbpressureandmatch impact,he is thegreatest series-definingbatsman in thehistoryofTest cricket,his countofeightseries-definingperformancesgreaterthananybodyelse’s.InthetrinityofIndianbatsmanship–SunilGavaskar,DravidandTendulkar–eachhadadefined

(and defining) role. Theywere theCreator, the Preserver and theDestroyer respectively.With the

bowlers and thewickets at theirmost fresh,Gavaskaropened thebatting to create theplatformonwhichthemiddleordercouldbuild.AtNo.3,Dravid’srolewastopreserveagoodstartormakeupforabadone(on66occasionshewentintobatwiththescoreinsingledigits).Tendulkarwasthedestroyerincarnate,reducinggrownmentotearsastheysawtheirbestdeliveriesdisappearpasttheboundariesoneithersideofthewicket.Inhispeakyears,between2001and2006,itwasDravid’sbattingthatsecuredvictoriesinEngland,

Australia, Pakistan and theWest Indies. Yet even in that period Dravid’s self-deprecatorymanner,unusualamongIndianplayers,wasremarkable.“PeoplewantmetogetoutquicklysotheycanwatchTendulkarbat,”hesaidononeoccasion;laterheoftencomparedhimselftoVirenderSehwag,tohisowndisadvantage.Askedifhewouldmakeatriple-centurysomeday,Dravidrepliedthatyouwouldneedaten-dayTestmatchforthattohappen.Itwasatonefamiliartothosewhoknewhimoffthefield,butseldomaccessibletothosewhoonly

knew him from watching his batting on television. There was a harmony. The same subtlety andknowledgeofanglesthatmarkedhisbattingwereevidentinhisdealingswithpeopleandhishandlingofsituationsthatcalledfortactanddelicacy.HewasarguablyIndia’sgreatestcatcheratslip,with210Testvictimsinhisbag; itwasallabout

anticipationandpositioningratherthanflamboyanceandshowmanship.Thatcombinationofintensityandrelaxation,self-awarenessandmodesty,Testorthodoxyandlimited-overscreativityisrare.Itiscalledtalent,andisasmuchafunctionofgreatnessasthestunningon-driveandthepowerfulsquarecut,bothofwhichDravidwasmasterof.Suresh Menonis the editor of the WisdenCricketers�Almanack India

Dravid�swin-lossrecordasaTestcaptain(eightwins,sixlosses)isthirdamongIndianswholedinatleast20Tests,nextonlytoMSDhoni(17-10)andSouravGanguly(21-13).

T

[3]

ThemanwhoacquiredgreatnessSAMBITBAL

heword“great”issubjecttosuchcarelessandpersistentabusethatyouneedtodrawthelinesafreshbeforeyoucanuseitproperly.Once,whenVirenderSehwagwascartingtheWestIndian

bowlers around in St Lucia in 2006, one of themore excitablemembers of the commentary teamstartedtodroptheword“great”quiteliberally.Itwascertainlygreattowatch,butwasitreallyoneofthegreatinnings?WasitevenamongSehwag’sgreatest?Totakethediscussionfurther,at50Tests,Sehwag’snumbersweresuperiortoSachinTendulkar ’s

after thesamenumberofgames.Sehwaghadmore runs,morehundreds,andabetteraverage.YetTendulkarwasalreadyagreatplayerbyhis50thTest.Becausebythenhehadpassedthatsimpleyetall-importanttestthatdefinesgreatness:youcouldplacehiminanyage,anyconditions,againstanybowlers,andinanymatchsituation,andyoucouldsaythathewouldscoreplentyofrunsandscorethemwithauthority.WithTendulkar,aswithBrianLara,orVivRichardsbeforethem,greatnesswasestablishedearly.Theyhadthegift,thegenius.SodidMarkWaugh.AndVVSLaxman,whoeveryonceinawhilecanraisehisgametoa level

whereonlygeniuscanexist.Butthesetwoplayersfellshortofgreatnessbecausetheirbrilliancewasfleeting,subjecttomoods.Theiraverages–intheforties–pointtoseverallowsandinconsistencies,andtheircareersarepoignantremindersthatuncommongiftsalonedonotguaranteegreatness.Conversely,RahulDravidpiledup themost compelling evidence in favour of the argument that

greatness can exist outside genius.Or perhaps at least that the commonly held definitions ofwhatconstitutesgeniusareatadnarrow.Therearewaysandwaystomeasuregreatness.Somestamptheirgreatnessbythewaytheybat,the

waytheyconjureupstrokesthatarebeyondthereachofmost.Richardshadgreatnesswritteninhismerewalk to themiddle, Tendulkar in his precocity, andLara in his incandescence. Theirswas agreatnesseasytonoticebecausetheyweredifferentfromtherest.Towatchthembatwastofeelawe.Towatchthemdispatchgoodballstotheboundarywastofeelblessed.Theymadeyoufeelgratefulfortheirgenius.Dravid’s batsmanshipwas often taken for granted because itwas so firmly rooted in time-worn

traditions– leavingthegoodballs,nothitting in theairoron theup,andbecause itwassoutterlycomprehensibleandlackinginmystique.ButonlythosewhohaveplayedthegameatthehighestlevelcanfullyappreciatethetruemeaningofDravid’scraft.Toseeagoodballhitforfourisaspectacle;survivingagreatballrequiresnolessskill,thoughit

rarelyelicitsawe.Watchingabouncerbeinghookedisamongthemostthrillingsightsincricket,butwe often miss the artfulness and skill involved in leaving a bouncer. Few – Tendulkar and Laraincluded–havedealtwiththeshortballwithgreaterpoisethanDravid,whoseeyeneverlefttheball.Hewashitacoupleoftimeswhiletryingtoforcetheballaway,butrarelydidyouseehimduckinto

abouncer.Dravid’s other great strengthwas also intangible, and entirely invisible. InAdelaide in 2003, he

battedIndiatovictorybyscoring305runsinthetwoinnings,occupyingthecreasefor835minutes.Hisbattingwasasmuchabouttechnicalvirtuosityasitwasaboutthemind.Testcricket,heoftensays,is such a fulfilling experience because it challenges themind continuously for four or five days.Dravidbelongedtothatpricelessbreedofchampionswhosementalresolveisatitsstrongestwhenthe situation is dire.His 270 inRawalpindi in 2004wasn’t hismost flawless innings.Hebenefitedfromtwoumpiringdecisionsandafieldinglapse,butaswasthecasewiththefivehundredsthatcamebeforethatinnings,andacoupleofnineties,itcamewhenIndianeededitmost.Dravidwas India’smost dependable,most consistent andmost valuable batsman.But he did not

merelyprovide India’sdazzlingbatsmenwith a cushion,hewas thepivot aroundwhich the Indianbattingrevolved.SachinTendulkarwasIndia’sbatsmanofthe‘90s;RahulDravidmadethe2000shisown.Thebattingaverageisonlyoneparametertojudgeabatsmanby,butwhicheverwayyoulookatit,

anaverageofover50inmorethan150Testsshouldbeenoughtograntaplayerhisplaceinhistory.ThatDravidhasabetteraverageawayfromhomeshouldonlyaddtotheglow.However,theheartofhis greatness doesn’t lie in the numbers but rather in the circumstances in which they have beencompiled,andmostofall,whattheyhavemeantforhisteam.ItisTendulkar ’smisfortunethathisbestyearsasabatsmancoincidedwithIndia’smostabjectones

asateam.HisbrillianthundredsinAustralia,SouthAfricaandEnglandwereallsolos,madeashisteam crumbled around him. It didn’t help that the Indian national side was hostage to ad hocamateurism at the time. Dravid’s peak, on the other hand, coincided with a period of wholesomeprogressforIndiancricket,andinmanywaysDravidwasthesingularembodimentofthisprogress.Hewasthemodelprofessional,wholeheartedteamman,progressiveleader,andofcourse,lynchpinofIndianbatting.The manner of playing is a fair pointer, and so are statistics, but to many the essence of a

cricketer ’s greatness lies inwhat his performances havemeant to the team.Dravid’s figureswereoutstanding:he averagedmore than53abroad,21ofhis36hundreds cameaway fromhome, andbetween2001 and2006,when Indiawon26out of 66Tests, he averagedmore than60.But to histeam,Dravidmeantmuchmorethanthenumbers.HesavedthemfromdefeatsinSouthAfrica,WestIndiesandEngland,andsetupwinsinSriLanka,

England andAustralia. BarringMultan in 2004, he played a hand, often the critical one, in everyIndianTestwinabroadinhistime.EvenonthetourofAustraliain2008,whenhewasinthemiddleofoneoftheroughestphasesofhiscareer,heplayedavitalhandinsettingupwhathasbeenIndia’sonlyTestwin inPerth.SouravGangulybrought thecharge,Tendulkar stirred the imagination,butwithoutfanfareDravidbecamethebackboneofIndiancricketBatsmenlikeDraviddon’tbringasongtoaspectator ’sheart;theycansometimesevenbetedious

to watch (though Dravid was a beautiful batsman in his own right). But they are the kind whosepresence every team is grateful for. The true indications ofDravid’s greatness camewhen battingcalledformorethandrivingontheup,whentheballcurledin theairandfizzedoff thepitch,andwhen survival became an end in itself. To India’s enormous fortune,when a situation called for abatsmantostandupandbecounted,Dravidwasthere.Almostalways.

Someareborntogreatness.RahulDravidacquiredit.Insomewaysthatisthegreaterachievement.Sambit Balis the editor of ESPNcricinfo

DravidscoredsixTesthundredsinEngland.OnlyoneIndianhasscoredmoreTestcenturiesinanoverseascountry�SunilGavaskar,whohassevenintheWestIndies.

W

[4]

ThegrittobegreatSANJAYMANJREKAR

henSunilGavaskarbecamethefirstto10,000Testruns,therewerecelebrationsinIndia.Itwas a long-awaitedmoment; ever sincehisphenomenaldebut series in theWest Indies in

1971,Gavaskarhadlookedlikelytooverhaulthemark.AsforSachinTendulkar,soimmenseishisability that when he reached the heights he did, it was taken for granted. That his fans still feeldisappointedwithhim,afterallthathehasachieved,showsthatforthemheisnolessthangod.WithDravid,everyrunhegotinTestsafter3000seemedanover-achievement.AndIsaythisina

positivesense.Early inhiscareerhe lookedaplayerwith thekindof talent that, if combinedwithhardwork,couldgethim into the Indianside.Healways lookedaTestprospectbutnotaprodigywhopromised greatness.As it turned out,Dravidworked very hard, and not only did he play forIndia,healsogothimself13,000runsatanaverageofover52in164Tests.That isagreatachievement.And ina teamsport likecricket,Dravid isan inspiration foryoung

players, who sometimes feel inferior to a fellow player blessed with considerable natural talent.Dravid’scareeraverageisjustashadebelowTendulkar ’s.Thatjustmightrenewbeliefinvirtuesthatyoungstersaregiventofindingold-fashionedthesedays:asoundtechniqueandastrongmind.I believe Dravid can be a more realistic batting role model for young Indian batsmen than a

Tendulkar,aSehwagoraVVSLaxman,forDravidistheleastgiftedonthatlist.WhileTendulkarisaprodigious,raretalent,Dravid’sbasictalentcanbefoundinmany,butwhathehasmadeofitistherare,almostunbelievable,Dravidstory.Dravid now stands on equal footing with the two great entities of Indian cricket, Gavaskar and

Tendulkar.Hehastriedtokeephimselfawayfromcomparisons,butitisinevitablenowthathewillbeviewedalongsidethesetwo.Itisaninterestingexercise.Gavaskarwas a classy defensive batsman,who courageously took on the bowling giants of the

1970s and ‘80s,whenmostother Indianbatsmenwalked to thepitch feeling inferior.NotonlydidGavaskardefyallthosebowlers,heeventuallymasteredthem.Hewasn’tasgiftedasTendulkaris,soheneededtodrawonreservesofwill,mentalstrength,andagooddefensivegame.Gavaskarwouldtypically take theheat for fourhoursormorebeforehe felthecoulddominate thebowlers, in thefinal session.He respected his opponents but, unlike some of his Indian contemporaries, he neverconsideredhimselfweakerthanthem.Gavaskar played at a time when the bowling attacks of most teams around the world were

formidable.Thesedaysmostbowlers focusoncontainment,but in the‘70sand‘80s“get ‘emout”wasthemantra.BackthenallthosefinebowlerstriedeverythingpossibletogetGavaskarout.Todaymost bowlers are looking to “bowl in the right areas”. This method came into fashion when thebatsmenbegan to attackmore: itmade sense tokeep theball just outside theoff stumpand let thebatsmanmake amistake.GlennMcGrath’s successwith thismethodhelped it gainpopularity. It is

against just this sort of bowling that Dravid, a good defensive batsman with great patience, hasflourished.After Gavaskar, whose exploits proved to the next generation of players that Indians could be

battingmasters of the world, arrived Tendulkar. He clearly stands aboveGavaskar andDravid interms of sheer batting ability. He also has a disciplined cricket mind that has never allowed hisaggressive batting to breed arrogance. It took Tendulkar two seasons to test the waters at theinternationallevelbeforeproceedingtodominatethegamelikenoIndianhaddonebefore.Dravidwasfortunateinasensethatwhenhearrivedin1996,Tendulkarwasalreadyaphenomenon.

Likeallbatsmenofhistime,DravidhadacceptedthatTendulkarwasthebestandallhecoulddowasfightforsecondplace.ThathelpedhimfocusonhisowngameandavoidlookingatitincomparisontoTendulkar ’s.However, ifDravidhadplayed in the ‘70s and ‘80s, lifewouldhavebeeneasier forhim.Those

weretimeswhenleavingaballgotnodsofapprovalandadmirationfromspectators.Dravidplayedthebulkofhiscricketinanerawhendefensivebattingwasconsideredalmostahandicap.Itisraretoseeadefensivebatsmancomethroughthemodernsystem.NottosaythatDravidwasalldefensive,though.Hehadoneshotthatisuncommoninadefensive

Indianbatsman:thepull.Itisasuperbinstinctivestrokeagainstfastbowling,anditisastrokehehadfromtheoutset;ashotthatbailedhimoutofmanytightsituationsinTests.Gavaskarwasagreatdefensivebatsmanwhotookonthebestattheirbestandwon.Tendulkarwas

blessedwithoutrageoustalentthathenevertookforgranted.Dravidperhapshadthestrongestmindamongthethree,thelargestmentalreserves.Gavaskardidhavemental strengthbuthehadoccasional indiscretions,whichgaveyoucause to

thinkthatthegreatmanwasnotreallytunedinthatday,thathehadnotyetrecoveredfromthelastmammoth effort, perhaps. He also took one-day cricket lightly, so as to reserve his best for Testmatches. In Dravid’s batting, on the other hand, you saw the same intensity in every internationalinningsheplayed.Whenhisplaceintheone-dayteamcameupforscrutinyearlyinthe2000s,itwasadifficultperiod

forDravidbecausehewasn’tverygoodattheshorterformofthegameatthetime.Hewasluckytohave Sourav Ganguly as captain. Ganguly wanted someone sensible and dependable, like Dravid,alongsidehim.Dravid’s transitionfromthenonasabatsman,andespeciallyasavaluableone-daybatsman,wasinspiring.Hisprogressinthisperiodgaveusourfirstinsightsintohisgreatmind.Imust confess,Dravid’s attitude at the start ofhis career concernedme.Asyoungcricketerswe

wereoftenremindedtonotthinktoomuch–andsometimesreprimandedbyourcoachesandseniorteam-matesfordoingso.Beingathinkerincricket,itisargued,makesyoucomplicateagamethatisplayedbestwhenitiskeptsimple.IthoughtDravidwasdoingpreciselythat:thinkingtoomuchabouthis game, his flaws and so on. I once saw him shadow-play a false shot that had got him out.Noproblemwith that, everyonedoes it. Just thatDravidwas rehearsing the shot at a dinner table in arestaurant!Thistraitmademewonderwhetherthisman,whoweallknewbythenwasgoingtobethenextNo.3forIndia,wasgoingtoover-thinkhisgameandthrowitallaway.Heremindedmeabitofmyself.Somewheredown the line,much to everyone’s relief, I thinkDravidmanaged to strike the right

balance. He seemed to tone down the obsession over his game and his technique, and started

obsessingoversuccessinstead.Perhapshelookedalotmorestudiousandintenseontelevisiontousthanheactuallyisoutthere.Lifecannothavebeeneasyforadefensivebatsmaninthisage,whensavingrunsratherthantaking

wicketsisthegeneralapproachofteams.Adefensivebatsman’sforteishisabilitytodefendthegoodballs and hit the loose ones for four. But with bowlers often looking to curb batsmen by settingdefensivefields,battingbecomesabitofastruggleforplayerslikeDravid.Itisastrugglehewascontentwith,though.Hedidnotcommitthefollyofbeingembarrassedabout

grindingwheneveryonearoundhimwasattackingandbringingthecrowdtotheirfeet.Hewasquitehappy batting on 20 when his partner had raced to 60 in the same time. Once he got past 50, hesometimesseemedtogetintothis“mentalfreeze”state,whereitdidnotmattertohimifhewasstuckon80or90foranhour;heresistedthetemptationtodoanythingdifferenttoquicklygettothenextstage of the innings. It is a temptation thatmany defensive batsmen succumb to after hours at thecrease.Whenthepatiencestarts towear,youthinkofhittingover the infield, forexample, togetahundred.DravidknewthiswassomethingSehwagcouldgetawaywith,nothim.ThatDravidhasplayedmoreinningsthathavematteredfortheteamisnotacoincidence.It’sthe

kindofpersonthatheis,thekindaschoolteacherwillgivetenoutoftentoinanassessment:thesortofperfectrolemodelthattheIndianmiddle-classfamilyvaluesystemoftenthrowsup.Thosemiddle-classvaluesare,Ibelieve,India’sgreateststrength,andDravidisamongthefinestillustrationsofthatfact.Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar is a cricket commentator and presenter on TV. A version of this article waspublished inCricinfoMagazinein 2006

Dravidbowled20oversinhisTestcareer,andtookonewicketfor39runs:thatofWestIndieswicketkeeperRidleyJacobs,intheAntiguaTestin2002.

I

[5]

AcricketermostevolvedAAKASHCHOPRA

stillfondlyrecallthatbrisksummereveninginAustraliainearly2004.Wehadlevelledaseriesforthefirsttimeinalongtimeinthatcountry.RahulDravid,aseniorteam-mateandmyhero,sat

nexttomeinarathercheerydressingroom,andIhesitantlyspoketohimaboutmybatting,hopingtogethistwocents.Asalways,hewaseagertohelp.BesidesthemanythingsthatIpickedupfromhimthatday,what

struckmewashishonestyandhumility–whichIbelievearethefirststepstowardsgreatness.Dravid, inhis classic self-effacingway, confessed tobeing, for themostpart, anon-sideplayer.

Thebowlershadcometoknowofhisstrengthsandhadstoppedfeedinghimonhislegs.Hehadtofindanotherwaytoscoreruns,hesaid.Whichwashowhebecameoneofcricket’soutstandingoff-sidebatsmen.Thatwasanoverwhelmingrevelationforme:whatseemedlikesecondnaturetoDravidhadbeen,

in fact, practised and perfected. Just a few days ago he had stunned everyonewith his stupendousdouble-century in Adelaide, an innings punctuated with an array of breathtaking cover drives,piercingthesmallestgapswithsurgicalprecision.Howcouldonebelievethathisimpeccableoff-sideplaydidn’tcomenaturallytohim?ItwasonlymysecondseriesforIndia,butDravidhadalreadybecomemygo-toman,mymentor,

forqueriestodowithtechniqueandtemperament.Hisconfessionhadbeeninresponsetomyconcernaboutmyinabilitytoscorebigrunsdespitegettinggoodstarts.Hedidn’thavetoexposechinksinhisarmourwhenheanswered,buthedid.YearslaterthatchatwithDravidmademegobackandsearchforvideosofhimbattingearlyinhis

career.Iwantedtoknowiftheconfessionhadjustbeenanattempttopepmeup.WhatIfoundmademerespectDravid,themanandthebatsman,more.Whenhestartedout,Dravidusedtocrouchalotmoreinhisstance,withhisheadfallingoverabit

towardstheoffside.Hisbat,comingfromthedirectionofgully,forcedhimtomakeahugeloopatthetopofthebacklift.Boththebackliftandthefallingheadallowedhimtopunishanythingthatwasevenmarginallyonhislegs.Hiswidebackliftalsomadehimagoodcutteroftheball,providedtherewaswidthonoffer.Ontheflipside,itmeantfewerfront-footstrokesontheoffside.Infact,mid-offwasrarelybroughtintoplay.Dravidsaidthatbecausehegrewupplayingonjutemattingwickets,hebecameagoodback-footplayer and also strongon the legs, for thebounce allowedhim toworkballs,eventhosepitchedwithinthestumps,towardstheonside.Hewasapredominantlybottom-handplayer,hesaid.Theknowledgeofwherehis off stumpwas, coupledwithhis immensepatience, ensuredDravid

continued to score bucketfuls of runs in Test cricket, in spite of the bowlers finding him out. Butthoughtherunswerecoming,theywerenotcomingasbrisklyashewouldhaveliked.Hehadtostay

longeratthecreasetoaccumulatehisruns,andthateventuallycosthimhisplaceintheODIteam.Heneededtofindwaystoopenuphisoff-sideplay.That’swhyhechosetonotgetbehindthelineoftheballatalltimes,andalsostartedtousehistophandalotmore.AnardentfolloweroftheGavaskarschoolofbatting,Dravidwould,whenhestartedout,goback

andacrossbeforetheballwasbowled,andthenfurtheracrosstogetbehindthelineoftheball.Whilethis method worked well in Test cricket, it needed some tinkering with in the shorter format. Soinsteadofgoingbackandacross,hepreferredgoingbackandback, toensurehestayedbesidetheballmoreoften,whichallowedhimtofreehisarmswhileplayingthroughtheoff.ThesetweaksweresuccessfulandDravidwentontoplayhisfinestcricketinthatperiod.Thatwasnot theendof it, though.Whenyouthinkyouhavemasteredyourbiggestshortcoming

andcanbreatheeasy,somethingelsethat isunwantedcreepsintoyoursystem.Whiletheback-and-backtriggermovementworkedreallywellforDravid,hisfrontfootstartedgoingabittoofaracrossin theprocess.Themovementacross thestumpsallowsyoutocover theswinga littlebetter,but italso blurs your judgement of lines,with regard to decidingwhichdeliveries to play andwhich toleavealone.MitchellJohnson,withhislinethatgoesacrosstheright-hander,forcedDravidtoplayatdeliveries

hewouldhaveleftaloneifhisfrontfoothadnotgonesofaracross.Anduncharacteristically,Dravidgotoutfishingoutsidetheoffstumponmorethanafewoccasions.Once again, the challenge was to find a solution to a technical glitch. Dravid’s answer was to

completelyeliminatethetriggermovementandstayperfectlystilltillthebowlerreleasedtheball.Thatmaysoundlikeasimpleadjustment,butabatsmanwilltellyouthatitisperhapsthetoughest

one to make. Even though the movement occurs before the ball is bowled, and is only a fewcentimetres,it’sasimportantasthemovementaftertheballisbowled.Thetriggermovementsetsthebodyinmotionandallowsit togetintotherightpositionstomeettheball.Eliminatingthetriggermovementissortoflikeengagingfifthgearrightafterturningontheignitioninacar.Andthecatchisthatitwillnotworkifyouareconstantlythinkingaboutnotmoving.Theonlythingyoushouldbethinkingaboutwhilestandingisyourresponsetothedelivery.Itmusthavetakenhundredsofhoursofpracticetogetitintohissystem,soastomakeitabsolutely

seamless;Dravidwentthroughthegrind.Nothinggreatwaseveraccomplishedwithoutpassion.HewentontohavethebestTestseriesofhiscareerinEnglandin2011,wherehenotonlygotruns

but was extremely fluent in getting them. Yet the adjustment he hadmademeant he didn’t have asecondlineofdefence–soifhewasbeaten,hewaslikelytogetbowled,notstruckonthepad.AndthatwaswhathappenedinAustralia.Dravidhadbeenawareoftherisksinvolved,butitwasagamblehehadbeenreadytotake.There

was a hullabaloo about Dravid’s dismissals in Australia – as if being bowled was dishonourable.Beingdismissedessentiallymeansbeingbeatenbyabowler.Whatdifferencedoesitmakeifoneisbowled,lbworcaughtbehind?KnowingDravid,ifhehaddecidedtoplayon,hewouldhavefoundways,yetagain,toaddressthe

slip.Forhim,nothingwasunachievable.Perhaps that iswhatmade him themost evolved cricketer of this era. Change didn’tmean only

survival for him; it alsomeant thematurity to create endlessly.His desire for growthwas intenseenough to work on both conscious and unconscious levels: while he intentionally worked on his

triggermovementandplayingbesidetheline,thingslikehisstance–whichwasmoreuprightinthelatterhalfofhiscareer–andthestraighterdescentofthebathappenedalmostautomaticallyovertheperiod.Incricket,as inlife, it isnot themost talentedwhosurvive,nor themost intelligent,but theones

whoaremostresponsivetochange.Dravid’scareerwasaneternalquesttogetbetter.Everythinghedidwasto,asheputsitbest,“deliverthebatattherighttime”.Former India openerAakash Choprais the author ofOutoftheBlue,an account of Rajasthan’s 2010-11 Ranji Trophy victory.This article was first published on March 19, 2012 on ESPNcricinfo

Dravidopenedtheinningsonly23timesinTests,buthescoredfourcenturiesinthoseinnings.OnlysixIndianopenershavescoredmorehundreds:SunilGavaskar,VirenderSehwag,GautamGambhir,NavjotSidhu,Wasim

JafferandVinooMankad.

R

[6]

AfascinatingcaptainandthejobhefelloutoflovewithSIDHARTHMONGA

ahul Dravid became the best batsman, wicketkeeper, short leg, silly point and slip he couldbecome.Itisafairlyprosaic,unglamorousthingtosayofacricketer,butitisadifficultachievementto pull off. To use every bit of talent and time; to be in the right physical, psychological andemotionalstatetodoso.Asaplayer,Draviddidjustthat.Dravidthecaptainwasadifferentstory;morefascinatingandcontradictorytoo.Hebroughtmore

naturaltalentandflairtocaptaincythanhedidtobatting,yetitcanbearguedDraviddidn’tbecomethebestcaptainhecouldhavebeen.Havingrecentlybecomeafatherwhenhetookovercaptaincyfulltime,hestrovetolookatcricketasjustasport,notmore,whichshouldinpartexplainthesenseofadventurehebroughttocaptaincy–hehatedlosing,didn’tfearit.YetsocarewornhadhebecomebytheendofitallthatheuncharacteristicallysatonaseriesleadinhislastTestincharge.Nofollow-on,despitea319-runleadagainstEnglandatTheOval,nopushforawin.DravidbroughtdynamismtoIndia’sODIcricket,shakingupateaminflux,defendingsmalltotals

with attacking fields, refusing formulaic captaincy, yet the lastingmemory of him asODI captainremainsthatMarchafternoonintheWestIndieswhenIndiawereknockedoutinthefirstroundoftheWorldCup.DravidknewthatinIndiaacaptain,ateam,arealwaysjudgedbyhowtheydoinWorldCups.Itwas

asifinthosethreematchesinTrinidad,allthegoodworkofthepreviousyearshadbeenundone.Hedidn’tquit immediately,butby theendof theEnglandtour later thatyear,hewasaspentman.Thetension that the clashes between the coach,GregChappell, and some Indian players – both partiesequallyheadstrong–brought,theexpectations,theintensity,theyallconsumedhim.Onefinedayin2007heletgo.Hehadstoppedenjoyingit.That,though,wasn’tthecasewhenDravidwasfirstmadethefull-timecaptain,inlate2005.Don’t

getitwrong:hesurelyenjoyshisbatting,butduringsomeofDravid’sbesteffortswiththebatyoucouldimaginehimgrittinghisteethandgoingthroughanunpleasantexperienceothershadshirked.Captaincy,youcouldsee,heenjoyed.Smalltricksonthefield,bigplansoffit.Hehadacumen,hehadvision,andmostimportantly,ashesaidinaninterviewinJanuary2006,thewillto“keepthegamemoving”.Naturallyintelligent,abalancedindividual,afanofMarkTaylor ’scaptaincy,Dravidwasarguably

India’smost tacticallyproficientandaggressiveon-fieldcaptain.Therewassomethingdelightfullyunpredictable about India under him. InNovember 2003, standing in as captain,Dravid opened anODIinningswithaspinner.Inthefamoustwo-and-a-half-dayTestinMumbaiin2004-05,standinginagain, he introducedMuraliKartik ahead ofAnilKumble,while defending just 106. InMultan hedeclared with Sachin Tendulkar on 194 because it made cricketing sense to him that the Pakistanopenersbegivenathoroughexaminationbeforestumps;itwasaflatpitch,andIndiawouldneedtimetoforcearesult.

Whenhegotthereinsfull-time,heleftaDravidimprintontheteam.BeforehisfirstTestasfull-timecaptain,hetriedtomaketeammeetingsmoreinteractive,gettingseniorplayerstospeakaboutsome of their experiences. Soon he took India to Pakistan, and on a flat pitch he playedwith fivebowlers.IfamancouldbringthisedgetoIndia-PakistanTests,longinfamousfortheteams’fearoflosing to the arch enemy, and thus for drab cricket, that man could be dangerous with the rightbowlers to back him up. Three Tests later he played five bowlers, against England in Mohali,droppinghisgoodfriendandtheplayerofthebestinningseverplayedinTests,VVSLaxman.Under Dravid, India began to focus on bowlers, under him India won their first Test in South

Africa, their first series in theWest Indies since 1971, and their first in England since 1986. Thesalesmen often credit the IPL for India’s big chases in ODIs of late, but back in the days of twoformats,14ofIndia’srecord17consecutivesuccessfulchasescameunderDravid.However, setting fields, picking XIs, managing bowling changes, pushing for wins, staying

aggressive,keepingthegamemovingforward,isjustonepartofthejob–especiallyinIndia.TheassumptionthateverybodywhohasmadeittotheIndiateamwillrespecteverybodyelse,willdohisbesttowinmatches,willnothavedifferenceswithteam-mates,thatacaptainwillnothavetogooutofhiswaytomaintainharmonyamongagroupofindividualswiththesamegoals,isasidyllicasitisadult.AnIndiacaptainhastounderstandvariousequationsinaside,hasto,attimes,bringhimselfdowntothelevelofintellectoftheotherorraisehisown.Healsohastodeal,fight,argueandworkwith the selectors, who have to balance the interests of their zones with national ones. It is nearimpossibleforanIndiacaptaintostayapolitical.Equallyathickskinisamust.DuringDravid’s time, theneedforsucha leadersoonarose.All it tookwasanoutsider,another

complex personality, the domineering and outspoken coach,Chappell, trying to bring his ideas toIndia.ItwasarguablythemosttumultuousanddivisiveperiodinIndiancricket.Itwasalsothedirtiesttime.Inthesecases,whoisrightandwhoiswrongisofteninconsequential.WasChappellnotrightinsuggesting thatVirender Sehwag andZaheerKhan get fitwhen he did?WasChappell not right insuggestingthatIndiahaveaneyeonthefuture?Atthesametime,weretheplayerslyingwhentheysaythatChappellcreatedanatmosphereofinsecurity,fear,humiliationandmistrustinthedressingroom?Thetruthwillnevercomeoutevenifeverypartyinvolvedwritesbooks.The only absolute truth is that the losswas that of the Indian cricket team –Dravid’s team.His

visionwas tornapart,hisachievementsascaptainforgotten.Forallpopularpurposes,hewasnowjustChappell’spuppet–anotionlackingrespect,andgivenstrengthbySouravGanguly’scommentsin2011thatDraviddidn’thavethegutstostanduptoChappell.Thefact,though,wasthatevenDravidwantedfittercricketerswhowerenotstagnating,butperhapshecouldn’tcontrolthepersonalityflawsofeveryoneelseinvolved.It is a measure of Dravid the person that even when Chappell was being written off by almost

everyone,Draviddidnotdissociatehimselffromtheformercoach.Hestilltalkedofthosedaysusingthepronoun“we”.Andheadmittedthingscouldhavebeendonedifferently,thatperhapspersonalitiescouldhavebeenhandleddifferently.“I thinkwhenyoulookbackatanystageofyourcareer, thereare things you could have done differently, and that captaincy period is no different,” he said. “Intermsofintention,ofwhatweweretryingtoachieve,Ihavenodoubtinmymindthatitwasontherightpath.Sure,wemademistakes,sure,therewerethingsthatwedidright,andmaybesomeoftheresultsdidn’tshowuprightaway.Theydidshowuplateron,butthat’sjustthewayitis.”Andsocricketceasedbeingjustsport.Itbecamesomethingbiggerthatconsumedeverything:the

administrators,theplayers,theperformances,thefans,themedia.Onepartymanoeuvredonehalf,theothertooktheremainingtwoquarters.Thewholenationwasdivided.Caughtbetweenallthiswasthecaptain,hopingdesperatelyforresultsintheWorldCup,becauseultimatelyonlythatwouldmatterinIndiacomeJudgementDay.Shrewderman-managers, less intense people,might have done better.During those daysDravid

wasverymuchthegreattacticianaccidentallycaptainingthewrongside,ateamhedidn’tknowatall.Everything was draining; daily activities he used to look forward to earlier were now chores.External factors began to matter much more. He admitted there were days when he woke up notlooking forward to captaining India.Thiswas during theEngland tour,where he settled for a 1-0serieswin.Thatletoninnouncertaintermsthathewasafraidoflosing,ofwhatpeoplemightsayifhelost,throughsomemiracleoftheorderofHeadingley1981,inanattempttoaddtoIndia’smeagrefivewinsinEngland.Dravid the captain’s goose, though, was cooked months before, on that March afternoon in

Trinidad. It was the most poignant sight of his career. Munaf Patel has just become the last mandismissed,withIndia69shortofSriLanka’s254,andthusoutofthetournament,playedonslowandlow pitches ideally suited to India’s style of play.Dravid has been chewing his nails, withDineshKarthikandAnilKumblesittingnexttohim,andSachinTendulkarandVirenderSehwagintherowbehind.Nowhegetsup, runshis left handacrosshis eye. Is it a tearhe is trying tohide? It’s likesomethinghaslefthim.Kumbleconsoleshim.Itisclear,though,thattryingtobethebestcaptainhecouldbeisnotaseasyasbeingthebestcricketerhecouldbe.Sidharth Mongais an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Dravidscored860runsinWorldCupsatanaverageof61.42.Amongbatsmenwhoscoredatleast750WorldCuprunsonlyVivRichardshasabetteraverage(1013runsat63.31).

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[7]

‘Thebestbattinghappenswhenyouarebattinginthepresent’INTERVIEWBYSAMBITBAL

December2003

illAdelaide2003,most epicperformancesby Indianbatsmenon foreign soilhadeitherbeen invainor,atmost,hadhelpedsalvageadraw.RahulDravid’svigilinbothinningsofthatTestmarkedawatershed moment. His double-hundred in the first saved India from catastrophe, and after anunexpectedburstfromAjitAgarkarsetthestage,DravidmadesureIndiagotovertheropes.Thisinterviewwasconductedafewdayslater,inhishotelroominsleepyHobart.Giventhathehas

alwaysbeenamanofmethod,Iwaskeentoexploretheprocessesofbatting,uniquetoeverybatsman,with him. His press conferences can often be dull because he chooses to play safe, but histhoughtfulnessandpowerofarticulationmakehimawonderfulinterviewee.Doyouthinkyou’reatthepeakofyourgameatthemoment?I’d like to believe not.Let’s put it thisway: I’mbattingbetter than I have ever batted before, but IwouldliketobelievethatIcangetbetter.Ihavebattedwellinthelastcoupleofyears,butneverhaveIfeltthatthisisitandthatthisisthebestIcando.You’ve hardly had a bad series since that big hundred againstAustralia inKolkata.Can youpinpointanyaspectofyourgamethatyoufeelhasimproved?I can’t pinpoint any one thing, because there isn’t any one thing I have done differently. It is acombinationofthings.Itistheconfidenceofdoingwellconsistently,andthematuritygatheredovertheyears.Withexperienceyou learn to trustyourgamemore thanyoudidasayoungster.Also, Ithink I am getting into better positions while playing – the body position, the head position, thebalance,andcertainlyIaminabetterstateofmind.Let’sputitanotherway:isthereanyweaknessthatyouhavemanagedtoeliminate?Ihavelookedatallareasofmygameandworkedhardonallofthem.Ihavereallyworkedonmyphysicalfitness.Ithinkit’saquestionofeverythingcomingtogether.Itisgenerallyacceptedthatthebestyearsforabatsmanarearoundtheageof30.Ihaveafewyearsofexperienceatinternationallevelnow,soitalladdsup.Youcertainlyseemmorepositiveaboutyourstrokeplay.IammorepositivebecauseIammoreconfident,Iamgettingruns,Iambattingbetter,Iamgettingintobetterpositions.It’snotthatIhavemadeaconsciousdecisiontogooutandplaymorestrokes.Your last truly bad serieswas inAustralia [1999-00]. Since then you have not really failed inseriesanywhere.EveninNewZealand[2002-03],youscoredsomeruns.Actually,IthoughtIwasplayingquitewellinNewZealand.The70thatIgotinthefirstTestIratequitehighlyamongallmyknocks.Theconditionswerereallytough.Thingsdidn’tgowellafterthatbutIgota39inthesecondTestandIwasbattingquitewellwhenIgotouttoarankbadball.WhatwerethelessonsfromthatbadseriesinAustralia?

That whole phase was quite tough for me. Three Tests against Australia and then hardly a breakbeforeweplayedtwoTestsagainstSouthAfricaathome.IhadmoredoubtsaboutmygameinthatperiodthanI’veeverdone.WhatreallyhelpedweremysixmonthsofcountycricketinEngland.ItcameattherighttimebecauseIneededtogetaway,toanewenvironmentwhereIcouldjustrelaxandbemyselfandplaycricketandenjoyit.Iwasonmyown,andIlearnedthingsaboutmyselfandmygame.WhatdoyouthinkreallywentwronginAustraliaonthattour?Didyou,likeSanjayManjrekarbeforeyou,whowasalsoagoodtechnician,failbecauseyougotboggeddown?Iwasoutofform.Notwowaysaboutit.Iwasnotbattingwell.Iwasnotgettingintogoodpositions.IgotouttoballsthatIhadlosttrackof.Ididn’tfeelconfident.Thingsgotbetterasthetourwenton,andIgotafewrunsintheone-dayers.ButintheTestmatchesIjustdidn’tbatwell.Let’sjustsaythatIwasn’t good enough and theywere toogood forme. I didn’t fail last timebecause I played fewershots,becausemost timesIwasn’tbattinglongenough.InAdelaide,Igota35,whichwasn’tabadstart,andperhapsifIhadconvertedthatintoa70or80,thingswouldhavebeendifferent.Butafterthat,Iwashardlyspendingtimeinthecrease.Isthereanythingyoufeelyouaredoingbetternow?Anyparticularstrokethatyouthinkyouareplayingbetter?IthinkI’mdrivingalittlebetterontheoffside.WhenIlookatsomeofmyoldvideosIrealisethatIwasperhapsdrivingmuchlessthen.Iwasalwaysagoodcutter;it’sashotIhavealwaysplayedwell,especiallyabroad.ButIamgettingmoreforwardnow,andmyfront-footdrivingismoresure.It’snotverynaturalforanIndianplayertobeagoodcutter.Youpullquitewelltoo.That’sbecauseIplayedalotofcricketonmattingwickets.Thatreallyhelpeddevelopmyback-footgame.With thekindofbounceyougetonmatting,youneed to cut andpullwell.And IwasquiteconsciousthatIneededtoplaytheseshotswellifIwaseverpickedforthenationalside.Irememberpeoplelike[Javagal]SrinathtellingmethatifIwantedtodowellabroad,Ihadtocutandpullwell.So I made a conscious effort to develop these two shots. Sometimes while playing in domesticcricket, it’seasytolosetheseshots,becauseonthosewicketsyoudon’treallyneedthem.Theyarejustnotanoption.Soyoulearnotherskillstoscoreruns.ButIalwayskeptworkingonthembecauseI knew Iwould need them abroad. People don’t give you toomany balls to drive in internationalcricket.Forawhileyouwerenotanautomaticchoicefortheone-dayteam.Youweredroppedonafewoccasionstoo.Didthischangeyourapproachtobatting?IwasconsciousofthefactthatIneededtoimproveifIwantedtocomebackintotheone-dayteam.IknewIhadcertainstrengthsthatwereusefultotheteam,butIknewIhadtogetbetter.Beingleftoutoftheteamisnotanicefeeling.Iwentbackandworkedoncertainareasofmyone-daygame,likeplayingwithsofthands,tryingoutafewnewstrokes.Ihadtolookhardatwhichareasneededwork.MaybeearlierIusedtogointoone-daygamesthinkingofbattingalotofovers.One-daycrickethaschangedabit.Sidesnowbatdeepandalotmorerunsarescored.Ihadtoadjustmythoughtprocessesto that. Experience teaches you things; it teaches you to think differently and helps you playdifferently.Youobviouslyplacealotofimportanceonthinkingaboutyourgame?Oh,yes.Theminddoeshelpsharpenyourskills.Whenyouareintherightframeofmind,alotofthings fall into place. I can’t describewhat the right frame ofmind is, it varies from situation to

situation,fromplayertoplayer.Whatmightmakemealittlenervousandalittletensemightnotmakeanotherplayernervous.Itisaprocessofself-discovery.Howdoyouprepareforamatch?I try to have as many nets as possible in the last couple of days before the match. When I feelcomfortablewithmygame,Istop.ThenIstartthinkingaboutthematch.Ilookatthewicket.ItrytoanalysethekindofbowlersIwillbeplaying,theirstrengthsandweaknesses.Ireplayinmymindthememoriesofmylastencounterwiththem.Ilookatvideosifthey’reavailable.Ifabowlergotmeoutthelasttime,ItrytothinkabouthowIgotout,whatmistakeIcommitted.AndIdomybesttobeinarelaxedstateofmind,becausethat’swhenIplayatmybest.Itrytoslow

thingsdownacoupleofdaysbeforethegame.Ihavelonglunches,dothingsinanunhurriedway.Themorningofthematch,Ialwaysgetupacoupleofhoursbeforewehavetogettotheground,sothatIhaveplentyoftimetogetready.Itakemytimetohaveabath,wearmyclothes,eatbreakfast.Ineverrushthings,andthatsortofsetsupmymoodfortherestoftheday.Then,ifthefacilitiespermit,Ihaveanetattheground.Itrytobeflexibleaboutmyroutine.Ifyou

have a set routine, if you say, “Imust do this and this”, then it canbe counter-productive, becausesometimesyoumaynothavefacilitiesattheground.Atsomegroundsthepracticepitchesaresobadthatitcanactuallyharmyourconfidencetobatonthem.ThefacilitiesinAustraliaareverygood,soImighthaveanet. Italsodependsonweather; if it’shotandsweaty,maybe Iwill skip it,because ittakestoomuchenergy.Doyoudovisualisation?Alittlebit.There is alwaysabat in thedressing room. Ihold thebat inmyhandsandgo throughsomeoftheshotsImightplay.BeforesleepingthepreviousnightIspend15minutesrunningthroughthenextdayandhowIwouldlikeittopanoutforme,structuringmythoughts.Whatdoyoudowhilewaitingforyourturntobat?Itrytoberelaxed.Ineverputanypressureonmyself.Iwatchthegame.Itrytogooutinthelightandwatch.Ilookatfieldsettings,thebounce,thebowlingchanges.IthinkaboutthegamebutIamquiterelaxed.Imighthaveacupofteaandtalktosomeonesittingnexttome.Ifit’salongpartnership,Iwalkaround,doabitofstretchingtogetthebloodcirculationgoing.ButIdon’tgetintothegame.Iliketoconservemymentalenergiesforbattinginthemiddle.Describewhathappenswhenyouwalkouttothemiddle.Awickethasjustfallen,perhapstoagreatball,andyouaremakingyourwayout.Iliketogetinquitequickly,itgetsmylegsmoving.Youdofeelnervous.Youfeelthebutterfliesinthestomacheverytimeyouwalkouttobat,regardlessofwhetheryouhaveplayed100Testsorten.Youneedthatbitofnervousenergy;it tellsyouthatyouareswitchedon.IwouldworryifIdidn’tfeelit.Ihavealookatthewicket,thenhavealittleconversationwiththeotherbatsman,whichisquiteimportantbecauseitmakesyoufeelthatyouarenotaloneoutthere.Whatkindoffirstballdoyouliketoreceive?Areyouhappierleavingit,ordoyoulikeithittingthemiddleofyourbat?Ihavethoughtaboutthis.AllthatIamthinkingatthatmomentisthatIwanttobethereforthesecondball.Ofcourse,Iwouldloveafulltossonlegstump.It’salwaysnicetofeeltheballinthemiddleofthebat,butat thebeginningofaninningsit’sgoodtobeabletoleaveasmanyballsaspossible.Itgivesyouasenseofwhereyouroffstumpis.Itgivesyoutheconfidencethatyouwon’tbeforcedtoplayalotofballsthatyoudon’thavetoplay.

Howyoudoyouplananinnings?Ihavehadalookatthewicketearlier,soIkindofknowmystrokeoptions.IknowthethingsthatIshouldnotdo.Ialsohavechatswithotherbatsmenintheteamtoseeif theirreadingof thewicketmatchesmine.Forinstance,onthefirstmorningofaTestmatch,cover-drivingisnotalwaysthebestoption,becausetheballisdoingabit.SoImightthinkthatI’lltrytohangontillteamaybe,beforeIuse that shot.Of course, if I get a half-volley, Iwill drive it.But it is not a percentage shot in themorning.Youneedtobeflexible.Youmightthinkthepitchwillbehaveinacertainway,anditcanturnouttobecompletelydifferent.In India the stroke-making options are very limited. It’s very difficult to generate power on the

square-of-the-wicketstrokes.PlaceslikeAustralia,EnglandandSouthAfricareallygiveyoualotoffreedomwithyourstrokeplay;onceyouareset,youcanreallyplayallyourshots.Whilebatting,areyoualwayslookingattheball?Imeannotonlyfromthebowler’shandbutalsotrackingitfromthewicketkeeper’sgloves?I do that sometimes. Particularly if I am strugglingwithmy concentration or if Iwant to takemyfocusawayfromnegativethoughts.Imightsay,Iwilljustwatchtheballforthenextcoupleofovers.Sometimestellingyourselftoconcentratedoesn’twork,soyoutrytofocusonsomethingelse.Concentration is one of the strongest aspects of your game. Is that something you’ve alwayshad?Someofitisnaturalbutalotcomeswithpractice.Ialwaystrytoworkonitinthenets.Ialwaystreatnetsasamatch.It’sveryrarelythatIwouldhaveacasualnet,justtoknockafewballsaround.IplayeveryballinthenetslikeIwouldinamatch.Ireallyhategettingoutinthenets.IcreatethesortofintensitythatIwouldneedinamatch.Thathelpsmyconcentration.IfIthinktheconditionswillhelpswing and seam in amatch, Iwill try to leave asmuch as I can outside the off stump in the nets.Drivingandedginginthenetsisnotokaywithme.Canyoudescribehowitisfacingaballinthemiddle?SachinTendulkaroncesaidthattheidealmentalconditionistohaveablankmind.Itispossibletoblankyourmind.That’stheidealsituation,andthat’sthechallenge.Ifyoucanblankthe mind, suspend your thoughts and just watch the ball and react to it without cluttering yourthinking,that’stheidealsituation.Ithappensattimes,whenyouareplayingwell,youareconfident…butitcomesandgoes.Duringalonginnings,youhavepatchesof30or40minuteswhenyouthinkthatyouhadthat.It’stheclosestyoufeeltobeinginthezone.Howdoesbeinginthezoneaffectyourbatting?Tostartwith,youpickupthelineandlengthoftheballmoreclearly,andmuchearlier.Andthenyouareabletorespondtoeachballpurelyonitsmerit.Thebestbattinghappenswhenyouarebattinginthepresent.It’saboutcontrollingthecontrollables.Youcan’tcontrolthelastballorthenextball,butif you can be fully present to play the ball at hand, bring all your mind, your concentration, torespondtothatball,thenthat’sit.Youarenotthinkingaboutthestateofthematch,theconditionofthepitchorthepreviousball.Yourmind,energy,handsandeyesarerespondingonlytothatmoment.It’stheclosestyoucancometopurity;it’saspecialfeeling.Howcanyoucreatethisstate?You can’t. If you could, you would always be in that state, because you know how it feels. It’ssomethingyouaspireto,butyoucan’tcreateitconsciously,andsometimesyouevendowellwithoutit.Sometimesyoucanhaveyour fearsandyourdoubtsandstill comeawayscoring runs.Butyou

can’treachthatstateifyouaretired.Ifyouarephysicallyexhausted,it’sdifficulttofocusyourmind.That’swhyphysicalfitnessissoimportant.Thefitteryouare,thegreateryourchancesofreachingthatcondition.Whatgoesthroughyourmindwhenyoubenefitfromadroppedcatch?You’regladtostillbethere.Butyoutrytoputitoutofyourmindandfocusonthenextball.Andwhenyougethit?Itmakesmemoredetermined.It’slikeawake-upcall.I’vebeenhitbadlyonlyacoupleoftimes,andithasmademefightandconcentrateharder.IthappenedintheWestIndies[2001-02],andthesituationdemandedthatIstayedin.Butyouknow,Ireallyadmirethecricketerswhoplayedfastbowlingwithouthelmets.Toplaythat

qualityof fast bowlingwithoutprotection is a very special thing. I cannever imagineplaying fastbowlingwithout a helmet because I grew up playingwith helmets, and how Iwould have reactedwithoutahelmet,Idon’tknow.Butbatsmenofthatera–eventheotherequipmentwasn’tgoodthen–Ihavehugerespectforthem.WhatwasthestateofyourmindonthemorningofthelastdayatAdelaide?Wehadaquietconfidence.Weknewwehadagreatchancetowinandweknewwecoulddoit.Ofcourse,wewereabitnervous,anditwasnatural.Wehadlostalotofmatchesweshouldhavewoninthepast.Iwasquitedeterminedtonotletthathappenagain.It’sasickfeelingtothinkthatyoucouldhavewon.Wehaveworkedsohardasateam,allofus,John[Wright],Andrew[Leipus],Greg[King],sowehadtowin.Didyoutellyourselfthatyouwantedtobethereattheend?ItoldmyselfinthemorningthatIneededtodowhateverittook,thatwhateverhappenedIwouldtrytobethereattheend.IhadtogiveitallIhad.Youtellyourselfthatallthetime,thatyoualwayswanttobethereattheend.Itdoesn’talwayshappen.Butithappenedthatday,anditwasaspecialfeeling.Has theenormityof theachievement sunk inyet?Areyouaware thismightbeyourpersonalsliceofhistory,thattheAdelaideTestmightberememberedasDravid’sTest?Therealsignificanceofitcanonlybejudgedafterafewyears.AfewmonthsagoIwastoldIwouldalwaysberememberedforthat148atHeadingley[in2002].I’mnotdoneyet.OnlyafterIamdonewillIknowwhatmybestmomentwas.Sambit Balis the editor of ESPNcricinfo. This interview was first published inWisdenAsiaCricketmagazine

Inthewordsofhispeers

Itisnotanexaggerationtosaythatawholestrandofthegame�arichveinthatrunsthroughthegame�spoeticheart�departsthescenewithIndia�sgreatest-everNo.3.PlayingT20cricketwon�tteachanyonetobecomethenextRahulDravid.

Ed Smith,Agentlemanchampionoftimelesssteelanddignity,page60

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[8]

TherockaroundwhomtherestmovedJOHNWRIGHT

etmebeginwithastory. In2000,KentwereplayinginLancashire,andoneeveningIwentoutwithRahulforameal.ItwashisfirstyearasacountyproandthemaindifficultyheseemedtobehavinginadjustingtoEnglandwasthisbusinessofdrivingfromcitytocity.Wedroveintotownbutthereweren’tmanyparkingspacestobefound.Theonlyemptyspotswecouldseewereinaparkingpermitzone.Itwaslateintheevening;whowouldbebothered,Ithought.ItoldRahulitwasfineifheparkedrightthere.HeaskedmeifIwassure,andsincewewerebothhungry,Isaid,“Ofcourse.”Wecameoutoftherestaurantafterdinnerandthecarwasgone.Ithadbeentowedawayandhehad

toget itoutof thelock-up.Heis,ofcourse,averycalmandsmartguy,sorightfromthatstage,Ithink,heknewnevertolistentoeverythingIsaid.Kent was a long experience of matches, meals and car rides, but our paths had crossed much

earlier, in1996,whenIfirstmetSouravandhim.Iwashugelyimpressedwithbothofthem.Rahulwasaverygoodplayer,verysoundandcorrect.Technicallyhestoodout.WehadseenthelikesofSachinTendulkarbutnotsomeone likeRahul.YousawthathecouldplayoutsideIndia.He lookedverygoodindefenceandknewhowtoputtogetheraninnings.Ithoughtthisguywasgoingtobeareallygreatplayer.Hewastalentedandhumblebutconfident.WhenIwent toKent, Iwanted tosignplayerswhoeitherwanted tomake itorwanted touse the

experience: playerswhowere hungry, not thosewhowanted to come and get a contract.Wewerehavingsomeproblemswithourbattingandneededanoverseasprofessionaltobolsterit,whileRahulwantedtoexperiencecountycricket,totrytomakehimselfabetterplayer.Iknewhewouldnotonlyproducerunsbutwouldbeanextremelygoodinfluenceonouryoungplayers,likeRobertKeyandEd Smith. It would help them to watch Rahul train. He had a tough year but he met with theexpectationspeoplehadofhim.HewaseverythingKentneededthen.AlotofpeopleaskmewhatrolehehadinmegettingtheIndia job.Ihavetosayitwasallvery

casual,notorchestratedinanyway.IremembertellingSouravandRahulthatifthejobcameupI’dliketobeconsidered,butitwastheboard’sdecisionandwasbeyondthem.WhatIdoknowis,RahulhadseenhowIcoached,soitmayhaveputmeintheframe.BeingIndia’sfirstforeigncoachandlivinginthecountrycouldsometimesbealonelyjob.Sourav

andIhadverydifferentstylesofworking,andI thinkRahulandIwentbacka longerway. Idon’tremembereverhavingtocalmRahuldown,andhewassomeoneIcouldalwaystalktoifIneededahand.IfSouravturneduplateandwewereabouttoleaveforatour,RahulandIwoulddothepressconference.Wealwaysknewthat.Hetookover inPakistanin2004whenSouravwasinjured,andwonthatfirstTest inMultan.He

madeastrongcalltodeclarewhenSachinwason190-odd.Iwasawaremilestoneswereimportant,andyes,wehadsentamessageouttoSachinthatheshouldhurryupingettingtothedouble.Rahulhadknowntheconsequenceswhenhetookthedecision.

Healwayshadwonderfulleadershipqualities,andsincehehadneverpushedforthecaptaincy,thedressing-roomatmosphere stayed fine.Hewasalso the rockofourbatting, theonearoundwhomeverything else could move. You had Laxman and Tendulkar, but with Dravid at the crease thedressing roomfeltverycalm.Theonly thingheused toworryaboutwashis runningbetween thewickets,particularlywhenhebattedwithSourav.Therewere timesI thought thatwas theonlywaytheywouldgethimout.IthelpedmehugelytohaveRahularound.Souravwasgreatascaptain–whenIlookbackatitnow,

Sourav brought qualities to the team thatwere rare – but the issuewas that both of uswere veryemotional people.We were very driven, and Rahul was a real calming influence. It very quicklybecamethethreeofus.Weusedtobouncealotofthingsoffeachother.ButSouravwastheleader;wewouldargueandhewoulddoexactlywhatheliked.Much has beenwritten aboutRahul’s game and his personality, and how hemanaged to remain

groundedeveninthecircusofIndiancricket–butthat’sfairlywellknown,soI’dliketorevealapartofhisnaturehemanaged tokeepmaskedbygenerallybeingagoodperson.Hewasanabsolutelyfierce competitor. People forget how ruthless hewas out in themiddle.You can’t dowhat he didwithouthavinginnerresolve.Ithinkitstemsfromhiswonderfuldefensivetechnique,butIamsurehealsohadtheconfidenceinhisabilitytosurvivewhenthebowlerwasontop.Ifhedecidedtodefend,thereweren’tmanywayspeoplecouldgethimout.IthinkRahulalwayswantedtobe–andturnedouttobe–oneofthegreatbatsmeninworldcricket

and in the history of Indian batting. There were Sunny Gavaskar and Sachin, brilliant players indifferent ways, and then therewas Rahul. It is now beginning to strikeme that Rahul was alwaysacutelyawareofhowmanyrunshehadgotandwhathisrecordwas.Wenevertalkedaboutthat,butyoudon’tgetrunsifyoudon’thavesomegoals.IhaveneverseenamorededicatedcricketerthanRahulinthenets.Hewasabletosimulateagame

situation,notjustbygoingthroughthemotionsbutbymakingeveryballcount.Itwaslikehedidn’twant togetouteven in thenets. Ina situationwhenhehad threeor fourbowlersgoingathim,hewantedtocompete.Hewasalwaystestinghimselfandworkedonwhateverneededthetime,likehistechnique,oronsortingoutsomekink.OneofthethingsIfoundinterestingwhilewatchingRahulplayinhislate20swaswhathewasable

to get out of the experience and the opposition.He nevermade the samemistake twice.He learnthugelyinone-daycricket–whichprobablywasanareahehadtoworkatalittlebitmorethanothers.HehadbeendroppedfromtheIndianone-dayteamandthenwentontocomebackandhaveaverygoodWorldCup.Hewasagreatstudentofthegameandnevermadethesamemistaketwice.Hehadalltheshotsbutheworkedhardatturningthestrikeover,gettingthesingles,anddroppingtheballontheonside,whennormallyyoumightputitontheoffside.Atthestartpeoplewouldtrytoslowhimdown,butthenheworkedoutawaysotheycouldn’tdothat.Healsoprobablyimprovedhisabilitytolofttheball.For people like him,what you do is farmore important thanwhat you say.Kumble,Tendulkar,

Laxman and Dravid were very professional.When Sehwag, Yuvraj, ZaheerMohammad Kaif andHarbhajancameintotheteamtheywereallyoungboys.IthinkSouravcounselledthememotionally,andtheylearntalotfromhowRahulandtheotherspractised.Ithadaverypowerfuleffectonallofthem.Maybehistypeofbatsmanisgoingnow.ThereisprobablyAlastairCook,ifyou’relookingfora

comparison,butfewothersspringtomind.RahulisthemostobviousexampleofwhatyouwantinadefensiveNo.3.Hewascalled“Jam”becausehisfatherworkedforajamcompany,butIfeltabetternameforhimwas“gem”.Peopletrustedhim.John Wright, India’s coach between 2000 and 2005, spoke to ESPNcricinfo senior editor Sharda Ugra

Dravidbecamethesecond-oldestbatsmantoscoreover1000Testrunsinacalendaryearwhenhemade1145runsin2011,whenalmost39.DonBradmanhadscored1025runsin1948whenhewasnearly40.

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AgentlemanchampionoftimelesssteelanddignityEDSMITH

henRahulDravidwalkedintothedressingroomoftheStLawrencegroundinCanterburyonacold springmorning,youcould tellhewasdifferent fromall theothers.Hedidnot swaggerwithcockinessorbristlewithmachocompetitiveness.Hewentquietlyroundtheroom,shakingthehandofeveryKentplayer–greetingeveryonethesame,fromthecaptaintothemostjunior.Itwasnotthemannered behaviour of a seasoned overseas professional; it was the natural courtesy of a realgentleman.Wemetaspecialhumanbeingfirst,aninternationalcricketersecond.Thecricketerwasprettygood,too.DravidjoinedKentforthe2000season,andIspentmuchofit

atNo.4,cominginoneafterDravid(notthathewasthedepartingbatsmanveryoften).ThatmeantIhadsomewonderfulopportunitiestobatalongsidetheplayerwhobecamethehighest-scoringNo.3ofalltime.WhatdidIlearn?Ilearntthatrealtoughnesstakesmanydifferentforms.Dravidcouldappearshy

andslightlyvulnerableoffthepitch;inthemiddle,yousensedadepthofresilience.Manyoverseasplayerslikedtosetthemselvesapartfromthecountypros–asthoughtheyhadtoswearmoreloudlyandclaptheirhandsmoreviolentlytoprovethatinternationalcricketersweretougherthantherest.Not Dravid. He never paraded his toughness. It emerged between the lines of his performances.Instead,healwaystalkedaboutlearning,aboutgatheringnewexperiences–asthoughhiscricketingeducationwasn’tcomplete,asthoughthereweremanymorestrandsofhiscrafttohone.Hisjourney,youcouldtell,wasdrivenbyself-improvement.One word has attached itself to Dravid wherever he has gone: gentleman. The word is often

misunderstood. Gentlemanliness is not mere surface charm – the easy lightness of confidentsociability.Farfromit:therealgentlemandoesn’trunaroundflatteringeveryoneinsight;hemakessure he fulfils his duties and obligations without drawing attention to himself or making a fuss.Gentlemanlinessisasmuchaboutrestraintasitisaboutappearances.Aboveall,agentlemanisnotonlycourteous,heisalsoconstant:alwaysthesame,whateverthecircumstancesorthecompany.In that sense,Dravid is a true gentleman.Wheremany sportsmen flatter to deceive,Dravid runs

deep.Heisamanofsubstance,morallyseriousandintellectuallycurious.Forallhisunderstatement,hecouldn’tfailtoconveythosequalitiestoanyonewhowatchedhimproperly.IlastbumpedintoDravidlatein2011atacharitydinnerattheSydneyCricketGround.Hewasthe

sameashealwayshasbeen–warm,self-deprecating,curiousaboutthelivesofothers.Asever,hemadeapointofaskingaboutmyparents– theirhealthandhappiness–althoughhehasnevermetthem.Familyandfriendship,yousense,arecentraltohislifeandhisvalues.In the q&a that followed his speech, one answer got close to the core of his personality.What

motivated him still, after all these years and so many runs? Dravid said that as a schoolboy herememberedmanykidswhohadatleastasmuchdesiretoplayprofessionalcricketashedid–they

attendedeverycampandnetsession,nomatterwhatthecostorthedifficultyofgettingthere.Butyoucould tell– from justoneballbowledoroneshotplayed that theysimplydidn’thave the talent tomakeit.Heknewhewasdifferent.“Iwasgivenatalent toplaycricket,”Dravidexplained.“Idon’tknowwhyIwasgivenit.ButIwas.Ioweittoallthosewhowishithadbeenthemtogivemybest,everyday.”What a brilliant inversion of the usual myth told by professional sportsmen: that they had

unexceptionaltalentandmadeittothetoponlybecausetheyworkedharder.Dravidspokethetruth.Yes,heworkedhard.But thehardworkwasdrivenby thedesire togive fullexpression toagod-giventalent.On the field, what set Dravid apart was a rare combination of technical excellence, mental

toughness and emotional restraint. He was restrained in celebration, just as he was restrained indisappointment – exactly as the true gentleman should be. And yet his emotional self-control co-existedwithfiercecompetitivenessandnationalpride.Dravidsingle-handedlydisprovedtheabsurdargumentthattantrumsandyobbishnessareasignof

“howmuchyoucare”or,worse still, “howmuchyouwant it”.Hewas rarelyoutdone in termsofhungerorpassion.Andhewasneveroutdoneintermsofbehaviourordignity.Thosetwinaspectsofhispersonality–thedignifiedhumanbeingandthepassionatecompetitor–ranalongsideeachother,theoneneverallowedtointerferewiththeother.Heknewwheretheboundarieswere,inlifeandincricket.Iamanoptimistbynature. Idonot think that sport isperpetuallydeclining fromsomemythical

goldenage.ButsometimesIcannotavoidthesensethatacertaintypeofsportsmanisanincreasinglyendangeredspecies.Ihavethatfeelingnow,asDraviddeclareshisinningsclosed.Nolongerwillhetakeguardwiththatfamiliarhintofpoliteness,evendeference.Nolongerwillheraisehisbattothecrowd as if he is genuinely thanking them for their applause – the bat tilted outwards inacknowledgementofthesupporters,notjustwavedfranticallyinanorgyofpersonalcelebration.Nolongerwillhestandatfirstslip,conciseandpreciseinhismovements–acricketerfirst,anathletesecond.NolongerwillthehighDravidback-swingandmeticulousfootworklinkthisgenerationwiththegreattechniciansofthepast.Itwouldbenicetoarguethatnocricketerisirreplaceable,thatsportisdefinedbycontinuityrather

thanfullstops, that therewillsoonbeanotherDravid,anotherchampioncricketerof timelesssteelanddignity.ButIdon’t thinktherewillbe.I thinkDravidwillberememberedas thelast inagreattraditionofbatsmenwhoseinstinctsandtemperamentwereperfectlysuitedtoTestmatchcricket.Itisnotanexaggerationtosaythatawholestrandofthegame–arichveinthatrunsthroughthegame’spoetic heart – departs the scene with India’s greatest-ever No. 3. Playing T20 cricket won’t teachanyonetobecomethenextRahulDravid.Inyearstocome,perhapstoolate,wemayrealisewhatwehavelost:thecivility,craftanddignity

thatDravidbroughttoeverycricketmatchinwhichheplayed.Ed Smith is a former England, Middlesex and Kent player and the author, most recently, of Luck�WhatItMeansandWhyItMatters. This article was first published on ESPNcricinfo on March 13, 2012

DravidtookfivecatchesintheChennaiTestagainstAustraliain1998.FourofthecatcheswereoffAnilKumble,andoneoffVenkatapathyRaju.

M

[10]

TheeternalstudentGREGCHAPPELL

endon’tsaythesethings,butIhaveagenuineaffectionforRahulDravid.What’snottolikeabouthim?Heisaniceguywhoisgenuine,tough,strong,honest,reliable,and

verydependable;andonehellofacricketertoboot.Rahulgaveeverythinghehadonthecricketfield,andyoucan’taskformorethanthat.Hewasn’t

preparedtogivelessthanthat.Hewasanexcellentdeputy,inthathegavewhole-heartedsupportwithouteverthinkinghemightbe

betterthantheincumbent,andwhenhegotthejobhewasamuchbettercaptainthanhewilleverbecreditedwith.RahulDravid is a thinkingman’s cricketer. Everything he does on the cricket field and off it is

well-considered.Heisnotpronetomakingrashdecisionsorill-consideredremarks.Hebecameanexcellentplayerbecausehehadthoughtitthroughandworkedoutwhatheneededto

do tosucceed.Hissuccessdidnotcomebyaccidentand itwasn’t justabouthardwork.Hewasanextremely skillful playerwhonever stopped trying to improvehimself. If he thought he couldgetbetter at something, he analysed what he needed to do and then worked hard at making theimprovement.Rahulisanavidreader,whoreadsinthesearchofknowledgewithwhichtoimprovehimself.Heis

likeachildinthatheconstantlyasksquestionsandthenaskswhywhenyougivehimananswer.Ilikethathechallengedmetosubstantiatemyargumentswithsoundreasoning.Ialsolikethatoncehewasconvinced,hecouldmakeinstantadjustmentstohisgame.Iremember

onesuchoccasioninaTestmatchatFerozShahKotlaStadiuminDelhiduringaseriesagainstSriLanka.Thewicketwasnoteasy tobatonbecause itwas lowandslow,andSriLankahadafellowcalledMuralitharanwhocouldbowlabitandwhowasmakinglifedifficultformostIndianbatsmen.Muralitharantook7for100inthefirstinnings,inwhichSachinTendulkarmadeapatientcentury.

RahulwasoneofmanywhohadfoundscoringrunsagainstMuralitharandifficultinthefirstinnings.Overdinnerthatnight,heaskedmehowIthoughthecouldplayhimbetterinthesecondinnings.IsaidthatundertheprevailingconditionsIthoughtitwastoughtodomorethanhehaddonethatday.Hewouldn’t accept that as ananswer and insisted that Idobetter, so I said thathehad to look forscoringopportunitiesoffeveryball,nomatterhowharditwas.Batting for survival against Murali in those conditions, I said, was not an option. Even if you

succeededinsurviving,youwouldn’tmakeanyruns,sothegamewouldbelostanyway.Whenonethinksofsurvival,thefeetdonotmovewell,whichmeansthatscoringopportunitieswillbemissed.This, I said, is a sure way to boost the bowler ’s confidence. The best way to build your ownconfidenceanddentthatofthebowleristoscoreoffeverypoorballhebowlsandsomeofhisgood

ones.Theonlywaytodothat,Isaid,wastolooktomakethe“dangerzone”(theareaametreorsoinfrontofagoodstrideforward)assmallaspossiblebyscoringfromanydeliverypitchedmarginallyfullthereorshortofit.Rahulaskedmetoexplainfurther.Isaidthatitwasmyopinionthatthebestwaytosurvivewasto

bepositiveinintent.Byintendingtoscorerunsoffeveryballonewouldactuallygiveoneselfabetterchanceofdefendingagainstthegoodballs.Rahulbecameexcitedbytheprospectofbattinginthesecondinningsandwasquicktoaskmeto

throwsomeballstohimontheoutfieldthenextmorningsothathecouldpractisethemindsetthatwehaddiscussed.Thathewentoutandscoredafluent53(runout)thatdaywasmoreabouthisabilitytointerpretmy

suggestionthanthesuggestionitself.Inthatway,hewaseminentlycoachable.Hecouldtakeconceptsandturnthemintoactionbecause

ofhisintelligenceandastrongbeliefinhisability.TobepreparedtodothisinthemiddleofaTestmatchtookcourage.Itwasthatsortofcouragethatmadehimtheplayerthathewas.Thesamecourageandbeliefmadehimagoodcaptain.Hispropensitytothinkthingsthroughmay

havemeantthathewasalwaysgoingtoappearconservativetactically,butgoingbythatwouldbetounderestimatehisabilitytotakecalculatedrisks.RahulwantedtomakeIndiaatougherteam.Heknewthatforthattohappen,thingshadtochange.

IndiahadwonveryfewtimeswhenchasingatargetinODIs.Thiswasbecausetheyhadnoplanotherthantoattack,whichcouldbespectacularlysuccessfulorjustasspectacularlynot.Rahul knew from his own experience as a player that success did not come by accident, so he

sought to change the way India went about their ODI cricket. He knew that partnerships wereimportantwhenbattingandthatthebestwaytoslowtheoppositionrunratedownwastotakewickets.Earlywicketswereimportant,butsowerewicketsinthemiddleoversofaone-daygame.Uptothatpoint, Indiahadbeenhappy to try tocontainwith theball andattackwith thebat.Rahuldecided toreversethegameplan.Hewanted to takewickets regularly, so he identified bowlerswho swung the ball, such as Irfan

PathanandSreesanth,andsomeonewhogotbounce,likeMunafPatel.Healsowantedaspinner,suchasRameshPowar,whoattackedandtookwicketsinthemiddleovers.Withthebatting,hewantedpartnerships,andgoodfinisherswhohadpoiseandpower–thelikesof

MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh.More than that, he wanted to use his batting strengths according tosituations rather than be tied to a set batting order.On occasions he used Pathan at the top of thebattingordertoutilisehishittingpowerwhiletheballwashardandcomingontothebat.HeknewthatPathanfoundithardertodothatwhentheballwassoftandthespinnerswereoperating,laterintheinnings.Thisapproachwasfarfromconservativeandwasspectacularlysuccessful.To learn how to get better at chasing a target, Rahul kept asking the opposition to bat first, no

matter the conditions. Under his leadership, India won nine ODIs in a row against Pakistan andEngland,andwentontocompleteaworldrecordof17consecutivewinsbattingsecond.Asimilarapproach toTestcricketbroughtabout India’s firstoverseas seriesvictory in theWest

Indiesfor35yearsandafirst-everTestvictoryinSouthAfrica,whichcouldquiteeasilyhavebeenturned intoaserieswin if the teamhadbattedbetter in thesecond innings in thefinalTest inCape

Town.Sadly the successof the teamwasnotuniversally enjoyedwithin the team.Some individuals felt

threatenedbythenewworldorderandappearedtoworkagainstRahul.Hadhebeengiventhesamewhole-heartedsupportintherolethathehadgivenothers,IthinktherecenthistoryofIndiancricketmayhavebeenverydifferentandhecouldhavegoneontobecomethemostsuccessfulIndiancaptainever.Former Australia batsman Greg Chappell was India’s coach for much of Rahul Dravid’s tenure as captain

InanODIagainstSouthAfricainKochiin2000,DravidoutbowledAnilKumble,taking2for43againstKumble�s0for48.

W

[11]

Themasterwillseeyounow(andalways)SURESHRAINA

henIthinkofRahulDravid,apartfromallthatheachievedincricket,Ithinkofhissimplicity,discipline,andthewayheconductedhimselfonandoffthefield.InallmytimewiththeIndianteamIneversawhimlateforanything–training,teammeetingsor

anygroupactivity.Andhegavehis completeattention toeverythinghedid,whether itwasa teamdinnerorleadingthesquadtoasocialgathering.Hetookallhisresponsibilitiesseriously.Asayoungster,Ifounditeasytochatwithhim.Hewasalwaysavailableandhadtipsforusabout

life outside cricket. He always gave equal importance to every player, regardless of whether heplayedforIndiaornot.Andhisinterestwasgenuine.Lookingathimandlisteningtohim,youunderstoodhowhehadmanagedtoleadthekindoflife

hehad.Andwatchinghimclosely,youunderstoodwhypeoplelookeduptohim.IalwaysfeltmotivatedwhenIchattedwithhim.Ascaptain,hisspeechesinthedressingroomand

on the field were simple, but they spurred you to do well. He communicated in a language youunderstoodandhepaidattentiontoeveryplayerintheteam.Igotaduckonmyinternationaldebut,trappedleg-beforebyMuttiahMuralitharan.Iwasterribly

disappointed,butRahulbhaitoldmeIshouldnotletitweighmedownbecauseIhad10-15yearsofcricket aheadofme. Itwas a simple thing to say, but thewayhe said itmade all the difference. Ithelpedmeliftmyheadandbelieveinmyself.Thiswasin2005.Asayoungplayeritwasdifficultforme,VenugopalRaoandevenMSDhonito

saymuchduringteammeetings,butRahulbhaialwaysmadeitapointtolistentousandgaveusalotofconfidencethroughtheseinteractions.Thatwashisotherstrength:toengageyoungstersandletusrealise that even if therewere no senior players in the team, the younger playerswere capable oftakingover.Oneofmyfondestmemories isofRahulbhai leading India tovictory in theTest series inWest

Indiesin2006.HismagnificentfiftiesinJamaicacanneverbeforgotten,andIwatchvideosofthoseinnings, and his Adelaide century, from time to time, as they teach me so much. He tirelesslysupportedTestcricketandneverforgottopointouttousthatnomatterhowmuchone-dayandT20cricket we played, it was important to perform in the five-day game because the satisfaction ofscoringahundredinaTestmatchwasacompletelydifferentfeeling.IwasreallyhappywhenhewastheonewhogavememyTestcapin2010inSriLanka.“Welcome

to the league,” he said. “You have been outstanding in ODIs and Twenty20. Now this is the realcricket.Justgoandplayyournaturalgame.Ibelieveinyou.”Iscoredacenturyinthematch,whichmadeRahulbhaiveryhappy.Hetoldmehowpleasedhewas,andalsohowluckyIwascomparedtohim,sincehehadgotouton95onTestdebutatLord’s.

Itwas not only in the good times that he put an armof support aroundme.During the toughestphaseofmycareer,hestoodbymeandhelpedmestaystrong.Immediatelyafterthe2007WorldCupIwasdroppedandthensufferedakneeinjury.IwasoutoftheIndianteamfornearly15months.Iwasyoung,withoutanysupportandmentoring,andIwasdisappointedanddesperate.ItravelledtoEngland,whereIndiawereontour,tohaveJohnGloster,theteamphysio,takealook

atmyknee.Rahulbhaitoldmenottohurryback.HesuggestedthatIspendtimewithmyfamilyandnotworrytoomuch.During this time Iwasat theNationalCricketAcademy inBangalore,andhecamefor somenet

sessions ahead of aTest tour.He stressed the importance of fitness and toldme to concentrate onpropertrainingandgymsessions.HestayedintouchandtextedmeeverytimeIdidwell,likewhenIwastheManoftheTournamentintheChallengerTrophy.IamprobablyoneofthefewpeoplewhogothisTestandODIcapsfromthesameperson.Justlike

hedidwhilehandingmemyTestcap,hesaidafewinterestingthingswhilehandingmemyODIone.Hesaidalotofglamour,fameandmoneywouldsurroundmeasaninternationalplayerbutthekeythingformetokeepinmindatalltimeswastoneverlosemyfocusoncricket,tobedisciplinedandrememberwhatIamasaperson.Agoodwaytonotlosefocus,hesaid,wastonevermissoptionalteamtrainingsessions.Henever

missedthembecausehecouldgetmoretimetofacethenetbowlers,getmorequalityfeedbackfromthecoachesandseniorplayers,becausetheywouldhavemoretimetofocusonhim.Takingmycuefromhim, I havenevermissed anyoptional nets. I believe such inputs come inhandy andmake agoodcricketer.Asforinsightsintomygame,Rahulbhaineveraskedmetochangeanything.Beforethe2011tour

of theWest Indies, therewere several doubts raised aboutmy technique against the short ball.HeunderstoodthepressureIwasunderandtoldmeitwasallinthemind,andthatIshouldjustignorewhatotherssaidaboutme.HesaidthepitchesintheCaribbeanweresomeofthetoughesttobatonandthathewasimpressedwithmytechnique.Iwasleavingtheshortballwell,hesaid,andthatmyback-footplaywasverygood,sotheonlythingIneededtocontinuedoingwastostaypositive.AsaplayerRahulbhaiwasalways focused.Hecouldmaintainaclearhead for severalhours in

challengingconditionsonallkindsofpitches,inallformats.Itiseasytoadmirehimforthesevirtuesbutyoualsowonderhowhecouldmanage those levelsofconcentration. Ibelievehis focuswasaresultofthesimplelifeheled.Hewasdowntoearth,calm,andneverhadanyinterestinstufflikecarsandbikes.Hewasnotattractedtotheglamourattachedtoacricketer ’slife.Ifyoulookedintohiskitbag,itwasalwaysclean.Heworesimpleandelegantclothes.Don’tbefooledbyhissimplicity,though.Heplayedwithalotofpassionandcouldneverswallow

defeateasily.Whenwelosttheone-dayseriesin2006intheWestIndies,hewasveryangryandsaidweshouldhaveperformedbetter.HeattachedgreatimportancetotheIndiacap.IrememberhimtakingonJimmyAndersonafterthe

defeatatLord’sinthe2011one-dayseries.Itwasarain-affectedmatch,whichwelostfromawinningposition. Rahul bhai told Anderson, without mincing any words, that a young Indian team wouldthrashEnglandwhen theycame toplayone-dayers in India. It’s agood thing then thatwewon thehomeseries5-0!Rahulbhaiwasmore thana team-mate tome.He introducedme toayoga teacherat theNCAto

learnvisualisation andmeditation techniques from.When I used to stand in the slipswithhimandVVSLaxman,hewouldaskaboutmyfamily,aboutlifeintheUttarPradeshhostelsystemfromwhichIhadgraduated, and thenmoveon to talk aboutdinnerplans.His ability to switchonandoffwasamazing.During theTests inEngland in 2011, Iwas strugglingwith form, and asked for his opinion.He

askedmetorelax,tookmetoatheatreinLondon,andinvitedmetosharedinnerswithhisfamily,withwhom I now have a verywarm relationship. It was good to see this focused cricketer couldswitchoffoncehesteppedoffthefield.TheIndiandressingroomwillbeadifferentplacewithoutRahulbhai.Hisknowledgeofthegame,

hisexperienceofhandlingpressure,howtocalibrateachaseorsetatarget,hispitch-readingskills–theywill all definitelybemissed.Hewas alwayswilling todo things for the team: ready toopen,ready to bat atNo. 3, ready to keep, ready to captain.Hewas a responsibleman, and through hisactionsheinspiredustoplayfromourheartsandgive100%.JustlikeDravidthebatsmanwhoneverlookedlikegettingout,Dravidthemanwillalwaysremain

apartofmylife.India batsman Suresh Raina played 61 internationals alongside Rahul Dravid. Raina spoke to Nagraj Gollapudi, assistanteditor at ESPNcricinfo

ShaneWarnedismissedDravidmoreoftenthananybowlerinTests�eighttimesin13Tests.Inallinternationalcricket,BrettLeeleadstheway,with12dismissalsin38matches.

T

[12]

‘Ican’trecallbeatinghimmorethanoneballinarow’JASONGILLESPIE

he game of cricket is the battle between bat and ball. It is about who loses patience first; thatdeterminesthewinner.RahulDravidwasamasteratstayingpatientforlong,longperiodsoftime.Hewonthebattlesmoreoften.Goodbowlersareabletoputpressureonabatsman,nomatterhowgood,anddrawhimoutofhis

comfortzone.HowtoughwasDravid?Dravidwassopatient,hemadeyoubowltohim.Becausehedidnotgivehiswicketawayeasily,youhadtobeincrediblydisciplinedagainsthiminlineandlengthtogetthebetterofhim.Thatwaseasiersaidthandone.Itiseasytoassume,likemanyotherfastbowlersmighthavedone,

thatyoucouldsettleintoonelineagainstDravid,asopposedtosomeonelikeVirenderSehwag,whocan easily distract youwith his penchant for strokes.Dravid, being a very disciplined player,wasnevereasytolure.Hehadasetwayofplaying;hewouldalwayswaitforabowlertomakeamistake,unlikeSehwag,whotriestotakeittothebowler.Dravid complemented the more aggressive batsmen in the Indian batting line-up perfectly. He

brought stability to their batting order, which was full of stroke-makers like Sachin Tendulkar,Sehwag,VVSLaxmanandSouravGanguly.Hewasarock-solidplayer,someonewhovaluedhiswicket,someoneagainstwhomyouknewyou

wereinforarealhardtask.Hecouldjudgewhethertoplayorleavetheball,especiallyearlyinhisinnings.Heknewwherehisoffstumpwas–animportantassettohaveforatop-orderbatsman.Dravidhadasimplegameplanandhestucktoit.Itcomesbacktopatience:hehadthepatienceto

grindout longinningsandwait for therightball tohit.Hehadhisspecificshots thathewanted toplay, and hewouldwait for the bowler to pitch in the areawhere hewas comfortable playing anattackingshot.Thatmadehimverydifficulttogetout.Thetwobestexamplesofhowwelostthebattleofwearinghimdowncamein2001inKolkataand

2003 in Adelaide. Both were good batting pitches. Our plan on both occasions was to be patientourselvesandsticktogoodbowlingareas.CertainlyinAdelaidetherewasgoodbounceandcarry,andwe thought that ifwe stuck to our planswe could get anyoneout.But thewayDravidplayed,essentiallyhewasmorepatientthanusbowlers.Webecameimpatient,especiallywhenhescoredthatdouble-century,becausewecouldnotgethimout,and thatmadeusgoaway fromourgameplan.Thatinturnworkedforhimbecausehisplanwastowaitforthebowlertolosepatience.SomemightsayourbowlingattackinAdelaidewasnotasstrongastheoneinKolkata,butIwas

leading a very good bowling attack andwe believedwe could dominate the Indians.However,wewere just not good enough against Dravid. It was old-fashioned hard work, which he put insuccessfullyandwedidnot.I cannot recall beatingDravidmore thanone ball in a row. I remember inAdelaide, in the first

innings, at one point I decided to have a real go at him and bowl a few short deliveries. Hewasduckingthemprettycomfortably,andthensuddenlyheplayedahookshot.Itwasasortoftopedge–itwentforasixandhegottohisfirsthundred.Iwasprettydevastated.ThatwasanexampleofwhenIdecided tomove away frommy game plan and hewaswell settled at the crease and tookme onconfidently.In 2001 when we went to India, we started off inMumbai by winning the Test comfortably. In

Kolkata, having forced them to follow on,we felt we hadwon the game, having picked up earlywickets during their second innings. Dravid and Laxman together, we knew they were very goodplayers,butwethoughtifwekeptatthem,theywouldn’tbeabletodealwiththepressure.Buttheycounterattacked perfectly. I remember Dravid just playing in the V with a very straight bat andprovidingwonderfulsupporttoLaxman.Wejustcouldnotdislodgethem.At the end of that fourth daywhenwe returned to the dressing room,withDravid and Laxman

unbeaten,wewerelike,“Wow,whatjusthappened?”Wewerealittlestunnedandverydisappointed.Weknewwewerejustoneballawayfromgettingoneoftheirwickets,butwecouldn’tproducethatoneball.Thoseguyshaddonesomethingspecialandwehadtorespecttheirperformance.Weall learn.On that2001 trip,our fastbowlers’planwas tobowl in thechanneloutside theoff

stump,gettheIndianbatsmenplayingononesideofthewicket,andcreateopportunitiesthatway.Butwe realised that Indian pitches were a lot flatter and slower and our plan would work only onbounciertracks.In2004,whenwereturnedtoIndia,weaccountedforthatandchangedourlinestobowlingalotstraighterandlookingtohitthestumpseverytime.Thatworked,anditwasonetimethatevenDravidwascircumspectandvulnerable.ThespecialthingaboutDravidwasthatwhenhegotabadball,hewouldbewaitingforitandhe

had the ability to put it away.He did notmiss those opportunities to score. That is sometimes thedifferencebetweenaverygoodplayerandagreatplayer:theabilitytoscorewhenyougetthechancetoscore.Andthatisoneofthereasonsheaveragedmid-50sconsistentlyinTestcricket.ManymightcallhimadefensivebatsmaninthemouldofaJacquesKallisoraMichaelAtherton,

butDravidranksuptherewiththegreatbatsmenofthegame.Tosimplyrefertohimasadefensiveplayerissellinghimshortasabatsman.Hewasawonderfullygiftedplayerandweallenjoyedthewayheplayedthegame.Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie dismissed Dravid eight times in the 22 international matches he played againstIndia. Gillespie spoke to Nagraj Gollapudi, assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo, where this article was first published on March 9,2012

Dravidisoneoffourbatsmentobebowledmorethan100timesinallinternationalmatches.Hewasoutthatway112times.Theothersinthetopfour:Tendulkar(117),Border(110)andSteveWaugh(102).

“I

[13]

Histeam,histimeRAHULBHATTACHARYA

domybest tobe inarelaxedstateofmindbecausethat’swhenIplayatmybest. I try toslowthingsdownacoupleofdaysbeforethegame.Ihavelonglunches,dothingsinanunhurriedway.ThemorningofthematchIalwaysgetupacoupleofhoursbeforewehavetogettotheground,sothatIhaveplentyoftimetogetready.Itakemytimetohaveabath,wearmyclothes,eatbreakfast.Ineverrushthings,andthatsortofsetsupmymoodfortherestoftheday.”Thiswas toWisdenAsiaCricket inAustralia inDecember of 2003. Thosewere different times.

RahulDravid had become India’s batting leader but not still its captain; he had recently become ahusband but not yet a father. Twoyears on, this is the build-up to his first Test series as full-timecaptainofIndia.HespentthelongeveningofNovember28attheWankhedeinMumbai,leadingIndiatoaseries-

levelling win against South Africa. Seventy-eight not out chasing – drenched, coarse batting: hewilled it, really. He applauded the spectators from mid-pitch moments after victory, called them“stars”atthepresentationceremony,andatthepressconferencethatfollowed,hepaidtributeabovealltotheunitywithinateamthathadjustcompletedanextraordinaryturnaroundintheone-daygame.Hesleptnotawink–“sawnopoint in it”,probablycouldnothavefromtheadrenalineof thepastmonthevenifhewanted–andtooka3amflighttoBangalore.At5.30amhewashomeanddelightedtofindawakenotonlyhiswifebutalsoSamitRahulDravid,

all of six weeks (beam, soft smile, blush). He spent the whole of November 29 “doing nothing,absolutelynothing”.Thenextmorninghewason theplane toChennaiandbyearlyafternoonatapracticesessionthatwasthefirstinvolvingSouravGangulyandGregChappellsincetheirlittleemailmisunderstanding.Thateveninghe“hadalittlemeetingwithGregtotalkaboutTestcricket,generalthings,specificthingstothematch”,departedtoreceivehiswifeandsonattheairport,returnedonlyathalfpasttenandwenttobedlaterthanusual.The followingmorning,December 1, hewas at the groundwith the team at 9.30am for a long

session under billowing skies. It included, among other things, support staff delivering balls inMuralitharanactionfromatopchairs.Atitscompletionheshuffleduptothefirstfloorforatrophy-unveiling ceremony, shuffled back downwhile the Sri Lanka captain and coach did their presser,shuffledbackup to do India’s,where he showed justwhowas in chargeby admonishing a seniorjournalist’sinnuendoaboutVirenderSehwag’snigglewithablunt,“There’snoneedtomakeissuesoflittlethings.”Shortly after, he was in a selection meeting with Greg Chappell and Kiran More at the hotel.

“FormallyIwillannouncetheXIonlyintheteammeeting.Anywayit’sonlyoneortwoguyswho’vemissed out you need to tell – those guys I would have already told.” Following the selectiondiscussion,“somefood,bedforabit.Thenacaptain’smeetingwiththematchofficials.Nowthis.”“This” beingCricinfoMagazine’s first intrusion, which began at precisely 5.30pm in the coffee

shop,asscheduled.Throwingregularglancesattheinterviewer ’swristwhilespeakingpassionately,thecaptain sprangupandshookhands in themiddleofanansweratexactlyaminute shyof6pm.“Gottorun,mate,anothermeeting.”This was the team meeting where Anil Kumble talked about his preparation for a Test match,

Sachin Tendulkar dwelled on a few differences between Test and one-day cricket, and the captainhimself, andVVSLaxman, relived theirAdelaide partnership of 2003, because “one of the thingswe’re trying to do is make team meetings more interactive than watching endless replays of theopposingbatsmen.YourealisewhenchampionslikeSachinorAniltalkaboutthegame,howmuchoftimeandthoughttheyputintoit–it’snotthattheybecomechampionsbyjustturningup.”Ontheheelsoftheteammeeting,theteamdinner,since“anywaywehavetoeatfoodandpeople

tendtostaycoopedupintheirroomsandorderroomserviceandwatchtelevision.Thesearegreatopportunities–tositaroundandtalk,tryandmakeitasinformalaspossible,don’ttrytomakeittooheavyas ifyou’re trying togiveadvice. I thinkGregandIan[Frazer]havebeenverygood in thatway.”Anearlynight.Andafterallthat,threeandahalfdaysofweather-watching.Thismeanttripstoinspecttheground,

ononeofwhichhebrowsedtheboundary,high-fivingthefewhundredpoorsoulswhohadlandedthere hoping against hope; a few sessions at the gym; acquainting himselfwith the new selectors;providinghisinputonIndia’sitineraryforthetourtoPakistan;givingseveralinterviews,engaginginmorerelaxedinteractionwiththeplayers;spendingbonustimewithhisfamily;andrevisitingpartsofMikeBrearley’sTheArtofCaptaincy(onthemenuoverthelastfewmonthshasbeenabookontheNFL,oneonboxing,andacoupleonmanagement,passedonbyFrazer).Chennaifinishedwithfourfruitlesssessionsofcricket.ThenitwasofftoDelhiandthewholething

beganagainandfinishedintriumph,butbythateveningKolkatawasburningagainandthefollowingdaytheLeftandtheBJPhadfoundcommoncauseinParliamentanditallpromisedtobejustthestart.ByAhmedabadthepoorchapwasinhospital.ThisnowisDravid’sworld.“Itisdifferent,”heshrugs,smiles.“IspoketoafewcaptainsbeforeItookthejobup–andinthe

course of even when I was vice-captain – whether it’s been a Mark Taylor or Steve Waugh orGavaskar,thebasicthingtheytoldmeisthatyougrowintothejob.Oneofthethingsyourealiseisthepaceofthewholething.Itneedsabitofgettingusedto,nodoubtaboutthat.”Queriedonceaboutthethreemostimportantattributesforabatsman,Dravid’sfirstresponsewas

“balance”.Itisaqualitythatwillnowbetestedmorethaneveratthecreaseandheknowsitbecausehe always does. Rahul has beenwaiting –waiting,watching, listening, learning, preparing – longenough.Histeam,histime.There’s the bigger picture. Asked if he’s getting a sense of the kind of captain he’d like to be,

Dravidsaysitwilltaketime.“But,”headdswithoutcue,“IdohaveasenseofthekindofteamI’dliketohave.”Whichis?“Which is,obviously, tough, competitive– a team that is looking to improve andhave some fun

alongtheway.Nottakingthingstooseriously,asattheendofthedayitissportandwemusthavealotoffunplayingitandmustplayithard.”Asnewcaptainsmostlydo,elsetherewouldscarcelybeneedtoappointthem,Dravidhasinherited

ateaminflux.AtthetimeofwritingitisnotknownwhetherGangulywillbeontheplanetoPakistanornot.ThesameforZaheerKhan.VVSLaxmanandAnilKumble,whoareoutoftheone-daysquad.

AshishNehraisAshishNehraandonthemend.LBalajiiscrockedandsomewhatforgotten.And ithashardlybeenas simpleas that.Foraperiod it appeared that theBCCI’smasterplan to

reviveaflaggingteamwastoappointalternatingcaptainswhiletheboardhadsomefunincourt.Thenew coach was not exactly looked upon as Santa Claus. Without question it has been the mostcontroversialyearforIndiancricketsinceMrMKwaspouringhisheartouttotheCBIatthetopofthedecade. In case it has been forgotten, till September it hadbeen a fairly rottenyear for India’sresultstoo.Something needed to be done. Chappell’s and Dravid’s approach, of which they were able to

convincetheselectors,wasashake-up.Ithasbeenthefirstandmostcrucialphaseofteam-buildingandithasbeendifficult.Someterriblycolddecisionshavebeentaken,opinionsonwhichareboundtoremaindivided.ItispossiblethatsomemayhavecausedDravidunease,butitisclearthathestandssteadfastbyaphilosophyofteamethic,andthatstagnationhashurtasmuchasdefeat.Heisafterself-starters,thosewho“canlookbackandsaythatI’mabetterplayernowthanIwasfouryearsago.Or,Icandothisbetter.”Hedoesnotlikenamingnamesbutoverandoverinconversationhewillreturntothephrase“findingtherightpeople”.“Therightpeopleand–Ihatetosayit–nothavethewrongpeoplearoundthem.Youdon’twant

peoplewhoseowninsecurities,whoseownproblemsandwhoseownfearsdrageveryoneelsedown.That can be a big dampener in teams. I want to say that at this level I shouldn’t need tomotivateanyone.IfI’mneedingtomotivateaninternationalcricketerthenthere’ssomethingwrongactually.Thechallengeistonotdemotivateanyone.“If you’re going to be spending time in the team always having to cajole and look after a few

people,you’redoingadisservicetotherestbecauseyou’rewastingandinvestingtoomuchtimeandenergyinafewpeoplewho’retakingawayfromthegroup.Playersneedtounderstandthattheyneedtogiveenergytotheunit.Therearetimes,ofcourse,whenyou’renotdoingwellandyourform’snotgoodandyou’llneedthesupportofotherpeople.Butmostofthetimeyou’vegottogivetotheteamandmakesacrificestotheteamandgivebacktotheteam.”Butarenotbadboys,lonesomehobos,sluggishtalents,goingtobepartofanyside?Whatishis

attitudetowardsthem?“I believe that you need different kinds of characters in the team. But there are certain non-

negotiablerulesbecauseyou’replayingateamsport.You’vegottounderstandthatyourbehaviour,thewayyouconductyourself,affectsotherpeopleandyouhavearesponsibilitytoallofthem.Thoseare the broad ruleswework under. Butwithin those non-negotiable rules I think it’s important toallowpeopletoexpressthemselves.”What, forexample,didhe say to themightilygifted,passionate,butperma-dander-upHarbhajan

Singh?InthisinstanceHarbhajancamewithparticularbaggage:hehadopenlysidedwithGangulyintheChappellrow,andtherehadbeensuggestions,some,sadly,fromwithintheteam,thathehadbeendeliberatelytryingtoundermineDravid.Allthrough,hisformhadremainednondescript.“Well,Harbhajan’sachampionperformer.OneofthegreatthingsaboutHarbhajanisthathereally

caresabouthisbowling.He’saveryproudcricketer.Andit’snothardworkwithpeoplelikethat.I’venoproblemsworkingwithpeoplewhowanttobechampions,assimpleasthat.Ithinkhefiguredoutforhimself thatheneeded to focusabitmoreon thegameandnotworryaboutanythingelse,getback towhat hewasdoingwhenhewas successful. It’s credit to him, it’s not aboutwhat I’ve told

him.”

What is the basic approach, though? Theman to whose tome he has written a foreword, SteveWaugh,mentions slipping playersmemos, encouraging poems and other such cute stuff. Is RahulDravidaspeech-maker?Aone-on-oneman?Helaughs.“Betterasktheguys.”Laughed off, too, are queries about perceptions of Chappell’s domineering style. “I don’t know

where that has come from. I’ve not foundhimdomineering at all.He’s beenmore thanwilling tolistentomyideasandmythoughts,andIgetaverygoodsay.AttheendofthedayIthinkhebelievesthatacaptainmustgetwhathewants.Infact,inalotofwayswedoalotofthingsinmyway.”Rather,oftheinitialfrictionbetweenChappellandasectionoftheteamhesaysthat“likeanything,

sometimes it takesabitof time forpeople tounderstandwhat theotherperson is trying todoandachieve.Ithinktheguyshaverespondedverywell.I’vereallyenjoyedit.Inalotofwayshe’stryingtobringinsomenewthoughts,somenewideas.Wehaveouropinionsandsometimesweagreeandsometimeswemightdisagree.Attheendoftheday,he’sdoneareallygoodjob.He’stryingtocoachteamsinaslightlydifferentway.Ithinkit’sagoodway.”Whatwayisthat?“Ithinkhebelievesingivingdifferentpeopledifferentexperiencessothatthey

canlearnandgrowfromthoseexperiences,whetheritisfromdifferentkindsofdrillsinpracticeorinmatchplay,sothatyourmindhasavarietyofoptionstochoosefrom.Abigbelieverinthementalsideofthings.”ListeningtoDravid,watchinghimwork,yousometimesworrythatheisconsumedbyanintensity

thatcanburn,tornby“thetrancesoftorment”ofMelville’sCaptainAhab,who“sleepswithclenchedhands;andwakeswithhisownbloodynails inhispalms”.In truth,experience,not least timespentbanishedfromtheone-dayteam,andnowawholesomefamilylife,hastaughthimthatatsomelevelthereisnothingthatistooimportant.When asked, for instance, why Mark Taylor is among his favourite captains, the immediate

responsedoesnotaddressTaylor ’stacticalsparkle.Ratheritisbecause“hehadalotofbalance,Ifelt.Equanimity.AboutMark you felt that he always treated this as a game, nothingmore and nothingless.”Maybeitisthisoutlook,andDravid’sobviousintelligence,thatallowshimtobringtohiscaptaincy

aTaylorkindofadventure–ployuponploy,trickupontrick,neverpassive.“Basically,”hesays,“Ibelieveyou’vegottokeepthegamemoving.”Enough has been seen so far to say that his major calls have been characterised by, one, the

emphasisonteamoverindividual,andtwo,theinclinationtotakethegamblesolongasthereissomecricketinglogicinvolved.HeprefersnottodiscusstheMultandeclarationwithTendulkaron194,butishappy todelve intoother instances thatprovide insight intoavarietyofaspectsofhisdecision-making.Onefromthemicrolevel.Duringtheoutstandingdefenceof106inMumbaiagainsttheAustralians

in2004,hefamously threwtheball toMuraliKartikaheadofAnilKumble in thefifthoverof thefourthinnings.Kartikrespondedwithtwowicketsfromhisfirstsixdeliveries.“WhathappenedtherewasthatwhenIwasbattinginthesecondinningsandMichaelClarkecame

ontobowl,heimmediatelystartedgettingalotofspin,andhebowledwitharound-armflataction.Hewasvirtuallyimpossibletoplay,bowlingfast,straightballsthatwerespinning.Therewasnotimetoreacttothat.WhenIwasbattingitcrossedmymindthatMuraliKartikwoulddefinitelybeagreat

optiononthewickettoright-handers,becausehecanpushtheballthroughfaster.ButthegoodthingtherewasthatZaheerKhantookthewicketofJustinLangerinthefirstover–thatwasaverycriticalthing,Zaheer ’swicket,peopleforget that. Itexposed[theright-handers]RickyPontingandDamienMartynwhenitmattered,andIcouldgetKartikon.”Inone-daycrickethehasbeenanaggressivetactician,preferringateveryturntheattackingoption

and often the left-field one. As far back as October 2003, again versus Australia in Mumbai, heopenedthebowlingwithaspinnerwhilestandinginascaptain.Itdidnotquitecomeoff–butitdidprovideaglimpseintohisthinking.InSriLankalastJulyheshowedthat,particularlyindefenceofmediumtotals,hewaspreparedtorisklookingfoolishbykeepingcatchersonandthefieldup.But,headds:“Itdependson thequalityyouhave. It’sallverywell tosay,“Putonly twoguysout.”Forexample,IcaneasilybringthefieldinforHarbhajanSinghbutnotsoeasilyforVirenderSehwag.Theyaredifferentbowlers,theirlevelofconsistencyisdifferent,theirthinkingisdifferent.”Most revealing of his readiness to take risks have been the (largely successful) batting orders,

whichmayseemtohavebeengeneratedbyaniPodshufflebutwere,heexplains,promptedasmuchbylong-termstrategyasplanfortheday.“Howdoyousometimesgetthebestoutofpeople?”heasks.“Bychallengingthem.Frompersonal

experienceI’veseenthatbattingatdifferentpositionshasmademethinkaboutmycricketdifferently.IhadtobatatNo.3forapartofmycareerintheone-daygame,battedatNo.5,keptwickets,battedatNo.6,No.4.Thedemandshavebeendifferent.It’sobviouslyopenedupmygame.I’mhopingitwillhelpalotofothersaswell.”Long-term-view, too, were the decisions to rest Tendulkar and himself in consecutive games

againstSriLanka.Thoughtheserieswasinthebag,theteamhadjustfoundform,justmanagedtocurbtheincreasingcynicismofthewatchingpublic.Moreconservativemindswouldhavechosennottotinker.Moreinsecuresoulswouldnothavedared,atthatstage,grantcaptaincytoanother,evenifforonlyonegame.“It’sjustthatwhenyou’reontheroadandplayingalotofcricket,there’salotofphysicalpressure

andalotofmentalandemotionalpressure.Idon’tthinkthesameXIisgoingtobeabletoplaythewholeseasonforyou.Peopleneedjustalittlebitofabreaktorechargetheirbatteries.Infact,whenwe’replayinga lotofone-daycricketI thinktheremightevenbeacaseforsomeonewhodoesn’tplaytogobackhomeandspendtwodayswithhisfamily.Morecanbegainedbytakingthattimeoffthananotherlongnetpractice.Thesearethingsweneedtobeawareof.”PerhapsDravid’sstrongestbatting-ordercallcamenotinone-dayersbutintheDelhiTestagainst

SriLanka.WithVirenderSehwagmissing thegame,Dravidpromotedhimself toopen.Hewasonantibiotics for a viral flu, had been unable tomake it to practice the previous day, and the voiceescapedhisbodyasifthroughajutetowelstuffedinthegullet.AndhehadfailedineachofhissevenpreviousinningsasTestopener.Inanothertimethewicketkeeperorthenewestmembermighthavebeensentup.Dravidrejectsthesuggestionthatitwasaboutmakingastatementorsettinganexample.“Itwasa

tacticaldecision.LosingVeeruopenedupthesituation.Iknewtherewouldbeabitinthewicketinthemorning.Ididn’twanttoexposethemiddleorder,andsinceIdobatatNo.3andplaythenewballquiteoften,IthoughtIwouldbethebestequippedtohandleit.”Inthesecondinnings,withquickrunstheneedof thehour,IrfanPathanwassent inandthedelightfullywell-roundedstriplingrespondedwith a decisive 93.Dravid did not displace the strokefulVVSLaxman from theNo. 3 slot he had

occupiedinthefirstinnings.Inshort,unnerving,butheseemstohaveitbasicallysussed.Creativebutnotabsurd,ruthlessbut

fair,diplomaticbutarticulate,ambitiousbutgrounded,demandingbutnotdictatorial,progressiveineveryway,hehasthemakingsofacompletecaptainfortheage.Heevenlookshappyinskins.Inevitably a timewill comewhen the teamwill lose and it is only then thatDravidwill truly be

testedandonlybyhisresponsetothatcanhetrulybeassessed.Betweenthem,DravidandChappellhave taken or precipitated decisions of the type not usually associatedwith Indian cricket. Havingdone so, they’vealso turnedup theheaton themselves.Thechallengebefore the combine, even ifneithermay say it, is to better the successes of theGanguly-Wright era, for that is how theywillultimatelybegaugedbythepublic.ButtotalkofthisastheDraviderasuggestsakindofdiscontinuityfromthepast.Forhimithas

beenthesamejourneyanditgoeson.Sixyearsago,inabidtoovercomethestalenessthathadcreptinto his game, he spent a summer at Kent, which he regards as a key phase in his own self-understanding. Itwas therehemetJohnWright,whomhesubsequentlyrecommendedto theboard,andfromtherebeganagrandlyexhilarating,grandlyfluctuatingperiodforIndiancricket,withhisco-debutant at the helm and in which Dravid himself was performer-in-chief. In many ways it isDravidwhois thecentralbondbetweentheeras.Howdoeshe lookbackonthe last fiveyears, thethrilling rise, the saggingend? Inwhatwayshas theapproachchanged?Flexibility, “total cricket”,there’sbeenalotgoingon.What’scoming?“Johndida fantastic job forus for the time thathecame in.Youmustnever forget that.Heand

Souravhad agoodcombination and theydid someverygood things for fouryears. Johnworkedreallyhardandmadesureweworked reallyhard.A lotofus raised thebarduring theperiod.Hecreatedtherightenvironmentandevolvedasenseofteaminalotofthingsthatwedid.”His voice rises a touch and the earnestness is striking. “You know, teams go through ebbs and

flows, things like teamspirit, things likeperformances, theyhave tobeconstantlyworkedon. Justbecauseyouhave it todaydoesn’tmeanyouhave it tomorrow.Youhave toconstantly reinforce it.Overaperiodoftime,duetoalotoffactors,maybecomplacencytoacertainextent,injuriestosomeextent,westruggledabit.We’vegottotryandgetthatback.We’retrying.“I think there’s a lot of focus nowon trying to get better at skill, thinking about the game a lot

more…It’searlydays…it’sgoingtotaketime.Idon’twanttostartsayingthatit’ssomethinghuge.Partofithasbeennecessitatedbycircumstances,partofitbyneed,partofitbywhatwe’rethinkingandwherewewanttogo…”Heweighshiswords.“LikeIsaid,it’sgoingtotaketime…Wewantagoodteam…We’relooking

tochallengepeople…We’relookingtotakeitforward.”Heleavesitatthat.There’snotmuchmoretoask.Rahul Bhattacharya is the author of the cricket tour book Pundits fromPakistan. He was contributing editor at CricinfoMagazine when this article was first published there in January 2006.

Thegreatinnings

Hisbattingisnot,forsome,immediatelyappealing;itislikesomepaintings,itrequiresasecondlook,aconsideredappreciation.Soonitsbeautyisrevealed,itssimpleelegance,itsclean,classicallines,itsdivorcefromawkwardness,its

stylishsymmetry.Heplaystohisownwondroussheetmusic.

Rohit Brijnath, Twintreatisesincourage,page107

U

[14]

HerculesonsecondfiddleSIDHARTHMONGA

VVS Laxman’s epochal 281, among the greatest Test match performances of all time, stoppedAustralia’s juggernaut in its tracks inKolkata in2001.It threwinto theshadeaninnings that inanyothergamewouldhavebeenthemainevent:RahulDravid’s180,theepitomeofsweatandtoil,madeintheteethofextremephysicaldiscomfort.ForDravid,itnevercameeasy;thisclassicleastofall.180vAustralia,secondTest,Kolkata,2001

ntiltheafternoonofMarch13,2001,RahulDravidwasabatsmantooobsessedwithtechniquetoscoreruns.Onthatday,despiteanaverageof52.23in42Tests,hefoundhimselfinacorner.Againstthe threebest attacksof that time,Pakistan,Australia andSouthAfrica, he averaged27, 29 and36respectively.TakeoutZimbabweandhehadnotscoredafiftyinoverayear.Hestruggledtoscoresingles, finding fielderswithwell-timed shots. It was said hewas thus building pressure on otherbatsmen, coming to bat as he did at No. 3. Shane Warne seemed to have a hold over Dravid,dismissinghimadayearlierfortheseventhtimeinsevenandahalfTests.Inthelasttwoofthose,Dravid,shyofmovingwellforward,hadbeenbowled.OnMarch13,notforthelasttimeinhiscareer,Dravidswappedplaceswithabatsmanwhooften

tookoutwithhimawandinsteadofabat.Itwasadesperatemovefromadesperateside,andonerichincricketinglogicfromwhatwasgoingtobecomeasuccessfulside.Indiahadjustcomeoutofthematch-fixing scandal andwere under a new captain and coach. If thiswas a bout, theywere beingmanhandledbyaprofessional, richly talented,deliberate-to-the-last-detail,bullyingAustralian side.The knockout punchwas about to be deliveredwhen India instinctively threw upVVSLaxman indefence.What followed was so blissful and magical, even the hard-nosed Australians were won over,

putting behind poor umpiring and falling over each other to congratulate the miracle-makers. IfLaxmancaressedIndiaoutoftrouble,Dravidchosetheonlywayheknew:fightingthroughit,nevermindthathehadtoplaythepick-uptrucktoLaxman’sRollsRoyce,preferringtostruggleoutinthepublic eye than trying tohit hiswayoutof form.Forone full sessionhehobbled through forhisruns,tooktabletsandsalinedrinksforcramps.Hewasdeniedarunnerandatonepointevendrinks,buthe’dbedamnedifheplayedonelooseshotinKolkata’shumidityofover90%.IfLaxmanwaswritingpoetryattheotherend,Dravidwasjustrediscoveringthealphabetathis.A

dayagohehadbeenbowledbyaWarnelegbreakthatpitchedaboutfourfeetoutsidehiscrease,onthelineofleg;andyethecouldn’treachit,andwasbowled.Thefeetwerenotleavingthecreaseatall,andhewasnot reaching thepitchof theball. Indiawerebowledout in58.1overs, thushavingfailedtoreach300againstAustraliaintenstraightinnings.Laxman,though,counterattacked,andwasthelastmanout,for59off83balls.WhenLaxmancameback,thecoach,JohnWrightaskedhimtonottakeoffhispads,andtogoinatNo.3inthenextinnings.

Wright’s reasoningwas damning forDravid. “WatchingLaxmanmake 59while battingwith thetail,IrememberedIanChappellarguingthatyourNo.3batsmanshouldbeastrokeplayer,someonewho took the attack to the opposition, and put away the bad ball,”Wrightwrote in John Wright’sIndianSummers.“Dravidwasourregularfirst-drop,buthehadn’thithisstraps;hispartnershipwithTendulkarinMumbaihadbeenslow.Wesimplyweren’ttakingtheinitiative.”IanChappellwasoneof thecommentatorsfor thematch,andhefelt itwasamental thingwithDravid, thatheneeded toforgettechniqueandscoreruns.Theswitchwasworking,too:LaxmanwasnearingacenturybythetimeDravidcameouttobat,eightoversbeforestumpsonMarch13,andIndiahadtakenoffallbut42runsofthe274-rundeficit.Smallermenhavesulkedandlostinterestatsuchtimes,weakermenhavetriedtoshowthecoach

andcaptaintheytoocanhitboundaries.Dravidswalloweditallandcameouttofightthebiggestfightofhiscareer.Off thefirst52ballshefaced,eithersideofstumpsondaythree,hescoredjustnineruns.Hecouldn’tfindthesweetpartofthebat,hehittoohard,Warneloopedtheballshigh,asiftoakid,MichaelKasprowiczbowled14straightdotsathim.Whentheumpireerroneouslyruledaleg-byeasasingleoffthe15thKasprowiczdeliveryDravid

faced,thebowlercameuptohimandasked,“Whichpartofyourbatdidithit?”AustraliamusthavefeltitwasonlyamatteroftimebeforeDravidsuccumbed,andtheydidn’twanthimtogeteasyruns,any runs. At the other end, Laxman toyed with similar deliveries, having hit 20 fours in his 113.UmpireSKBansalwouldsoonjointhedrive.WhenJasonGillespie–howwellhebowledwithoutanyrewardthatday–gotonetosnarlatDravid,theinsideedgeforfourwasruledleg-byes.Dravidwouldhavetakenanyrunsthen.InthenextoverLaxmanmis-hitapulloffGlennMcGrath.SoonDravidfollowedashort-of-length

delivery,comingclosetoedgingit.NowMcGrathstartedhisfamousmumble,allthewaybacktothetopofhismark,thecrowdbegantodance,Dravidgrittedhisteethandwentbacktostruggling.Backfootinfrontofleg,frontfootslightlyopen,thebatgoingupanddownthreetimesasthebowlerranin,thesweatbeginningtodripalready.Hewasonly11off69,andthiswasonlythefirsthour.Wrightwroterandomnotesonhislaptop,SouravGangulysatwithatoweldrapedoverhisbarechest.In the next over, Laxman inside-edged Gillespie for four in much the same manner as Dravid.

Laxmannow took themost dangerous bowler on, off-driving, steering and cover-drivinghim forthreemore fours in that over. In the next overDravidwent at awide delivery, punchingMcGrathslightly awkwardly through the vacantmid-off region, and it seemed hewould now be away. Theinnings,though,wasdevoidofanyfloworpattern:soonhewouldbebeatenbyonethathelditslineoutsideoff.Attheendofthatover,the90th,drinksarrived.Thefirsthourhadbeennegotiated.Inthefirstoverafterdrinks,Dravidfoundtiming,perhapsforthefirsttime,whenhecutMcGrath,

butnotplacement.Thenextball stayed low.Hewasequal to it.Thenhebeganmoving forward tocounter the variable bounce. McGrath went round the stumps, and this time Dravid convincinglypunchedhimthroughmid-offforfour.InthenextoverhesparredatakickerfromKasprowicz.At26off92,hewasstilllookingforsomesustainedrhythmbutnotgivingup.ThenDravidgotalengthballonthepads,whichheclippedwideofthefielderdeeponthelegside.

First signshewas in.Leadingup to lunch the scoring rate increased.Theclip into the leg side, attimesfrominfrontofoff,remainedtheprofitableshot.Bylunchhewas50off127,but thatcamewithitsfairshareoftroubletoo…fromRickyPonting,whohadbeenhavingahorrorserieswiththebat. With the ball, he swung away at gentle pace, bringing the odd one back in. Two of those

inswingers could have – on another day – had Dravid lbw. One was a touch-and-go not-out withregardtotheimpactvis-à-visoffstump,andtheotherhithimmarginallyoutside.Indiaadded122in thesession.Australia’soverratestayedgood,andthefieldsattacking,evenif

India had begun to build a lead.At lunch theywere 102 ahead. Fortyminutes laterWright said toLaxmanandDravid,“Seeyouafterthenextsession.”Laxmannonchalantlydrovethefirstballafterlunchforfour.Dravidrepeatedthedosetonear-nemesisPontinginthenextover.Justwhenitbeganto look easy, Ponting got one to rear at Dravid’s gloves. Laxman called for a quick single. Hestopped. He resumed. He was short. He dived. Laxman. Dived tomake the crease. They were notgoingtogetouttoday.Notevenrunout.NowDravidpulledPontingtomidwicket.MichaelSlater–whohadbeenalloverDravidinthelast

Test,abusinghimbecauseDravidhaddaredquestionthelegalityofacatch–gavechase,kepttheballin,threwitbacktoPonting,whoconcededanoverthrow.Dirtylooksexchanged.Wheelscomingoff.Dravidranallfour.Indiaeffectively132for4.Abread-and-buttercoupleoffthepadsfollowed.Thedreamof17straightwinswasfastevaporating.Onlyoneslipremained.Weretheythinkingofadrawnow,toprotectthelead?InthenextoverDraviddefendedone,anditspuntowardsthestumps.Helookedtochestitaway,

decidedagainstit.Helookedtokickitaway,buttheballwastooclosetothestumps–hecouldhavebeenhit-wicket.Hechosetoletitbounceasecondtime.Itbouncedaboutsixinchesfromthestumps:hestillcouldn’triskkickingitaway;heletitbe.Theoffstumpstood.EdenGardensheavedasone.The emblemonDravid’s helmet hadbegun to comeunstuck; it looked like it had comeoff a fewmoreinchesduringtheeffort.MarkWaughfinallyprovidedrespite.Dravidtookawidehalf-volleyanddroveitwideofmid-on.

Hewas finally dictating.Another on-drive.A pull. The leadwas 150 now, andDravid on 76.Andagainhewastobepulledback.Gillespiebowledamassiveoffcutterthathithimflushonthebox.Hehobbledthroughforaleg-

bye,andassoonashereachedthecreasehepulledouttheboxandwentdown.Whenhegotup,hedoubledoverhisbat.AndrewLeipus,thephysio,cameout,notforthelasttime.MinuteslaterDravidputtheboxbackin,andEdencheered.Hisshirtwasnowwetenoughtostartclingingontohim.Howlongbeforecrampssetin?Gillespie kept troubling himwith the variable bounce, and his extra pace, that final snap of the

shoulder.Howbeautifulhisaction,howharshhisluck.Heputeverythingintoit.Hebowledcutters,heheldtheballacrosstheseam,heevenreverseditforawhile.Dravidkeptmovingforwardtotrytokeepthelow-bouncingballsout,butkeptgettingbeatenonceinawhile.Bydrinksintheafternoon,Dravidhadreached84,twofewerthanhispreviousbestagainstAustralia,andLaxman’sbackbeganactingup.Healmosthadn’tplayedthisTest,becausehehadbeen“listing”,whichmeans,inWright’swords,“hisshouldersandhipsweren’tinline”.Itisthebody’swaytoprotectadamagedback.Nowthetiltwasback,andLeipusgavehimexercises.Whathadbeenhappeningduringthesessionbreaksnowhadtohappenoutintheopen.Laxmanwasfourshortofadouble then,andyourealisedDravidhadbegun toshepherdhim. In

that hour Laxman faced only 39 balls out of 90. In the last seven overs, Dravid had faced 31deliveries.Dravid,whohad fed offLaxman’smomentumand learned fromLaxman’smomentum,wasnowgivingbacktohim.TheyhadplayedtogetheroftenforSouthZoneinage-groupcricketandintheDuleepTrophy.Nowthefirmwasgoingglobal.Dravidknewheneednotbotherabouttempo

as long as Laxman was there, Laxman knew Dravid wouldn’t throw it away as long as he wasconscious.Forasecond,soonafterthedrinksbreak,DravidborrowedLaxman’saudacity.Towardstheendof

anotherspellwhereGillespiekeptdoingthingswiththeballat145kph,onestayeddangerouslylow.Dravid not only kept it out, heworked it throughmidwicket to reach 89 off 186, his best againstAustralia.Laxmansoongothisdouble,drivingawidehalf-volleyfromMarkWaughforfour.Thetwohuggedandwentbacktowork.AsDravid neared his century, the realignedLaxman resumed domination of the strike.Dravid’s

progressfurtherwasn’tsmooth.HesplicedahookoffKasprowicz,andthenunder-edgedanotheroffMarkWaugh.Wewereenteringdangerousterritory:Dravidhadbeendismissedinthe90sfourtimesbefore this.Gangulystillhadhisupperbodywrappedina towel.Hewasnot theonlysuperstitiousone.Duringanoverbreak,Warne,AdamGilchristandJustinLangerswappedtheirshades.Nothingworked. Laxman went past 206 off Warne’s bowling – the highest score by an Indian againstAustralia; thepreviousbesthadbeenbyRaviShastribeforeWarnemadehimhis firstTestvictim.DravidwasnowusinghisfeetwelltoWarne,notquitedrivinginside-outfromtheroughoutsidelegbutkickinghimawaywell.Dravidwasnearlyrunouton97whenMatthewHaydendivedatcoverbutcouldn’thitthestumps.A

tiredDravidhadgivenup.Beforethestartofthenextover,thatshowmanWarnemadeDravidwait.Hetookhistimesettingthefield.Calledinforwardshortleg.Thenmovedafielderinthedeepafewfeet.Thencalledforasillypoint.ThenGilchristmovedamaninthedeep.Dravidwaited.Threetimesthebatwentupanddowninthestance.Dravid,whohadbeenaccusedofnotmovingtothepitchoftheball,nowsteppeddownanddrovehimwideofmid-on.Sixstepsdownthepitch,heleaptintotheair.Not too high, but high enough to suggest howmuch thismeant. Then you saw it on his face.Anger.Heraisedhisbattothedressingroom,andthenpointedittoahigherlevel,tothemediabox.TonyGreig,justthemanfortheoccasion,wasonair.Heusedthewords“sticksitup”.That’sthe

joint-angriestDravidhaseverbeeninthepubliceye.TheotherwaswhenhewasaskedinPakistanifamatchthatIndiahadfoughthard towinwasfixed.This, though,wasmorepersonal.Deeper.Theconstant criticism must have got to him. This over-my-dead-body hundred was perhaps the lastaffirmationheneededtoknowhebelonged.Andhowhebelonged.Dravid’shundredincluded13fours,nineoftheminfrontofsquareonthelegside.Fifty-eightof

the runscame there.Mostlyclips, flicks,drives, and theoddpull.Thebowlingandconditionshadbeenconqueredbynow.Indialedbywellover200,adefendabletarget,withsixwicketsstillinhand.ThisAustralianteam,though,camewithanaura.Nothingwasconsideredbeyondthem.Indianeededtobatthroughtillstumpsatleast.Seven minutes before tea, Jagmohan Dalmiya, the ICC under his chairmanship and the Cricket

AssociationofBengalhisfiefdom,announcedanawardof 2lakhforLaxman,forthefirstdoublebyan Indianat theEdenGardens.Hemadesure itwasannouncedduring the livecoverageonTV.Soonthebigboardatthegroundwouldannounce 1,000foreachofLaxman’srunsuntilhis236th,thenthehighestTestscorebyanIndian,and 2,000foreachrunafterthat.Laxman’sbeautynotonlysurvivedamidthecrassness,itblossomed.Attea,theconteststillalive,thegamestillanybody’s,AustralialettheIndiansleadtheteamsoffthe

field.DravidletLaxmanstayapaceahead.Shastri,acommentatorthen,couldn’twaitforstumpstoshakeLaxman’shand.Leipuswaitedinsidetorealignhim.Itwouldhavebeenhardenoughforafit

and fresh man to stay focused, and Dravid was about to begin cramping up. “See you after thesession,”Wrightsaid,andDravid–havingswappedhisfull-sleevedshirtforafreshhalf-sleevedone–wentoutandwaitedforLaxmantoarrive.Australia tried toputabrave faceon,chargingonto the field, throwing theballaround, looking

sprightly,wavingtothecamera,theironelastefforttoreclaimawinningposition.Twoyearsbefore,onMarch14,leadingWestIndies1-0,theyhadseenBrianLarascoreacrazy,match-winningdouble-century.JimmyAdamswastheDravidtoLara’sLaxmanthen.DidSteveWaugh,ahistoricallymindedcaptain,thinkofthatgame?Surelyitwasnotgoingtohappenagain?NotafterIndiahadbeenaskedtofollowon.Onlytwicehadateamwonfromsuchapredicament.Hayden–Australiahadalready triedeverybodyexceptLanger,GilchristandSteveWaugh–and

McGrathresumedproceedingsaftertea.Haydenbowlingnaggingswingataround125-130kph,andMcGrathusingtheunevennessofthebounce.DravidclippedHaydenoffthepadsandlimpedthroughfor one. Cramp? A muscle pull? McGrath tested him further. Dravid played out two successivemaidensfromMcGrath.Too tired tomanoeuvre theballorstealaquickrun.Leipusmadeanothertripsoon.Withatabletandasalinedrink.Itwascramps,then,whichdon’tqualifyyoutogetarunner.Dravidcouldhardly lifthisarms.Thepillhit thehelmetgrilleand fell.Leipusplaced it insidehismouth.Healsoundidandredidthepads,torelivesomeofthestrainonthecalves.Inthenextover, thetwoofthemhobbledthroughforasingle,andSteveWaugh–whohadbeen

tryingalldaytosneakinarun-out–fumbled.Chappellcomparedittothedeependofaheavyweightboutbetweensluggerswhoweretootiredtoeventhrowpunches.Noonewastakingadive,though.Not justyet.Dravidhadnowstoppedbotheringabout the singles.Heon-droveHayden for four totakeIndiapast500,andthencover-droveMcGraththroughatightfield.Laxmanscreamedfromtheotherend:“Played,Jam.”“Hangin,Jam.”Didn’tmatterifitwasafourorablockorleave.Dravidwouldnod.TheyknewtheyweretoseeWrightonlyaftertheendofthesession.At somepointbefore the finaldrinksbreakof theday,Gangulyhadputona shirt.A sign India

wereoutofthewoods?VenkateshPrasadandVenkatapathyRaju,whoearlierdarednotmovefromtheir seats, were now mimicking how Bansal raised his finger. Gillespie came back for anotherbrutallyunluckyspell.Heeventriedrunninginwithhisarmsspreadlikeaneagle,inabidtodistractthebatsmen.Warnebowledbouncers.LaxmanjokedwithPeterWilley,presumably–andcheekily-askinghimifDravidcouldgetarunner.Letalonearunner,soonWilleywouldbanishenergydrinkstoo.Trytellingthis to today’splayers,whoenjoyunscheduledbreaksat theslightestexcuse,as thepowerlessumpireswatch.Backthen,Indiawereonlyjustenteringthemodernprofessionalera.Theydidn’thavelaptopsand

analysts;theydidn’tevenhaveneckerchiefs.Someresourcefulpersoninthebackroomslicedtowelsintothinstripsandputtheminice.Duringthedrinksbreak,HemangBadaniandSarandeepSinghtiedthemonthebatsmen’snecks.Itwasnotdifficulttodrawboxingparallels.Thebellrangagain.Laxman soon reached 250. That was 2,64,000 worth. A tenth of what they get from an

advertisementcontractnowadays?Adecadelater,IshantSharma,playingforKolkataKnightRiders,made 1.5lakhperballbowled.NotallthemoneyintheworldcouldbuythejoyandsatisfactionofexhaustionthatLaxmanandDravidwouldhavefeltthen.Sixoverslater,theygotnewmakeshiftneckerchiefs.DravidturnedMarkWaugharoundthecorner

toreach150.Hewasnotangrynow.Itmighthaveseemedhewastooexhaustedtoshowanger,butontheevidenceof the restofhiscareer,Dravid’searlier showofemotionwasanaberration.Hewas

movingsmoothlynow.AustraliaeventriedLangernow.Withoutfurtherincident,DravidandLaxmanbecame the third Indian pair – afterVinooMankad andPankajRoy, andGundappaViswanath andYashpalSharma–tobatthroughaday’splay.That’s540 legaldeliveries,ninemodesofdismissalspossiblewitheach,andnonecame topass.

Laxmanhadadded166runs,Dravid148.Frombeingminus-274onMarch13, thedayDravidwasstillamantooobsessedwithtechniquetoscoreruns,amanwithlowaveragesagainstthebestattacksof the day, India were now 315 ahead. Australia’s dream had been interrupted. They had had baddecisions against themwhen they batted.Theywere about to break through the doors of theFinalFrontier. Then this happened. So beautiful was this that Australia lined up to congratulate the twobatsmen.Onceagain,LaxmanandDravid led thewayoff the field.Theyhad justaboutenoughenergy to

shakehandsbeforewalkingstraightintothemakeshifthospitalthatwasthedressingroom.Onemanwentonalunchtable,theotheronthephysio’s.Doctorswerereadywithdrips.Thetwonowlaynexttoeachother, in theknowledge theyhadsharedsomethingspecial, that, inDravid’swords,“woulddefineourcareersfromnowon,irrespectiveofwhatweachievedordidn’tachieveafterthat”.Onthefifthday,LaxmanaddedonlysixbeforecuttingMcGrathstraighttodeepishgully.Aperiod

ofuncertaintyfollowed.Indiakeptbattingwithoutanyincreaseinthetempo,despitealeadofover300.Everyoverpurposelesslybattedawaydiminishedtheirchancesofwinning,whichwouldbetheonlyperfectendtothisturnaround.TurnedoutWrightandGangulyhadconferredanddecidedtheywantedtofrustrateAustralia,whodidn’tlikebeingplayedoutofagame.ItwastheperfectchanceforDravidtogettoadouble-hundred.Hesimplywouldn’tgetthestrike,

though.Hescored25off the34ballshegoton the fifthmorning,andashe tried to steala singlewhenZaheerKhanpushedonetocover,hewassentback.Dravidhadcoveredmorethan22yardsinrunningupandcomingback,andhewascaughtshort.Hewentbackshakinghishead.Notallthewaybacktothepavilion,though.Hewasn’tanangrymananymore.Hewastocherish

the moment. He raised his bat to all parts of the ground before walking off. He now knew hebelonged.Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

ThebowlerswhogotDravidoutmostofteninODIswerebothfairlyunlikelynames:SanathJayasuriyaandAbdulRazzaq,whodismissedhimsixtimeseach.

M

[15]

ThemonkofHeadingleySANJAYBANGAR

WhileKolkata2001was the firstglimpseofanew,aggressive India, itwasatHeadingleyayearlaterthattheteamshowedrealsteel.RahulDravidwasthechiefforger,absorbingall theheattocreateoneofIndia’smostmemorablewinsabroad.148vEngland,thirdTest,Leeds,2002

atthewHoggarddeliveredafuller-lengthdeliveryonmylegstump.Ithadlooked,atleasttome,likeaninnocuousballgoingdownlegside,andIreactedaccordingly.Butsuddenlyitslitheredpastmyhangingbat,likeafastlegbreakonaturningpitch.RahulDravidwalked up tome and saidwith a smile, “Boss, this is notKarnail Singh.”Karnail

Singh is the home ground of my domestic team, Railways, and its pitch is slow, flat and low.Headingley,Leeds,inthenorthofEngland,wascold,fastandunreliable.The year 2002was an interesting one forme and Indian cricket. TheEnglish summer had been

mixedgoingintoHeadingley.WehadwontheNatWestODIseriesfinalaftercomingbackfromthedead.ItwasawonderfulachievementforIndiancricket;thechaseof325wasoneofthetopfiveinODIhistoryatthetime,andweachieveditafterlosingnearlyallourspecialistbatsmen.WelostthefirstTestatLord’s.AtTrentBridge,AjayRatra,thefirst-choicewicketkeeper,wasnot

fit to take the field and17-year-oldParthivPatelmadehisdebut.Englanddominated the first fourdays,butIndia,ledbyacenturyfromRahul,foughtvaliantlyonthefinaldaytosavetheTest.Idon’tthinkwecouldhavedrawnitifnotforParthiv’sdaringeffortswiththetailinthefinal20overs.Thatfightbackgaveusfreshbelieffortherestofthetour.ThedaybeforetheLeedsTest,John(Wright)toldmeIwastoplay.OfmyfiveTeststillthen,Ihad

donewellinthree.Inthelast,intheWestIndiesafewmonthsago,Ihadfailed.IaskedJohnwheremycareerstood.Heplainlytoldme,“Idonotknow.”SoIknewthiswasmymake-or-breakTest.Souravwonthetossandelectedtobatsincewehadtwospinnersintheside.OnTV,SunilGavaskar

called it a brave decision. Nasser Hussain smiled happily for he had a good four-pronged fast-bowlingattackthatcouldtakeadvantageoftheovercastconditions.Themuchtalked-aboutHeadingleypitchwasforeigntome, thoughIhadreadabout it inDarren

Gough’sautobiography,soIknewaboutitsslopeandwhatkindofadjustmentsabowlerwouldneedtomake.EvenRahul,whocameoutintheseventhoverafterVeeru(Sehwag)edgedHoggardtoslip,wasplayingonlyhissecondmatchthere.HehadplayedthereforKentagainstYorkshirein2000,butthatmatchhadfinishedinsidethreedays.Itwasthefirst timeIwasbattingwithRahul inaTest.Alreadythatyearhehadimpressedmeby

takingtheinitiativetogettheteamtogether.AtthestartoftheWestIndiestourhesaideveryplayerwouldbeaskedtotalkabouttheteam.Iwroteapoemandreaditoutduringourfirstmeeting.ThatmovebyRahul,Ifelt,broughttheteamtogetherandmadenewcomerslikemefeelmoreconfident.

HealsoaskedmeouttodinnerintheCaribbean.InEngland,after thesecondTest,Ireturnedthefavour,andhewashappytojoinmewithtwootherteam-mates.BythetimewebattedatHeadingleywewerecomfortablewitheachother.Neitherofusspokealotonthefield,andtheonlyinstructionRahulgavemewastolookoutfor

sharp singles and always be ready to run. I was a slow runner but Rahul never showed hisdisappointment.Wewere going at just about two runs an over till lunch, yet he didn’t askme tochangemyapproach.Not that it meant Headingley was quiet. The fans kept shouting “Geddon with it.” The close-in

fielderschirpedconstantly,tellingusweweregoingnowherewithourtwo-per-overrunrate.“Mate,you’renotgettingenoughruns…acoupleofwicketsandyou’llbethesameagain,”theysaid.EarlyintheinningsInoticedabigdifferenceinourtechniques:Rahulwaslookingtogetforward,

asclose to thepitchof theballaspossible,butwouldplaywithsofthands,whereas Iwashangingbackinmycrease, tryingtousethepaceoftheball tocreateruns.Thatwasprobablywhyhetookmoreblowsonhisfingers,hands,elbowsandbody.Thefirstsessionwasthemostimportant:England’sbowlerswerehostile,lookingforonewicket,

just one.Theywere confident they could tear a part the rest of our batting order once they brokethrough.Rahulnotonlystoppedthemfromdoingthat,hefrustrated,annoyedandexhaustedthemforthebetterpartoffivesessions.There were three things Rahul had to counter in the innings: swing, seam, and awkward and

variablebounce.Heweatheredthemsuccessfullyformorethansevenhours,revealinghisstrengthofcharacterandhisqualityasabatsman.HoggardandAndyCaddickmostlymovedtheballaway,soonceyougotyoureyein,youdidn’t

reallyfalteragainstthem.ButAlexTudorhadnaturalinswing,andthataddedtothevariablebouncemadehimthemostdangerousbowlertoface,at least inthefirstsession.Hebowledahostilespellandtroubledusthemost.Hekeptbowlingintoourbodies.Whenabowlerdoesthat,nomatterhowgoodabatsmanyouare,youstarttothinkaboutgettinghit.RahulcoppedafewfromTudor.Once,beforelunch,hewashithardonhisfingers,buthedidn’t

flinch.Asabatsmanyouarealwayslookingtoscorementalvictoriesoveryouropponent.Thenextball hit him on the forearm.Themessage he conveyed toTudorwas: I’m digging in and I’m notgoingtogivemywicketawayeasily.Itwasold-fashionedTestcricket.IhaveseenmanyRahulDravid innings.Thestriking thing, tome,was thatheplayedmoreballs

outsideoffstumpinitially,asagainstwhenhewassettled.ItseemedlikeafterapoortourofAustraliain1999-2000,hewantedtoasserthimselfearlyinaninnings.Ifhemade20or25,hecouldgetintohiscomfortzoneandstartleavingballsoutsideoffstumpalone.AtHeadingley,though,hewashappytokeepshoulderingarms,asmanytimesaspossible.ItwasasifJohnhadaskedhimtodoasetofexercisesrepeatedly.Rahulunderstoodthatthebowlerwouldbeathimmanytimesandthatheneededtoacceptthat.Icall

himamonkinthatrespect.Hedoesnothaveanegoandcaneasilyconcentrateonthenextballafterhehasbeenbeatenbyone.Manyotherbatsmenmighthavestruggledinasimilarsituation.Thekeywas,Rahulknewexactlywhathehadtodotosurviveonthiswicketandheadaptedaccordingly.ItisagiventhatIndianbatsmenwillscorerunsonspin-friendlypitches.TheyhavealsogotrunsonfastandbouncyAustralianwickets.ButveryfewIndianshavesucceededinseamingandswingingconditions.

The effect of his patiencewas so strong that thoughEngland’s fast bowlers bowled some goodspells, they were eventually frustrated. In fact, we later read that Duncan Fletcher, then England’scoach,wassodisappointedwithhisbowlers’ linesthathestarteddrawingcharts toexplaintothemwhereexactlytopitchtheball.Oneofthemistakestheymadewastokeeppitchingitmostlybackofalengthinsteadoffull.BythetimeSachinTendulkarandSouravstarteddominating,RahulhadcrushedEngland’swill.He

wastheonewhowentoutinthevanguardandneutralisedthedangersofthepitch,allowingtheothertwo toeasilypostbig scores. Itwas the first time in sixyears thatall three scoredcenturies in thesameTest.AfterthatourseamersandspinnerscombinedtodenyEnglandanyroominwhichtofightback.It

wasoneofIndia’slargestvictoriesoverseas.InawaythatmatchchangedthegeneralopinionaboutIndiancricketers.Wetookalotofrisksat

Headingley. Itwas the turning point of our overseas record.We had not beaten big teams outsideIndia.Thetidewasturning.AndRahulhadalottodowiththat.Sanjay Bangar, who played 12 Tests for India, and scored 68 at Headingley, spoke to ESPNcricinfo assistant editor NagrajGollapudi

D

[16]

TwintreatisesincourageROHITBRIJNATH

When India went to Australia late in 2003, few predicted they would get away with more thanhonourable defeats. After a rain-affected draw in Brisbane, the second Test belonged to RahulDravid,wholedIndiatotheirfirstwininAustraliainover20years,withtwoinningsofefficientpurityanddefiance.“Rahulbattedlikegod,”hiscaptain,SouravGanguly,said.233and72 vAustralia,secondTest,Adelaide,2003

usk descended gently and soon a scoreboard that told an improbable talewould be obscured.Seagullsloiteredassprinklershiccupped.TheteambushadgonehomeandtheAdelaideOvalechoedwithsilence.Butinsidethedressingroom,amidstthedetritusofemptyGatoradebottlesandsandwichwrappers,hewasstillthere,tiredsmileondrawnface,coldbeerinlimphand,theherocontemplatinghisfinestmoment.Above him, as he craned to look, high on the wall hung a whiteboard, on which the names of

travellerswho had taken fivewickets or scored a centurywere inscribed.His name had not beenwrittenyet,the233besideit,buthiseyestoldyouhecouldalreadyreadit.MaybeRahulDravidjustwanted to slowly inhale the last remainingscentofvictory, takeone last lookat this foreignplacewhereheandhisteamhadimprinteditsgreatness.Histeamhadownedthisstadiumbriefly,andhewasnotreadytoleavejustyet.Itwasn’tunusualforhim,thislingering,itispartofwhyheplays.“Idothatquiteoften,”hesays.“I

like thewarmth of the dressing room.After you’ve done five days of battle it feels like home, tosharesomanyemotionswithsomanydifferentpeople,it’sfantastictostayandsoakinit.”Those innings in Adelaide, the 233 and the 72 not out, were essays in concentration, studies in

craftsmanship,treatisesincourage.Theywerethemostcompellingadvertisementofthetruththatheisoneoffinestbatsmenofhisgeneration.Theyarealso,notwhollybutpartially,aneducationinhimasplayerandman.Lastmonth, inWisdenAsiaCricketmagazine, hewrote an articleonbooks.He rememberedhis

daysasayoungplayer,curleduponthewoodenbunkasthetrainrattleditswaytoanothermatch,readingTo Kill aMockingbird. In Adelaide,Racers, the story of the dramatic 1996 Formula Oneseason,restedonhistable.Butthereisonebookheidentifieswithpowerfully,perhapsbecausethetale has something of him in it. David Halberstam’s The Amateurs studies in detail the quest ofAmerican rowers for Olympic selection, dissecting their pain, their rage, the obsession of theirjourney.DownthephonefromHobart,Dravidexplains:“Itshowsyoutruepassionandtruedrive.It’swhatsport isabout forpeoplewhoplay it. It’snotabout theaccoladesor themoney,butabout thepersonalbattles,thesacrifice.It’sabouttheprocess,andIenjoythat.”His process, as inAdelaide, commences in themorning. The silentwarrior awakes, then in his

roomhevisualises–theportraitofanartistinboxershorts.Ashisbattingsuggests,thismanprefersmethodtochance.Hewillseethebowlerinhismind,envisionhisaction,andthenbarefoot,withbatinhand,takestanceandmeettheimaginaryball.

Inthefirstinnings,heisthereintotalfor594minutes,searchingforharmonybetweenmindandfeet,discoveringawaytostayinconcentration’sembrace.Hedoesnotcareforstatistics,heisnotdistractedbyhisnationspellbound,forhesays,“Youcan’tbethinking,‘WhatifIfail?’“You can’t concentrate for ten hours. You switch on and off, you push yourself, your mind

wanders,youbringitback,yousteelyourself.That’stherealbeauty,whenyouwinthebattleagainstyourself,”heexplains.This is the essence ofDravid,waging his silent, privatewar.He is occasionally bewildered that

afterheisdone,thepleasureofwhathehasaccomplishedisnotthatpowerful;forhim,“morejoy”isfoundwhilecompletingthetask.He is an inward-looking player, an analyser, constantly scrutinising his art, dismembering his

innings and emotions intopieces for study.Predictably, he is too intelligent tobe at easewith thisherobusiness;he finds itdiscomforting, exaggerated.Hesays: “Idon’t really feel likeahero,myonlyqualificationisthatIcomeontelevisionmorethananurseorasoldierorateacher.Anyway,Idon’tthinksportsmencanreallybeconsideredheroes.”At the crease inAdelaide,hisbrainwill registerheat, applause, scoreboard,partner, but it is the

specificbowlerofthemomentthatheisattunedto.ThatthisisJasonGillespierunningin,hairaskew,awakensthewarriorinhim.“TheAustraliansalwayscomehardatyou,you’realwaysinacontest,and thismakes iteasier toconcentrate. In fact,whenchangebowlers like[Simon]Katichcomeon,youhavetofocusharder.”Hissecondinnings,Indiachasing230,ismorevaluable,morearduous.Thepressureisstiflingand

hisfineformofearlierdaysinitiallydesertshim.“Ididn’tfeelinmuchcontrol.Ihadtofightthroughperiods,refocus,remindingmyselfofwhatIwantedtoachieve.Mygoalwastonotgetout,tomakeitasdifficultasIcould.”Heisbothcalmanddesperate,drivenbyemotionyetawareitisdangerous.“I’vebeenplayingfor

sevenyearsandwe’velostalotofgames,andIwasjustfedup,andduringmanyperiodsonTuesdayIkepttellingmyselfIdidn’twanttogothroughthatagain.”His batting is evidence of a careful work ethic, of a player who shares a comfortable

companionshipwith discipline.After theTest, his captain, SouravGanguly,will say on television:“He’sthebestrolemodelyoucanhave,becauseheworkssohard,thinkssomuch.”Butthisisalsogenetics,thiswillfulnesswrittenintosomeinvisiblechromosome.Hesayshismother,anartist,“isaverydeterminedwoman;whenshesetshermindtosomethingshedoesit”.Mothergetsadoctorateinart in her mid-50s, and son takes photographs at the ceremony; of these innings, mother wouldapprove.In the first innings, he plays 446 balls, in the second, 170, so many just watched and left as if

unworthyofhisbat’s attention.Monksare less circumspect thanhim,and indeed,whenheplays itappears he is delivering a sermon on batsmanship. Yet his carefully calibrated approach has apowerfulreason.“AsmuchasIgetconfidencefromplayingshots,Ialsosometimesgainconfidencefromleavingballs,becauseitgivesmeanideaofwheremyoffstumpis.”Hisbattingisnot,forsome,immediatelyappealing;itislikesomepaintings,itrequiresasecond

look,aconsideredappreciation.Soonitsbeautyisrevealed, itssimpleelegance, itsclean,classicallines,itsdivorcefromawkwardness,itsstylishsymmetry.Heplaystohisownwondroussheetmusic.Heistheownerofmoreshotsthansomebelieve;heismerelyfastidiousaboutwhattoplaywhen,but

when he delivers, in Adelaide, cover drives of such precise sophistication, it is worth any wait.Polished, fussy batsmen like him are often eclipsed by the quicker scorers, those with flair andflourish. It scarcely bothers him. “People like to come andwatch great shots, and players playingattractively.That’snatural.SowouldI.”Butthisunpretentious,engagingmanisanownerofdifferentvirtues,justasprecious.Ashesays:

“Idon’thavesomeofthegiftsofaTendulkaroraLara,butIhaveotherthings.I’dlikeverymuchtoberespectedassomeonewhoiscourageousandfightsanddoeshisbest.Ienjoyaninnings[likethe233and72],foritbringsoutdifferentfacetsofmycharacterthataredeartome–commitmentanddisciplineandcourage.”Butheknowsgiftsthemselvesmeanlittle;inthemselvestheyareinadequate.“The challenge,” he says, “ismaking the best of the gifts you have got. I have learnt this from

Tendulkar,whohasworkedextremelyhardtomakebestuseofhisgifts.”All his life, even when belittled, Dravid has stayed faithful to these gifts. Years ago, when

considered unfit for the one-day team, even told to sandpaper his offspin because it might helpselection–atimeofgreathumiliationforhim–hisresponsewasclassic.Then,hetoldme,hecouldhaveeithermopedandmoanedandbelievedtheworldwasagainsthim,orhecouldhavegonetothenetsandfoundawaytogetbetter.Hechosewell.Butletusnotbelieveheisallseriousness,someswottingstudentwithnotimetolookatandsmell

life, because that is not him. Mostly, in fact, if you meet him for dinner, there is a charm androundednesstohimthatisappealing.Indeed, of all themoments inAdelaide, the one he enjoysmore thanmost points to amanwho

delightsatcricket’scharmingsurprises.Itcamearoundteaonthethirdday.Hehadbegunthedayat43, VVS Laxman on 55, yet late in the day when he looked at the scoreboard, he noticed withamusementthathe,impossibly,hadoutpacedhisusuallymorefluentfriend.Youdon’tneedtoseethegrinonhisface,becauseheislaughingdownthephonewhenhetalksofthis:“Yeah,jeez,notabadeffortforablocker,huh?”No,notbadatall.

Rohit Brijnath covered the 2003 Adelaide Test for the Melbourne Age, for whom he worked at the time and where this articlewas first published. He is now a senior correspondent with the StraitsTimes in Singapore.

DravidscoredmoreTestrunsandcenturiesatEdenGardensthanatanyotherground.InnineTeststherehemade962runsatanaverageof68.71,withfourhundreds.

A

[17]

NotesfromanuglyepicRAHULBHATTACHARYA

RahulDravid’sRawalpindimarathonwasalandmarkforbeingthelongestTestinningsinIndianhistory,andmoreforsecuringIndia’sfirst-everTestseriesvictoryinPakistan.Itwastheultimatebackgroundinnings,uncharacteristicinitslackoffluencybuttypicalforitsawesomecommitment.Hewasinexcellenthumourthroughout.ThisisaneditedexcerptfromPunditsfromPakistan:ontourwithIndia2003-04.270vPakistan,thirdTest,Rawalpindi,2004

worldawayBrianLarawasapproachingaquadruple-centuryinaTestinnings,andaccordinglysomeguestsarrived late toWaqarYounis’ retirementdinner inRawalpindi, some leftearly,otherswhiskedthemselvesawaytothegiantscreeninthecoffeeshop.RahulDravidwatched themoment on theTV in thegymnasiumarea.Withhimwas theMarathi

journalist and editor SunandanLele.Dravidmarvelled at Lara’s technique,which allowed him theoptionofadefensivestrokeoranattackingonetoeveryballtilltheverylastmoment.AboveallhemarvelledatLara’sappetite.LelehadjustinterviewedDravid.HehadaskedhimabouthisdryruninthisTestseries.“Vees,”Dravidhadhelduptwofingersandreplied,“veeshoundya”(Twenty,justletmegetpast20).AndatdinnerondayoneoftheTest,heexcusedhimselfearlyfromthetable.Hewantedtosleep

well,hetoldhiscompanions,becausehehadtobatalldaytomorrow.Presuminganopening stand longer thanoneball, theMaestrowas a touch late to the crease the

previousevening,stillattiringhimselfashereached.Butnow,afteragoodnight’srest,Dravidfellcleanoutofhisgroove.Thegood’unsstillmakeitcount;andmaestros,ofcourse.Hewasjustnotfeelingit.MohammadSamihadacloselbwshoutagainsthimonthefourthballof

themorning. Soon he edgedShoaibAkhtar out of the reach of third slip.On 21, hewas a goner,surely,struckagainbySamionthepads.Notgiven.ThiswasnotaneasymorningforIndia,norwasitexpectedtobe,forthegrassstillhadnotfully

brownedandtherewasmovementabout.ParthivPatelwasbrieflytroubledbyShoaib’sbouncers.Ill-advisedlyShoaibbowledonlybouncers,allforamachosmirkatwatchingalittleguyleapabout.Parthiv fell soon after lunch, pushing Fazl-e-Akbar away from his body, which brought Sachin

Tendulkartothecrease.Shoaibwasproducedattheotherend.Firstball,backofalength,steaminghot, climbing, shoulder height, off stump, wicked, evasion from Tendulkar, jubilation from thekeeper,appealfromShoaib,noresponsefromumpire,Tendulkarwalks,130for3.In the snapof a finger the gamehadopenedup.Pakistan needed to break the door down.Some

magic,somemadness,someinimitablePakistaniinspiration;thiswasthemoment,nowwasthetime.NervousmomentsfollowedforIndia.VVS,thenewman,madeawristyedgeoffShoaib.Dravid

top-edgedFazloverthekeeper.

FazlandSamistrayedon to thepadsof theIndiangents,an irredeemableerror,andaccordinglywere creamed for boundaries. Dravid began treating Sami’s bowling with increasing disrespect,takingtwomoreoff-sideboundaries,buton71,withthetotalon177,heallowedhimselfaflailingup-and-undercut,thetypeherarelyindulgeshimselfwith.YasirHameedplonkeditatpoint.Itwas,asthey say, a lollipop. Yasir said later, endearingly: “Sometimes you get so engrossed in watchingbatsmenlikeRahulDravidandSachinTendulkarthatyoulosefocusonyourjob.”Dravidcontinuedtobuffetroughseas.On77,therewasaprolongedinquiryintoacaught-behind

offDanishKaneria.Itwas,evenontheslowestreplay,anotfullydiscernibleflurryofbat,boot,earthandball.Myown impression from the freeze frameswas that it had gone frombat to boot to thekeeper,whichshouldbeout.Miserywaspiledonmisery:DravidedgedacutwideofslipinKaneria’snextover.Fromtheother

end Shoaib bowled another bumper,which jarredDravid’s finger, and the physiowas summoned.Thiswasawretchedinnings.Butlookatthescore.Teawas taken,andafter itVVSopenedhiswingsandsoaredaway.Therewasnothing todobut

blush.OnthreeoccasionshetookapairofboundariesoffFazl.Heflick-pulledhimtosquareleg;hepunchedhimintothecoversandtouchedhimstraightdown.Pakistan’sfieldsmenmayaswellhaveretiredtotheirtents,forVVSwasnotabouttohittothem.Tohisfiveboundariesinthe90minutesbeforetea,headdedsevenmoreinjust30minutesafter.Dravid picked his own pace, hooking Fazl unconvincingly and straight-driving him utterly

convincingly. Pakistan were not stuck between a rock and a hard place, more like between anadvancing wall and a dancing swordsman.Whatever is the chemistry that these two share, can itpleasebebottledupandstoredforalltime?WithaturntolegoffKaneriahereachedhis17thTesthundred.Henowhadacenturyinandagainst

everycountrybarringBangladesh,ananomalyhewouldrectifybeforetheyearwasout.Ononlyoneofthese17occasionshadIndialost.Inzamamclaimed thenewballassoon itbecameavailable.ShoaibdrewanedgefromDravid, it

flew,down,wideofsecondslip,andtwoslipswerealltherewere.ItwasimpossibletorememberaDravidinningsascoarseasthis.Outofnowhere,onadayhehadspentpepperinghisowntoe,Shoaibscreechedanoutswingingfull

tosspastahalf-flickandinto themiddlestumphalfwayup, leavingVVSblinkingatablur.SouravGangulywasgreetedbyaleggully,aforwardshortleg,manyslips,andcrimsonflamesblowingoutofShoaib’snose.Onthefirstdelivery to theIndiancaptain,Shoaib tumbledandfell inhis follow-throughandleftthefield.Pakistan’s attack, lacklustre, luckless, sank into submission. Planes flew over Pindi, the sun fell

away,andGangulyprospered,cuttingaway,everybowler,cuttingtillthefinalballoftheday,fromKaneria,tobringupaneffortlessfifty.Dravidtooapproachedhisinevitablebestinthislasthour.Andaskedbythepressattheendofthe

dayifhewaseyeingLara’s400,hebrokeintoagrin:“Fourhundred?Formetoscore400theTestmatchwouldhavetogointoasixthday.”Samiburnedhissoulthrougha13-overspellinthemorning,buthecouldgainneitherUmarGul’s

deviation off thewicket norShoaib’s bounce.And reverse swing continued to be elusive.Besides,therewasDravidtocontendwith.Hehadspentmostofthepreviousdaysmoothingroughedges,andnowhisbatdidnothaveany.When Ganguly was run out, for 77, 45 minutes into the morning, it was history in its seventh

repetition as farce. Of Dravid’s seven run-outs in Tests, four had been in collaboration with hiscaptain, and out of Ganguly’s three, all had been in duet with his deputy. They were magnetsconfigured toalwaysfaceeachother thewrongway, joltingmadly towardsoneanotherwhentheyneededtostayfaraway,repellingmadlywhentheyneededtomovetowardsoneanotherwithalacrity.Inthisinstance,deputy’srolewastowatchascaptaincomicallyduckedathrowandfailedtogroundhisbat.DravidconsolidateddiligentlywithYuvraj,committedto“batonce,batbig”,asperplan.Anhour

afterlunchhereached200,justashehadreached100,tickingKaneriatoleg.Inzamamcameoverforahandshake.Cynicssuggestedthiswasonlybecauseofthecriticismhe’dfacedforhavingnotdoneso when Sehwag reached 300 at Multan earlier. I’d like to believe it was a spontaneousacknowledgementfromonemodernmastertoanother.WhenYuvrajfelllbwtoSami,thepairhadadded98runsforthefifthwicket.Dravidhadputon129

runswithParthiv,131withLaxman,andanother131withGanguly.TworunsmorewithYuvrajandhewouldhavebecomethesecondmaninthehistoryofthegametohavesharedfourcenturystandsin an innings. The only person to have done sowas the PCB’s SpecialGuest for this Test, HanifMohammad,duringthemotherofallepics,the16-hourrearguardagainstWestIndiesinBarbadosin1957-58.Only after tea, once they had flattened Pakistan out as a rolling pin does dough, did the Indians

begintakingrisks.DravidpulledKaneriaandwasdroppedbyImranNaziratmidwicket;heracedon,withsweepsandmagnificentinside-outdrives,oneofwhichsoaredforasix.Withthetotalon593,andhisownscoreon270,ofwhich136hadcomefrom181ballsonthisday,ascomparedto134from314before,hepulledoutthereversesweepfromoutsidelegstumptoImranFarhat’spart-timespin,testamentbothtotheadventurehehadaddedtohisgameandhisrefusaltoplayforamilestoneaheadoftheteamcause.Hewasbowled.ThusitwasatquartertofouronthedayrecognisedbytheIslamiccalendarasthe24thinthemonth

ofSafarthatIndiancricket’slongestbattingjourneycametoend.OfallDravid’stoursdeforcethiswasthemostphysical.Lifecarriedon,Pakistanibowlerstried

andtired,batsmencameandwentandhitbeautifulstrokes,butDravidhadtheruns.Twelvehoursand20minutessaysplenty,butnoteverything:apartfromtheintervals,Dravidhadspentallbutoneballofvirtuallythreefulldaysonthefield.Thiswasespeciallychallengingbecauseheispronetolosingfluidsmuchquicker than thenext sportsman.Dravidalways takesmeasures. InPertha fewmonthsagohehadvisitedaspecialist,whoranaseriesoftestsandprescribedhimafluidmixthatwouldaidhis rehydrationprocess.Andhewas, according to JohnWright, “in the top10%when it comes tophysicaltraining”,whichmeantthatinasquadof16hewasnumberoneortwo.India’swasnotanover-performance.Itwasanaturalprogression.Fiveofthesixhighestscoresin

theirhistoryhadcomeinthelastthreeyears.Fourofthemhadarrivedinthelastfivemonths,eachoutsideIndia.SinceSehwagjoinedtheranks,inlate2001,thequintetofSehwag,Dravid,Tendulkar,Laxman and Ganguly had between them piled on 31 centuries and 44 fifties in 30 Tests. Theircombinedaverage in this timewas55.85.Twentyof thesewereawayTests–andnotadudamong

them:tourstoAustralia,SouthAfrica,England,NewZealand,WestIndiesandPakistanandnowhereelse.Forprolificacy,forseizingmoments,foralwayshavingaman,ortwo,foreveryoccasion,thequintet could not match the buccaneering band of contemporary Australians, but what they hadachievedwas to turn India, despite their limited bowling attack, into contenders in any part of theworld.Finally.IfGanguly’sandWright’sappointmentsascaptainandcoachweresignificantstepsinthisregard,

Dravid’sascensiontobattingleaderwasequallyso.Indeed,itisnotpossibletodissociatetheevents.Ganguly’s first Test as captainwas against Bangladesh inNovember 2000 (Wright assumed his

positiononematchlater),atimewhenIndiancrickethadhitsomethingclosetorockbottom.Dravidhimselfwas in a slump in the period leading up to it. In the space of sevenTests his average hadplummetedfrom55toa“mere”47,andhedidnotmanageasinglefiftyinthose14innings.Inthe41Testsand41monthsbetweenthenandnow,Dravidaveraged70,eightpointsclearofTendulkarinthesamephase.Hestrungtogether16fifties,threeofwhichwereninetiesandanotherthreeeighties.Heconstructed11centuries, fiveof themdoubles,eachbigger thantheprevious,morethananyIndianhadeverdoneinanentirecareer, letalonein threeandahalfyears.NotoneseriespassedwithoutbearingthemarkoftheMaestro,andrarewastheTestwin,homeoraway,thatremaineduntouchedbyhiswork.Hewas there inKolkatawithVVS,scriptingamongthemostdramatic turnarounds thegamehas

known.HewastherewithGangulyfivemonthslaterinKandy,makingalongfourth-inningschaseagainst Murali and cohorts, the longest successful one there has been by a visiting team in thatcountry.HewasthereinPortElizabeththreemonthslater,savingaTestadayafterMikeDennesshadinfamouslyhauled the lot over the coals.Hewas there inGeorgetown fourmonthsdown the line,avertingafollow-onwhilepoppingpainkillerstosootheajawthathadswollentoonesideasthoughwithagulab jamun.Hewas thereoneTest later inPort-of-Spain,etchingoutmore thanahundredlow-keyrunsovertwoinningsinafamousvictory.Hewasthere,fourmonthson,entrenchedatTrentBridgefor the final foursessions, savingstillanotherTest.Hewas thereatHeadingley in thenextTest,takingblowafterblowtothebodyonabowler ’spitchundergloweringskies,sculptingoneofthegreatdefensiveinningsinoneofthegreatIndianwins.Hewasthere,unforgettably,inAdelaide,batting,batting,battingina trancetovictory.HehadbeenIndia’sbatsmanof the2000sas theyhadunfolded so far, andhishadbeenas significant anextended runas therehadbeenbyanybatsmananywheresincethesecondwar.WatchingDravidisaninspirationbecauseatamostvisiblelevelDravid’slessonsarethelessonsof

life. After a point all achievement is appetite. In 1997-98 he scored fifties in six successive Testinnings.Fiveyearslater,hescoredhundredsinfoursuccessiveTestinnings.Howmuchcanyoukeepbitingoff?Howmuchcanyoukeepchewing?Rahul Bhattacharya is a writer based in Delhi. He covered India’s 2003-04 tour of Pakistan for Wisden Asia Cricketmagazine, and later wrote a book about it: PunditsfromPakistan

ThreeofthefourwicketsDravidtookbowlinginODIswereofSouthAfricans�ShaunPollock,GaryKirstenandLanceKlusener.TheonlyotherbatsmanhedismissedinODIswasSaeedAnwar.

I

[18]

TheKingstongrindSIDDHARTHAVAIDYANATHAN

RahulDravid’stwinfiftiesatSabinaParkledIndiatotheirfirstserieswinintheCaribbeanin35years. They were constructed on a spiteful pitch that saw 22 single-digit scores in a game thatfinishedinthreedays.Dravid’stechnicalmasterywasunmatched.Hisdefencewaswatertightandheadaptedhistechniquetotheoccasion.81and68vWestIndies,fourthTest,Kingston,2006

twas the firstmorning of the final Test. The serieswas up for grabs. Sabina Parkwas a giantconstructionsite–thestadiumwasbeingreadiedforthe2007WorldCup.Helmetedworkerssatatopscaffolds, rows of empty charcoal-coloured bucket seats alternated with heaps of rubble. Around2000filledthestadium.SomeIndiansintheGeorgeHeadleyStandwavedflags;someWestIndianstootedhorns.AJamaicaflagflutteredabovethepavilion.JeromeTaylor,thelocalboy,wasrunningredhot.Indiawere3for2.Bothopenerswereout.RahulDravidwalkedinatNo.4,wherehehadbattedall

seriesinSachinTendulkar ’sabsence.Alocalphotographer,peeringthroughhislens,askedabouttheBritannia sticker on Dravid’s bat. He was told about a biscuit-making company in Bangalore,Dravid’shometown,whereitwasclosetodinnertime.It took19oversforDravid’s,andIndia’s, first four,astraightdriveoffDwayneBravo.Therest

was attrition. CoreyCollymore, themost economical bowler all series, probed outside off. PedroCollinsappliedpressurewithmaidens.Taylorexploded:ratchetingthepaceabove140kph,heforcedhesitantprods.NonefazedDravid.Twoandahalfmonthsearlier,inanunprecedenteddecision,theBCCIhadnamedDravidTestand

one-day captain until the 2007 World Cup. This decision, apparently a move towards stability,provokedcriticism.Dravid’sextendedtenureintheODIformatwasunderstandable–thesidewasinthemiddleofarecord-breakingrun–buthisTestresultswerequestionable.DravidhadwonahomeseriesagainstSriLankaandlostaseriesinPakistan.Withinfivedaysofthelandmarkdecision,hewouldloseaTesttoEngland,finishingahomeseries1-1andprovokingfurthercensureofhislong-termappointment.TheCaribbeantourhadbegunonahighnote:aDravidhundredwonthefirstODIinKingston–

India’s17thsuccessfulchaseonthetrot.Butthatwastheacme:Indialosttheseries1-4andthepressureonDravidintensifiedwitheverygame.Indiawere expected to dominate theTests.They camewithin onewicket ofwinning inAntigua,

were defiedby rain inStLucia, andby a confidentWest Indies batting line-up inStKitts.Now inKingstontheirchanceshungbyathread.India resumed after lunch at 29 for 2. VVS Laxman fell in the first over. Yuvraj Singh and

MohammadKaifwereflooredbysnorters:78for5.Dravidwasluckytosurviveamenacingshort

onefromTaylor,theballflyingoffhisbat’sedge,grazingthefingertipsofgully.HerespondedbypullingTaylorfortwosuccessivefours,bothinfrontofsquare.Hiswristsrolled,hisbodyflowinginasmootharcinthefollow-through.Battinggoteasiermidwaythroughtheday.AnilKumble,adeptatanglinghisbat,provedanable

ally.Dravidpunishedwidthandwasquickon thedrive,a longstride turning full-lengthdeliveriesintohalf-volleys.ChrisGayletriedoffspin;Dravidliftedhimovermid-on.ShivnarineChanderpaultriedlegspin;Dravidpaddle-sweptforfour.Hadthepitchflattenedout?JosephCharlesMorris,fondlycalledCharlie,wastheheadgroundsmanatSabinaPark.Hebegan

workingtherein1959.Histrademarkpitcheshadaglossyveneeronthesurface.HemadethefieryonefortheTestagainstIndiain1976,whenWestIndiesunleashedapacebatterysointimidatingthatBishanBedideclaredthefirstinningswithsixwicketsdown.Thepitchwasre-laidin theearly‘90sand,accordingtoCharlie, lostmostof itsbounce.Hehad

seensignsofarevival,though–especiallywhenSteveHarmisonrolledWestIndiesoverfor47in2004–butwishedformoreconsistency.OntheeveoftheTest,Charlieguaranteedthesurfacewouldhelpbounce.BrianLara,theWestIndiescaptain,saiditwouldhelpspinners.Dravidcalledita“slowwicket”,wheretheballwould“stoponthebatsmeninitially”.KumbleplayedontoashortballfromBravo:184for7.FiveoverslaterCollymoreluredDravid

intofeatheringoneoutsideoff.Thewicketkeeperpouchedtheedge.Dravidlatercomparedhis81tothe76hemadeonawindyfirstmorninginWellingtonin2002.India folded for 200. Only once had a team drawn a Test after making 200 or less in the first

inningsinKingston.Noteamhadwon.Itwashistoryorbust.Dravidhadbeentherebefore.Nineyearsbefore,onhisfirsttourtotheCaribbean,thetwoteams

hadplayedoutfourdraws.TheserieswasdecidedonamanicmorninginthethirdTest,whenIndiafailedtochase120onaBarbadossnakepit.In 2002 they had squandered another series after batting collapses inBarbados and Jamaica – a

harrowingdefeat: theserieswouldhavefinished1-1 if India’s lowerorderhadheldonforhalfanhourbefore torrential rain lashed the island for11days.Now,after threedrawnTests,DravidwasbackinKingston.Anotherserieswasontheline.LarasaidWestIndiesneededtoaimtobatfortwodays.Theylastedalittleoverasession.From72

for3theyshrivelledto103allout.Theteamfaced33.3overs–14ballsfewerthanDraviddidinhisinnings.Indiabowledwithdiscipline–HarbhajanSinghtookfivewicketsin4.3overs–butsomeoftheshotselectionwasbaffling.Thepitchwasunpredictable;thebattingmoreso.India led by 97. Their openers walked in with rain in the air. By the fourth over they had both

walkedback:6for2.Dravidtookstrikewiththegroundbathedinsunshine.Therewasawidelegslipinplace.Taylor

banged a short one in, then another, then angled one onto Dravid’s pads. The delicate edge flewbetweenthewicketkeeperandlegslip.InhisnextoverTayloragainfiredoneontoDravid’slegs.Itclippedthepadsandproducedawoodysound.DeneshRamdinfumbledthecatch.Taylorthoughthealmosthadawicket.Therewasdramaintheair.From thenon,Dravid reekedassurance.Batmetballwith sweet tocks.He judderedpull shots in

frontofsquare.Aregalswivelthatracedtothecoverfencetookhimpast9000Testruns.Hisdrives

wereextensionsofhisdefence:yousawthehighelbow;thebatpointedatfourthslipinthestance,andfinishedramrodstraight.Dravid stood still before the bowler delivered, then he mostly went back and moved across to

defend.Sometimes – andhere lay his genius – he simply got back and chose not tomove across,creatingwidth foracutshot.Herewasabatsmanat thepeakofhisprowess.Allafternoonhewasbeatenonce.CollymorecleanedupLaxmanandYuvraj.CollinsgotKaiftoplayon.Seventy-sixfor5.Indialed

by173.MSDhoniadded46withDravid,beforemissinganincutter thatkeptashadelow.Withhisfeetrootedtothecrease,Dhonistoodnochance.Twoovers laterTaylor sent a replicadeliverydown toDravid. It caught a thick insideedgeand

dribbled.Dravidshookhishead,determined.Thenextballkeptlowagain,exceptthistimeithelditsline.Dravidmovedforward,hisbatcamedownstraight.Taylorstoodtransfixed.Itwashislastoveroftheday.Thebestbowlerinthematchknewhewasdefeated.TherewasnowaypastBritannia.Indiaendedtheday225ahead.Dravidbattedoutanother36deliveriesthenextmorningbeforehe

wasbowledoffashooter.Hewalkedbacktoheartfeltapplause.Backinthedressingroom,hecursedhimselffornotgettingthebatdownintime.WestIndieswereset269.Theywentdownswinging.AfestiveSundaywaslitupbycameosfrom

RamnareshSarwan,BravoandRamdin.Kumblehad thefinalsay,hissixthwicketwrappingup thegameinthepenultimateover.IndiahadwonaseriesintheCaribbeanforthefirsttimein35years.Dravidwaschairedaroundtheground.GroundsmanCharlieshedcopioustears.Thiswas India’s first significantawayserieswin in twoyears.Dravidwenton to lead India toa

serieswininEngland.Despitememorableresults inTests(includingIndia’sfirstTestwininSouthAfrica)his captaincywasdefinedby Indiabeingknockedout in the first roundof the2007WorldCup.ForDravid thebatsman,Kingston2006wasahighpoint.Hisnextsignificant inningswasayear

andahalflater,onanotherchallengingsurface,inPerth,leadingtoanotherhistoricTestwin.Dravid returned to Jamaica in2011.Facedwith anotherunpredictablepitch,he respondedwith a

match-winning,andeventuallyseries-winning,century.Forthosewhomissedhisbattingin2006,heobligedwithanencore,showingthathistorydoesoccasionallyrepeatitself.Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is a journalist based in New York. He covered India’s 2006 tour of West Indies for ESPNcricinfo

Dravidwasneverdismissedforafirst-ballduckinTests.Hewas,though,runoutfor0withoutfacingaballonce:intheLahoreTestof2004.

T

[19]

ApartofhisbestselfSHARDAUGRA

India’s2011 tourofEnglandprovidedmoreoccasion thanothers in recent years todragout thefamiliarclichésaboutlonebulwarksanddefiantsolos:RahulDravidscored461runsintheTests,nearly200morethananyofhisteam-mates,attwicetheaverage.ThefinestofhisthreehundredscameatTrentBridge.117vEngland,secondTest,Nottingham,2011

hegreyskiesatthestartoftheNottinghamTesthaddefinedthefirstdayaswhatEnglishcricketfolk call a “bowling day”. As the clouds parted on the Saturday and sunlight flowed over TrentBridge,naturallyitwastheadventofthatotherphenomenon:the“battingday”.ForthisTestmatch,though,thosedescriptionswereirrelevant.Intermsofbatsmanship,thefirsttwodayshavebothbeen,quitesimply,Draviddays.The wicket at Trent Bridge is known for its propensity to aid swing. The theories behind that

phenomenonincludetheDuke’sball,thenewstandsbuiltattheground,theairflowaroundthem,theneighbouring river Trent, the sky, the clouds, the weather, everything and nothing.Wherever theswingcamefrom,RahulDravid’sresponsetoit,andhissecondTestcenturyofthetour,camefromskill,memoryandcussedness.Inthetoughestconditionsoftheseriessofar,Dravidhascomethroughasthetoughestbatsmanon

eitherside.Inpassagesofplaywhenthebowlinghasbeenunrelentingandduringspellswhentheballhas darted, jagged, leapt and thrown flying kisses at the bat’s edge, Dravid has been instinct andcalculationinperfectsync.Withthis34thcentury,hehasnowdrawnlevelwithSunilGavaskarandBrianLara,togowithhis

No.2spotonthelistofall-timeTestrunscorers.If thereeverwasapollconductedtoidentifythemost hardy and considerate international batsmen of this age, Dravid has a very good chance oftoppingit.Inthisseriesalreadyhehasdonemostofwhatheisknownfor:opened,battedatNo.3,keptwicket,fieldedatslip–and,hewillsaywithhisdrollhumour,alsodroppedafew.Asked,afterhiscentury,abouthisabilitytobowl,helaughedandsaid,“IfIbowl,myshoulderwillcomeoutofmyback.”OnthistourofEngland,itisashoulderhisteamhasleanedheavilyupon.OfalltheIndiabatsmen,

hehasadjustedthequickestinEngland,lookedthemostcomposed,andscoredthemostheavily.Indiastillfindthemselvesgaspingbecausehehashadverylittlecompany.Hewasoutinanoutrageouslyflashymannerhere,awild,short-gamecutoffTimBresnan,asout

ofplaceinhisinningsaspinkhotpantswouldbeatanawardspresentation.Giventhathispartnershadbeenunpredictableinthelasttenminutes,andfourwicketshadfallenforsixruns,itwashardtoblamehimforgoingforbroke.Itisworthrememberingthathisfirst-inningscenturyatLord’shadbeenrenderedpaltrybecauseof

apooreffortfromtherest.SomaybeifDravidisseenattemptingreversehitsorDilscoopsatTheOval,we’llknowhowthe Indianbattinghasgonefor the restof theseries.AfterHarbhajanSinghwasout,Dravidsaidhewantedtogofortheruns,theextra20-25runsthatcouldaddupattheend.Essentiallyhewanted toborrowfromStuartBroadandGraemeSwann’sninth-wicketapproachonFriday.Dravid’ssecondcenturyofthetourhadbegunwithabruisinghourofplayonFridayevening.He

washitonhiswrist,jammedinthefingers,workedover.Hekeptbattingthroughtwomoresessions,sometimeshobbling,sometimescrampingbutalwayspushingforward.Hewashitonthewristagainthismorning,andaftertheinitialspasm,hishandlostsensationforafewovers.WhatDravidneverlostwasthepurposeofwhathehadtodo:batoneballatatime.Inhisepicinnings–andhe’soneofthefewwhohasproducedregularepicsasagainstmemorable

stanzas – Dravid can often bat like a clock that ticks reliably. Tap. Single. Back again. Forward.Defend.Dotball.Beaten.Dotball.Forget.Offstump.Leave.Dotball.Late.Nudge.Two.Softhands.Kill.Dotball.Width.Cut.Four.Ballafterball,overafterover.HecalledNottinghamoneofhisbetterhundredsbecauseofthe“hard-working,fighting”aspectsof

it that he enjoyed.He said the conditions inHeadingley back in 2002,when India batted first on agreentracktoputupatotalthatsetupvictory,weretougher,butthebowlingin2011wasfarmoredemandingandprecise.He emerged with VVS Laxman on a bright morning and within three overs they cracked four

consecutiveboundaries.Twoeach,offrarelapsesfromJamesAndersonandBroad,thaterasedthedread that had built up last evening among the small gathering of vociferous Indian fans at theground.Thepartnershiphummedalonglikeitalwayshas,atvaryingpaces.Thetwomenfarmedtheattack

cleverly,DravidfacingBroadandLaxmanagainstAnderson,withfewsingles,severaltwos,andthequickboundaryatajuicysighter.Laxmanmelted the conditions – driving, pulling and cutting savagely to score his second half-

centuryoftheseries.Attheotherend,Dravidwasinhisownbubbleofconcentration,foundoftenatthenon-striker ’sendshadow-practisingtheleaveasmuchashedidtheforwarddefence.BroadlatersaidDravid’swickethadbeenhisfavouriteinadaywhentheyfellinaclatterandhad

includedhisstunninghat-trick.Dravid’sgameisbasedontechnicalclassicismandattachedtoitistheawarenessofhowvaluableawickethiscanbe.UnlikeitemsintheEnglishretailmarketrightnow,Dravid’swicketinthisseriesisnotgoingtobeofferedatadiscount.InNottingham therewasmeasured driving, his runs earned by tucking balls away off the pads,

counteringtheswingbyplayingtheballlateandeasingitthroughtothirdman.Closertohiscentury,thenewballnearing,Dravidsawtheslowerbowlersandthesuncomeon,anddecidedtoshowofftherestofhisrepertoireofshots:aback-footcoverdrive,aglidethroughslips.Swann,inparticular,wastakenapart,goingfor42in37ballstoDravid.IfDravid’sbattinginthisseriesweretobesettomusic,itcouldbetoElgarpossibly:bothpomp

andcircumstance.ThisishislasttourofEngland,acountrywherehehasalwaysenjoyedplayinghiscricket.Hehasscoredfivecenturieshere(average73.18)andsoakedinitsbesttraditions.Hisgrim,beautifulfightsinthesetwoTestsforIndiahavealsocarriedwiththemgratitudeforthegroundsheisplayingon.

InNottinghamashetriedtopushhisteamaheadinthecontest,runbyrun,inchbyinch,hewasalsogivingthecrowdhisfarewellmasterpiece.Dismissedinanuncharacteristicmanner,hewalkedbackthroughstretchingshadowsandthegoldenlightofadippingsun.Havingshakenoffhisannoyanceathis dismissal, he raised his bat to all sections of Trent Bridge as he neared the gate. Then hedisappearedupthestepsintoapavilionthatis125yearsold,withanhonoursboardthatwillhavehisnameupasecondtime.WhenRahulDravidleavesNottingham,hewill leaveapartofhisbestselfhere.ESPNcricinfo senior editor Sharda Ugra covered India’s 2011 tour of England. This piece was first published on the site onJuly 30, 2011

Ofthe11triple-centurystandsbyIndiansinTests,Dravidhasbeeninvolvedinfour,whichisthehighest.TendulkarandLaxmanhavebeeninvolvedinthreeeach.

[20]

‘Therearenoeasycatchesintheslips’INTERVIEWBYNAGRAJGOLLAPUDI

December2010

Howdeeplywereyouinterestedinslipfieldingtobeginwith?Ihaveneverconsideredmyselfanaturalslipfielder,butIworkedhardonit,Ipractisedit,andIhavetakenmyfairshareofthem.Growingup, inmyUnder-15days I used tobe awicketkeeper, and that carriedon till Iwas17.

Then I started focusing on my batting and moved on. I got into the Ranji team quite early, andgenerally,asayoungsterthefirstplaceyouareputinisatbat-padandshortleg,soyouhadtoworkonyourclose-infieldingstraightaway.GR Viswanath was the chairman of selectors in Karnataka back then and we did a lot of slip

catchingearlyinthemorning.Istartedtoreallyenjoyslipcatchingbecauseitwasverycompetitive.WehadthesecompetitivegameswitheachotherasVishysentcatchesourway.Withalotofyoungerkidscomingintotheteam,wewouldtrytooutdoeachother.Once I was in the Indian team, I was at silly point and short leg for about four years in the

beginning.Istartedenjoyingitbyworkingonthereflexesandcatching.OnceIbecameabitsenior–ifIcouldcallitthat–Imovedtotheslips.Itwasanaturalprogression.Howdidyoufigureoutwhichwasthebestspotforyouintheslipcordon?WhenJohnWrightcamein[ascoach]hewasverykeenthatwegetspecialistfieldingpositionsandsticktooneposition.Iidentifiedfirstslipasagoodoneformyself.MarkWaughbelievedthatslipcatchingcomesnaturally,thatyoucan’tbetaughtbycoaches.Whatdoyouthinkaretheessentialsofagoodslipfielder?Firstly, you should enjoy it. You should want to be there. It is a position where you’ve got toconcentratethewholeday,whereyouarealwaysinthegame.Then you’ve got to take a lot of catches. There is no substitute to taking a lot of a catches as a

youngsterifyouwanttodoslipcatching–you’vegottocatch,catch,catch.Andmorethandoingthenormalstuff,youhavetovaryyourcatching–you’vegottotakesomecatcheswiththetennisball,you’vegottotakesomecloser,somefurtheraway.One of the important things I have foundwith slip catching is, you need to have relaxed hands.

Whenanedgeiscomingtowardsyou,thelastthingyouwanttodoistightenuporfreezeorsnatchattheball.Whatabouttheposition–whereandhowyoustand?Isthereanidealone?BobbySimpsonspentsometimewithus[theformerAustraliacaptainwasaconsultanttotheIndianteamduringthe1999WorldCup].HewascoachofateamthathadwhatIconsiderprobablythebestslip-fielding cordons ever.MarkTaylor andMarkWaughwere thebest slippers I ever saw– theywere incredible. He [Simpson] came in and altered the way I stood in the slips, in terms ofpositioning.Thatmadeabigdifferencetome.Hegotmetotaketheweightonmyinstepratherthanstandingflat-footed.Whatitdoesis,youcantransferweightandquicklymoveinanydirection.

Eachoneofushasauniquebodyposition,soyouhavetoworkoutwhatiscomfortableforyou.Iknowsomewhospreadtheirfeetalittlemore,somealittleless,andtheycatchaswellasanyonethatIknow.Intheend,you’vejustgottocatch.Whatabouthandposition?Isitalwaysbettertohaveyourpreferredhandtakingtheball,withtheotheronewrappedaroundasasupport?ThefactthatIneverthoughtaboutitmeansIamnotsureifIdoallthat.Ijustcatchtheball.Idohavebighandsandthatdoeshelpinslipcatching.Idon’tthinkyouhavetimetothinkwhichhandshouldcomeontop;itjustcomesnaturally.Youmentionedpractisingwithdifferentkindsofball.Canyoutellusalittlemoreaboutthat?Itgivesyourhandadifferentfeeling,ofadifferentobject.Like,catchingonedaywithatennisball,thenanotherdaywithaslightlyhardplasticineball,thenanotherdaywithasofterball–youcanevencatchwithagolfball.Itjustmakesitmoreinteresting.Ifyoucontinuetakingcatchesintheregularfashion,itcouldgetboringandrepetitive,butifyoucanjustvaryitwithdifferentballs,withdifferentangles,itcouldbemorefun.Itisallaboutfun.Doyouwatchthebat,thebatsmanorthebowler’shand?I just focuson theball.As soonas thebowler runs in andas soonashehits thedelivery stride, Iswitchonandstartfocusingontheballinarelaxedfashion.Asforreadingthehand,ifitisaspinner,likeAnil[Kumble]orHarbhajan[Singh],youarereadingtheirhands,youarewatchingtheirhands–whattheyarebowling.Howdifferentachallengeisit,standingtoaspinnercomparedtoafastbowler?Notamassivedifference.Withthefastbowlerstheballcomesatyoualotquickerbutyouarefurtheraway.Withthespinnersyoudon’thavethattimetoreactbecauseoftheshortdistance.Thenagain,itdoesn’tcomeatthesamepace.Howdoyoudecidewheretostand?From a spinner ’s perspective, in India itwas never easy forme to judgewhere to stand: how farforward,howfarback.BecauseonIndianwicketstheballdoesnotcarryasmuchasabroad.Thatistrueofslipfieldingingeneral.Iwouldn’tsayonlyforspinners,evenforafastbowlerthatholdstrue.Alotofforeignplayershavepointedthatouttome.InAustraliaandSouthAfricathebounceisquiteconsistent, quite even, andyoucan standwayback.But in India, since there isnotmuchcarry, theedgesdonottraveltoyoustraight,soyougetsortoftemptedanddraggedforwardallthetime.Anditisverydifficult toknowexactlyhowfarforwardyouneedtogo.Soit isjustajudgementthing,basedonthewicket,thebounce,whoisbowling,whichspelltheyarebowling,theconditionoftheball…Soyou’vejustgottokeepvarying.Thereisnoperfectplacetostand.Whatsortofpressureareyouunderasaslipfielder?AsIsaidearlier,youmustenjoybeingaslipfielder.Everyoneintheslipsdropscatchesattimes.Youareputtingyourselfinapositionwhereyouareseen,butyoumustenjoythefactthatyouwanttobeabletomakeaplay.Oneofthegreatjoysofbeingaslipfielderwhotakesacatchisthatyouareabletocontributetothebowler ’ssuccess.Yes,youareputtingyourselfinthefiringlineifyoustuffitup,butyoumustwanttobeinthatpositiontomakeadifference,andrecognisethatsometimesyoumightmakemistakes.Therearenoeasycatchesintheslips.Butaslongasyouhavepractisedwellandputinenoughtime,youarefine.WhatisthemostchallengingthingaboutstandingintheslipsinTestcricket?Concentration.Attimesyouwillgetnothingthewholeday,butsuddenlyinthe110thor112thoverof

thematch,asharpchancecomesalong.You’vegottobereadyandalerttobeabletoreact.Soitisabouttheconcentration,aboutdoingitdayin,dayout,overafterover,ballafterball.Onethingthatcouldhelp ishavingasetroutine,apatternwhereyouknowexactlywhatyouare

goingtodoeachball.Thatkeepsyouinthatspacetodothat.Youspokeofswitchingon.Whataboutswitchingoffbetweendeliveries?Itisverysimilartobatting.Slipcatchingdoeshelpyourbattingintermsofyourroutines.BetweenballsItalktomyco-slipfielders.Youtalksometimesaboutthegamesituation,butlotsofothertimesabout various other topics, not cricket. That keeps you focused, keeps you relaxed. Like me and[VVS] Laxman talk about kids, house construction, plumbers, electricians, running errands. Youcannotkeeptalkingcricketthewholeday–youhavetoswitchoff.Butassoonasthebowlerstartsrunningin,youswitchbackon.Couldyoutalkaboutyourtwobestcatches?In the2001Test series againstAustralia I caughtMarkWaughdown the leg side. Itwasnot a slipcatch strictly– itwas at backward short legoffHarbhajan inChennai. Itwas a critical time in thematch,duringthethirdinnings.Itwentdownthelegsideandflewtomyright.Ireactedinstinctivelyand grabbed at it. The ball bounced off initially but Iwas able to hold on to it. It had come veryquickly.WehadpractisedforsuchacatchbecausewehadrecognisedMarkWaughwassomeonewhoplayedHarbhajanreallywelloffhis legs.Andonawicket thatbouncedabit,weknewoneor twoedgesmightcomeandweshouldbeinapositiontocatchthem.Thefactthatitwasatightgame,thatWaughwasalready50-plus– in thatcontext itwasahugecatchandone I reallycherish.Australiacollapsedafterthat,soitwasagoodcatch.The second one is once again againstAustralia, inAdelaide in the 2004 series:DamienMartyn

against Sachin [Tendulkar], again the third innings. Sachin was spinning the ball a long way andMartyn drove at one and I stuck my right hand out and caught it. It was a reflexive catch, moreinstinctive.Withsuchcatches,alotofthetime,ifyouareabletostickyourhandout,youhavedonewell.Ithappenssoquickly–sometimestheystick,sometimestheydon’t.Attimestheballjustgrazesyourhandorpopsout,butyouhavetoputyourhandinapositionwhereyouatleasttry.Against fast bowlers, the one that ismemorable is catchingRickyPonting off Ishant Sharma, at

thirdslip inPerth [in2008].Theballwas flyingacrossme.Therewasabitofextrabounce in thewicketandPontingplayedatit,butImovedquicklytomyrightandreactedquicklytoholdthecatch.That’swhatIwassayingearlier–oneof theadvantagesofstandingingrounds likePerth is that

youhavedistance,andbecauseofthebounceyouhavealotoftime.IhavealwaysenjoyedstandingintheslipsinplaceslikeAustraliaandSouthAfricabecausethebounceis true.Youknowyoucanstandback.Theballcarries.Itcomesquicklybutataniceheightandatacomfortablepace.Whoarethebestslipfieldersyousaw?[Mohammad]AzharuddinandLaxmanfromIndia.AndrewFlintoffwassuperbforEngland.AsforAustralia, Taylor,MarkWaugh, ShaneWarne and Ricky Ponting.Mahela Jayawardene has lovelyhandsandisgood.Whathappenswhenyoudropacatch.Doyouletitaffectyou?Atsomelevelitdoesaffectyou.Youaredisappointedaboutlettingthebowlerdownbecausehehasbeenputtinginsomuchefforttocreateanopportunityafteralotofplanningandthinking,andyouhavenotbeenable tograbonto thechance.Butyou’vegot toquicklymoveon,becausetheworst

thing you can do is to be lingering on it and not be in the right state of mind to grab anotheropportunitythatcomesalong.Withexperienceyoulearntomoveon,acceptitandtryandgetthenextone.Doyourememberallyourcatches?Ican’tremembereveryoneoffhand,butifyoushowmethescorecardIwillremember.Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo, where this interview was first published on December 28, 2010, whenDravid took his 200th catch in Test cricket

TwoIndianshaveeffected200-plusODIdismissalsasfielderorwicketkeeper.Dravidisone,with210.OnlyMSDhoni,with252dismissals,hasmore.

Theman

Hebattedasariverruns,atanimmemorialpace.Youcouldtuneintoaninningsofhisatanytimeandbeunsurewhetherhehadbattedsixhoursorsixminutes.Hecarriedhimselfwiththesameeasydignityinsuccessorfailure,inIndiaorabroad.

Gideon Haigh, Asportsmanofmodeldecorum,page145

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[21]

Dignity,grace,conscienceROHITBRIJNATH

tthecoreofthegreatathleteoftenresidesaself-centredanimal.Heislitupbythespotlight;therestof theworldfalls intohisshadow.Once,aformercricketer,hisnationality irrelevant,dinedatmyhouseandwasstaggeringlyoblivioustomyotherguests.Hewaspreparedtobequestioned;hesimplydidnothaveanyquestionsforthem.Asiftheywerethedistant,facelesscrowdinastadium.It is here, for me, that Rahul Dravid found his point of difference. Life intrigued him, yours

included.WhenhecametoSingaporeonce,hecharmedmyfriends(onegavehimbattingadvice;hesmiled).Whatareyoureading,he’dask.Whatdoyouthink,he’dquery.Notaboutcricket,buttennis,toughness,politics.He’dlinger inbookshops,stroll into theatres,sit inwildlifeparks.OneyearheoptedtogoandlearnfromavisualskillsspecialistinSouthAfrica;lastsummer,hedrovetoChelseaFCtowanderthroughtheirMindRoom.Fromhiswideinterestsemergedcricket’smostinterestingman.Hewore polished shoes but never an aura. In aworld of gods, he preferred his humanness, an

unadornedmanbattlinghisownimperfectionswithalow-keydignity.Hewasforeverconsciousofthe familieshe represented (hisown, the team, the fans, thegameat large)andownedanauthenticdecencywecraveinathletesbutrarelyfind.Mymotherisnotgivenatalltocricketwatching,yetshesentmeanemailafterhisretirementpress

conferencethatincludedthewords“poised”,“grace”,“dignity”.Iftheold-fashionedamongushaveaquaintnotionofwhattheathleteshouldrepresent,thenDravidmetitforus.Greatnesscanbeworngently. A man can stay true for 16 years to the idea that desire and sportsmanship, ambition andetiquette,arenotvirtuesinconflict.Weneededareminderthatevenamidsttheover-indulgenceandover-worshipofmodernsport,amanneednotlosehimself.Dravidwasprecociousthatway,alwaysthegrown-upcricketer.Hehadaconscience,andinaway

hebecameours.There is forme an irony in themourning for him in a timewhenViratKohli isworshipped.Perhapswerealisewhatwearelosing,perhapsthetimeofsuchmenhaspassed.Hewasteased recently that itwas fortunate hewas not 22, for hewould be amisfit:Dravidwith his hairgelled,a tattooofhiswifeonhis forearm, retinue in tow, snarling, is an imagebothamusingandobscene.Dravid took cricket seriously but not always himself. Or you. During the 1999 World Cup,

watchingmetakeafewcasualswipeswithhisbat,hefelloffhishotelbedlaughingandofferedthisadvice:“Please,don’teverwriteabouttechnique.”Hisbattingcouldbeclassical,yetheneverviewedhimselfastheclassicalhero.Indeed,theeveningafterhisretirementpressconference,hesuggestedwithamusementthathisimmediatefutureincluded“practisingmynewsweepshotwithabroom”.Imethimfirstin1996,aslimyoungman,shirttuckedin,hairparted;andhismethodonthefield

wouldbeasfastidious.Hesawthenyloncagesofthepracticenetsashisuniversityandpractisedlikeamanpursuingadegreehemightneverearn.There,andonthefield,itwasthediscoveryofhimself,

thisuniquelyprivatemoment,thathemostrelished.Forhim–andyou’dgroanwhenherepeatedhisfavouriteword–itwasaboutthe“process”.ThereweremanybatsmeninRahulDravid.Theworstoneoncefoundhimthemostapplause. In

someforgottenone-dayer,hesmashedaquickfifty(theseverywordsmustmakehimshiver),andhejoked that he receivedmore handshakes for it than for anything before.Of course, he could be apictureofbalancedharmony,hisshotsallrefinedarchitecture,andthiswasbecoming.ButthecussedDravid,amanofteamcausenotcrowd,wasmyfavourite,playingtohisownscholarlysheetmusic.Laxmanofferedmeart,Sehwagliberation,Tendulkarconsistentgenius,butDravidtaughtusthat

theabilitytoreassureisagift.Forsuchaneatman,helovedanuglyscrap.Runsmightemergeinunsightlydribbles–sometimesitwasasiftobeuninhibitedwasanactofimmodestyforhim–buthe’dkeepgoing.Aleave,ablock,ablock,aleave,andthisshouldhavebeenboring–andwell,yes,sometimes itwas – except, by the end he’d built a lead, or rescued a situation, or offered India awinningchance,andyou’dlookatthisman,shirtboundbysweat,ferociousinhisconcentration,andjustthink,bloodyhell.Struggle,inallitsforms,washishymn.Hewantedtowin,andifhetookdefeatmanfullyhealsodidsopainfully.OnthenightafterIndia

exitedthe2007WorldCupunderhiscaptaincy,onthephonehesoundedasifhewasdying.Ilikedhimforthisandforhiswillingnesstodiscusshisownandsufficientimperfections.Because

hewouldn’tflinchfromhonestyandyoucouldchallengehimonhisthinkingascaptainorgethimtolaughathisownunhurriedness.Becauseheunderstoodtalentisonlylenttoyouforawhileandthatonly ceaseless industry can allow for its consistent expression. Because he has a strong sense ofhimself, for even as kind bloggerswould call him “unsung”, he’d say, no, enough has been sungaboutme.HewasmorethanjustacricketeranditwasevidentinourmeetinginOctober2011.Hehadbeen

invited to a discussion on the sporting mind, at the Bangalore launch of Olympic shooting goldmedallistAbhinavBindra’sautobiography.“Nospeech,right?”heinsisted,forthatwouldmeanamonth’sdutifulhardlabourforhim.No,I

promised.Onlyadiscussion.Except,on launchday, in theevening,he tookmeaside. “I’d like tomakea short speech, is that

okay?”Andsohedid,acharming,generousintroductionaboutBindraandhisvirtuesandthechallengeof

theOlympics.Heisnearlytenyearsolderthantheshooterandfarmorecelebrated,butthiswasnothismoment,hewantedBindratohavethesun,andbeingintheshadowsheldnofearforhimanyway.ItwasnotDravidathisbest,itwassimplyjustDravidbeinghimself.Rohit Brijnath is a senior correspondent at the Straits Times in Singapore and the co-author of the autobiography ofAbhinav Bindra. This piece was first published in MintLounge on March 10, 2012

R

[22]

AsportsmanofmodeldecorumGIDEONHAIGH

ahulDravidisathinkingcricketer.ButonepersonIlearnedthathedoesnotspendalotoftimethinkingaboutis…RahulDravid.ItwasshortlyaftertheBoxingDayTest,andwewerehavingdinnerwithamutualfriendnearmy

home,ataspaghettijointinLygonStreet,Carlton.Ashappenswhenyou’reindistinguishedsportingcompany,thesubjectofconversationturnedtosettingdownsomethoughtsaboutthatcareerwhenitended–asDravidannouncedyesterdayitwas.Test cricket’s second-tallest scorer, and themanwho facedmoreTest deliveries than any other,

wouldseemtohavea tale to tell.Draviddidnotagree.What,afterall,hadhedone?Hehadhadacomfortableupbringing,agoodeducation,alovingmarriageand…well,yes,he’dmademorethan24,000internationalrunswith48hundreds,butwhatofit?DravidhadrecentlyreadAndreAgassi’sautobiography,Open.Nowthatwasastory.Drugs,girls,

money,triumph,disaster.Bycomparison,Dravidsaidseriously,hehadhardlylivedatall.Whileitseemsalmostchurlishtodisputesuchacommonsensicalself-estimation,onthisoccasion

let’s quietly beg to differ. For most of his 15 years at the top, Dravid was the most immaculatecricketerinthegame,abatsmanofpreternaturalserenityandasportsmanofmodeldecorum.ThatwonderfulIndiancricketwriterSujitMukherjeeoncesaidofDravid’sgreatantecedentVijay

Hazarethathis inningshad“nobeginningandnoend”,because“whetherhisscorewas2or20or200, he [Hazare]was assessing the bowlingwith the same exacting concern that characterised hiseverymomentatthecrease”.ThesamewastrueofDravid.Hebattedasariverruns,atanimmemorialpace.Youcouldtuneinto

aninningsofhisatanytimeandbeunsurewhetherhehadbattedsixhoursorsixminutes.Hecarriedhimselfwiththesameeasydignityinsuccessorfailure,inIndiaorabroad:unliketheothermembersofhiscountry’sprestigiousbattingeliteofTendulkar,Sehwag,LaxmanandGanguly,heboastedahigheraverageawaythanhome.Dravid’s decision to retirewill not come as a great surprise to thosewhowatchedhim struggle

throughtheAustraliansummer.Youarriveatapointincontemplationofanygreatbatsmandealingwithpoor formwhere rationalexplanationno longer suffices.Some littleadvantagehasbeen lost,someindefinableaurahasfaded.Bowlers sense it: they attackwhere they used to be content to keep quiet. Fielders sense it: they

crouchineagerexpectationofcatches,andrelaxinconfidenceofacceptingthem.SuchwasthecasewithDravidin2011-12,andheistooperceptivenottohavesensedit,despitehisvaliantstruggles.Hewas,asever,amodelguest,hisBradmanOrationbeingquitepossiblytheseason’soutstandingIndianperformance.ItisalsocharacteristicthatDravidwaiteduntiltheAustraliansummerwascompletelydonewith beforemaking any announcement; it is in linewith his view that individuals are at the

game’sservice,notviceversa.Not every cricketer ’s cricket faithfully reflects his personality, but Dravid’s would seem to. In

company, he thinks before speaking, gives his interlocutors undivided attention, is unhurried andunflappable.Thatevening,diningalfresco,wewereperfectlyatthemercyofpassingrubberneckersEverytwo

minutes, itseemed,someonewouldaskDravidforanautograph,wanthimtoposeforaphoto,orsimplystoptogawk.Eventhechefcameouttoshakehishand.Dravidgaveeverypetitionerperfectpartialattention,notoncegrowingflustered,notoncelosing

thethreadofaconversation–dealingwiththemratherlikeballswideofoffstump,givingthemtheirduebutnomore.Therewas,Irealisedafterawhile,awell-honedtechniquetoit.Dravidacquiescedto each request politely but straightforwardly, volunteering nothing in addition. People got themessage;itwasimpressive.Varioussubjectswerediscussedthatevening,whichitseemsimpolitetodivulge,andmayevenbe

unenlightening to, because Dravid is so reticent about his career and so respectful of opponents.About one opponent, though, hewas forthcoming, and that was Ricky Ponting. He recalled beingaccostedbyPonting,whomhehardlyknewandhadbarelyconversedwith,duringAustralia’stourofIndiain2010.“Iwanttotalktoyou,”Pontinginsisted.Dravidwonderedwhathehaddonewrong;onthecontrary,Pontingwantedtotellhimwhathewas

doingright.Dravidwashavingapoorseries;Pontingurgedhimtohanginthere.“Iknowyou’renotmaking runs, and I know there’s probably a bit of pressure on you at themoment,” Ponting toldDravid.“Butletmetellyou:everytimeyoucomein,Itelltheguysthatyoulooklikeyou’regoingtogetrunstoday.You’vebeengettingout,butIreckontherearesomebigscoresaroundthecornerforyou.”Dravidwasmoved by the grace of Ponting’s gesture – as indeedwerewe, his companions that

night,tohearofit.HewentandprovedPontingright,too,enjoyingin2011thesecond-mostprolificcalendaryearofhisTestcareer.Justoveraweekafterourdinner,PontingdivedheadlongforhiscreaseattheSCG,justbeatinga

throwandachievinghisfirstTestcenturyinnearlytwoyears.ItwasnoticeablethatwhilemostoftheIndianfieldersassumedexcruciatedposes,handsonheads,lookingmartyred,Dravidmovedinfrommid-offclappingappreciatively,andperhapsalsogratefully.Youwould think thathavinga cricketerplayat international level formore than15yearsmight

conducetoalittlesuccessionplanning;thisbeingIndiancricket,youwouldthinkwrongly.NobodystandsoutinthisIndianline-upasaninheritorofDravid’smantle.Hisretirementwillleavethesamebreachinhisteamasitwouldhavedoneadecadeago.All the same, there is perhaps no modern cricketer better equipped intellectually and

temperamentally tomake a contribution to the game’s governance and direction.Dravid’s greatestimpactoncricketmightlieaheadofhim.Andthatwouldbeastoryworthtelling.Gideon Haigh is an author and cricket historian, whose writing has been featured, among other places, on ESPNcricinfo, inthe Guardian,and the Australian (where this piece was first published)

I

[23]

ThereasonIgotmarriedJARRODKIMBER

’vealwayshopedthereisanalternateuniversewhereRahulDravidistheman,thebestbatsmanintheworldandtheguythateveryonewishestheycouldbe.Inthatworldeverythinghedoesorsaysisgospel.Whenhebats,thewholeworld,everysinglecountry,stopsandsighs.Hisforwarddefenceisthesolereasonforworldpeace.It’sasifbeforehimtherewasnoreasontolive.Lawsarerewrittenfor him, ice-cream is named after him, andwhen he finally retires from cricket he takes over thewholeworldasaunanimouslyelectedbenevolentleader.That’stheworldIwishDravidlivedin,becauseIthinkhedeservesitandbecauseoftheeffecthe

hashadonmylife.Ican’twriteabouthimfromadistancedandanalyticalperspective.Heonceshookmyhandandit’sbecauseofhimI’mnowmarried.Even before he touched me and changed my life, Dravid was always there. In the late ‘90s I’d

becomeobsessedwith him thewayyoudid in those days, viaCricinfo andnewspaper scorecards.WhenIndiawere touringAustralia in1999-2000 therewasmuchhypeoverSachinTendulkar, so IwentoutofmywaytomakesurethateverycricketconversationIhadaboutIndiancricketprecedingthatsummerhadDravid’snameinit.Iwouldn’tlethimbeforgotten.Dravidaveraged15.50thatseries.FouryearslaterhecamebacktoAustraliaasthatguywhohadstoodattheotherendwhileVVS

LaxmandefeatedAustralia.Australiansstilldidn’treallyrateDravid,iftheythoughtofhimatall.Before the2003-04seriesIndiawereplayingVictoriaat theMCGinawarm-up. Iconvincedmy

girlfriendtospendthedaywatchingsomeIndianlegendsandsitinthesun.ItwasusandabunchofIndianstudents.Nooneelsewasstupidenoughtowatchthethirddayofatourmatchthathadfizzledoutwellbefore.The“crowd”weretheretoseeSachin,andsowasI,butIalsowantedtoseeDravid.As the fans slowly left, knowing that the chances of Sachin battingwere quite low,my girlfriendbegged, abused and did everything short of dragging me out of the ground. Aakash Chopra andSadagoppanRameshbattingquiteslowlydidn’tpleaseher.ButIwasresolute.IwantedtoseeDravidbat.Thisdidn’tpleasemygirlfriendevenalittlebit.ButfinallyIwasjustifiedashestrodetothecrease.

ItoldherthatshecouldsayshesawRahulDravidbatinfrontofacrowdof16people.Dravidwaswatchful ashe facedVictoria’sback-upwicketkeeper for fiveballsbefore thematch

wascalledadraw.MygirlfriendandIbrokeupshortlyafterwards.Itprobablywasn’tbecauseofthatday,butyouneverknow.Recently I readapiece in an Indiannewspaper thatdescribedDravid asmoreEnglish thanmost

Englishpeople.ButIrememberwhenhewasprettyAustralian.ItwasinanIPLmatchwhereDravidhad edged to slip and Tendulkar had claimed the catch. You expected Dravid to just walk off.TendulkarandDravidprobablyknowwhattheothereatsforbreakfastandwhatAdamSandlerfilmistheother ’sfavourite,butherewasDravid,doubtingwhatmanypeoplecountasthewordofgodin

India.Notwalking.TheAustralianwayofcricketfromcricket’sultimategentleman.Itwasbrilliant.Iamsuremany tookoffence.But forme it showed thateven inan IPLmatch thathemightnot takeseriously,hestillwantedtowinmorethananything.ThentherewasthetimeIwasmakingafilmaboutTestcricketandluckily,duetoourproducer ’s

insistenceandgoodtiming,Dravidagreedtoappear. Iwasgoingtobe interviewingRahulDravid,themanwhoseforwarddefenceistattooedintothememoryofeveryTestcricketlover.ThatMonday(whichwasduetobedayfiveofthe2011-12seriesagainstAustralia)heshookmy

handtwice.Heturnedupandwaspolite,distinguishedandreserved.Exactlywhatyou’dexpectofhim.Itwas

gentle,andyoucouldbarelyfeelthehandwhosesilkysofttouchguidestheballbehindpoint.Eitherhewas just amanwho shook as softly as he catches in the slips or hewas put off by our shabbydemeanour and questionable aroma. Once on camera, he answered questions the way he bats –thoughtfully,withoutrashness.Sometimes he replied with a late verbal defensive shot, and other times he answered with an

elegantlypunchedoral drive.Butwhenwe spoke, hedidn’t treat us like thedisgustingmenwe soclearlywere.Hehasthiswayabouthimthatmakesyoufeellikehe’sonyourside.Thesecondhandshakecameaftertheinterview.Itwascompletelydifferentfromthefirst–thiswas

the handshake of a man who clearly liked the questions he’d answered and was happy we weremakingthefilm.Itwasfirm,morelikeheslappedourhandsandthenheldon,givingafirmenoughshake. And he didn’t just do it to me, he went through our whole crew with the same sort ofenthusiastichandshakethatmakesyoufeelbetteraboutyourselfandlifeingeneral.I’mnotsureanyhandshakehasevermademefeelbetter.In our own shambolicway,we appeared to havewon over one of the keepers of Test cricket’s

flame.Withonelonger-than-he-agreed-tointerviewandboisteroushandshake,Dravidhadreinforcedto us that we knew what were doing and that we could, in fact, make a film about something asmonstrousasTestcricket’sfutureandpresent.Sure,wecouldrunoutofmoney,overdoseonchips,or even be freakishly killed by some rabid T20 fundamentalist’s aggressive sixwhilewewalked,ReservoirDogs-style,throughapark.ButDravidshookourhandslikeweweredoingtherightthing.Sowehavesomethingonourside.Touchingmewassomething,butDraviddidn’tstopthere.RahulDravidisthereasonmywifeandI

gotmarried.Beforemeetingme,mywifewasacricket-obsessednerd,andonedaywhenshewastrawlingthe

puke-infestedguttersoftheinterweb,shefoundherwaytomycricketsite,cricketwithballs.Thepieceshereadwasafteradrunkendayat theMCG,whereIwroteabouta torturous inningswhenRahulDravidmadethreeonesoffatrilliondeliveries,whilebeingdropped48times.Dravid had batted like amanwhohad just been gelded. Itwas ugly towatch, and the fact that a

batsmanlikethatcouldbegivenaBronxcheerforfinallygettingoffthemarkwashorrible.IfDravidwasmydog,I’dhavetakenhimouttothecountry,andtakenashovelaswell.Iwaspissedoffhewasopening,Iwaspissedoffhewasdoingitbadly,andmostlyIwaspissedoff

thatIhadtoseehimlikethis.Toseehimlikethisjustleftmecold.Butitwasn’tthefirsttimeDravidhaddraggedhiscarcassaroundthecreaselikethis.Thesewere

the dark days forDravid,when hewasmore than a corpsewith pads on, hewas a fully kitted-upcadaver.Runshadbecomesparseandpainful forDravid.OnoneotheroccasionwhenDravidhadstruggledintheUK,myfuturewifehadbeenthere,andlivedthesamesortofhorrorIhad.SeeingmywordsaboutDravidmeantshewroteacomment,andwebondedoverseeingDravidat

hisworstandwishingwehadn’t.Lateronwe’dgetmarriedandshe’dslipa ringonmy lefthand,whichisverysimilartomyrighthand,which,yearslater,shookDravid’srighthand.OurweddingwasatTheOval,theplaceofDravid’slastoverseasTestcentury.Atthereceptionthe

tableswerenamedaftercricketgrounds.OnewastheMCG,andweusedaphotoofDravidfacingathrow-downthere.Thepicturewastakenonlyacoupleofdaysbeforemywifewrotethatcomment.RahulDravidisnotmyfavouritecricketer.He’snotthecricketerIgetthemostenjoymentfrom.I

knowothercricketersfarbetterpersonally.ItmightevenseemtosomethatIcanonlyrememberthebaddaysofDravid’scareer.And I suppose Ido.But Idon’tneed tobe theonewritingabouthowgreataplayerhewas,I’mtheonewhowritesabouthowthisstoicTestchampionchangedmylifebyhisveryexistence.Andforthat,andhisforwarddefence,Isay,thankyou,Rahul.Jarrod Kimber is the author of the cricketwithballs blog. On ESPNcricinfo, he writes the Cricket Sadist Hour blog and is oneof the Two Chucks on the video show of the same name

I

[24]

ThemoneymomentSAMIRCHOPRA

nJanuary2011ItravelledtoBangaloretomeetRahulDravidandinterviewhimforthebookIwasthen writing. I intended to write on the changing face of modern cricket, on its response to theintroductionofthefranchiseintoanation-basedgame,onthechallengesTestcricketfaced,andontheeffectsofmediaandtechnologyonthegame.WhenIthoughtofwhichIndiancricketersIwouldmostliketotalkto,Dravid’snamesuggesteditselfasanobviouschoice.ShortlyafterIreceivedwordthatIshouldgoaheadandcontactRahul,Icalledandspokebriefly

withhimonthephone.Hewasunfailinglycourteousandhelpful,providingdetaileddirectionstohishouse,evensolicitouslyinquiringwhetherIknewmywayaboutBangalore(Ididn’t,butassuredhimthatIwouldbejustfine).Iarrivedathishouseontime,wasshownin,andsoonourconversationstarted.Dravidwasdressed

casually and conductedhimselfwith a polite, relaxed informality that putme instantly at ease, andpromptedmetoaskallthequestionsIwantedto.MrsDravidjoinedusforafewminutes,broughtustea,askedmeafewquestionsaboutmybackground,andthenlefttotakecareoftheirboys.AsItalkedtoDravid,aslightsenseofunrealitypervadedtheproceedings.Thismansimplydidnot

havetheairsofasportingsuperstar,someonewhowasrichandfamousandhobnobbedwithothercricketing superstars (thoughhedid sometimescasually refer to themby firstname). I couldhavebeen talking tosomeonewhowasakeenfanofcricket rather thanaTestgreatandaformerIndiacaptain.At timesIhadtokeepremindingmyself that thiswasRahulDravid.Ofcourse, thequality,sharpness,andsometimesbluntnessofhisobservationsoncricket,thelevelofcricketingknowledgeondisplay,andtheinsightsthatonlysomeoneontheinsideofthegamecouldhave,remindedmethatIwastalkingtoapersonlocatedataveryparticularfocalpointofinternationalcricket.Andthen,ithappened.Themoneymoment,sotospeak.Aswetalkedaboutthetransitionfromfirst-classcrickettoTestcricket,fromTestcrickettoone-

daygamesandT20,Dravidsaid,“Myattitudetowardsbattingwassimple:thebowlerhadtoearnmywicket.ItoldmyselfthatIhadtobatatleast30oversinaTest.IfIdidn’tdothat,Ihadfailed.Iwoulddoitonewayortheother.”Ashesaid this,suddenlyhisexpressionchanged.Thesmiling,casual, relaxeddemeanour thathe

hadassumedtill thatpoint in theconversationwasgone.Hisfacehardened, the linesonhisvisagetautened.Istaredathim,alumpnowpresentinmythroat,asIfeltaslightchillrunupmyspine.At that moment I realised I was in the presence of 10,000 Test runs, of umpteen thousands of

deliveries faced, resisted and scored off. I was in the presence of a man who had squared up to,among others, Ambrose, Bishop,McGrath,Walsh, Akram, Steyn, Donald,Waqar – bowlers who,quitefrankly,wouldinduceinmetrouser-soiling,spit-dryingfear.Atthatmomentthefriendlymaskslipped,justforasecond,andIsawthesteelandthegritthathadmadesomanyofIndia’sgreatestTestwinspossible.

Andthenwewerebacktobeingchattyaboutmoderncricket,thebigpaychecksintheIPL,andthenewaspirationsofyoungIndiancricketers.Ourconversationlastedsomefourhours.AttheendofitDraviddrovemetotheentranceofthe

residentialestatewherehishousewaslocated,sothatIcouldhailacab.Hewishedmeluckwithmywritingandwasthengone.While I remain grateful that he took the time to speak so frankly and voluminously to an utter

stranger,Iremainevenmoreappreciativethatheletmesee, justforabriefmoment,right intotheheartofatruechampion.ItistheclosestIhaveevercometoknowingwhatgoesintothemakingofagreatcricketer.Samir Chopra lives in Brooklyn and teaches Philosophy at the City University of New York. He writes the blog The Pitch (onESPNcricinfo), where this piece was first published on March 9, 2012, and runs a couple of others – Eye on Cricket andsamirchopra.com

I

[25]

StartasyoumeantogoonFAZALKHALEEL

firstmetRahulatStAnthony’sBoysPrimarySchoolinBangalorebutonlygottoknowhimbetterwhenwemovedtoStJoseph’sHighSchoolinclassfour.Evenat thatagehewasserious–a littledifferent fromtheothers. I see thesamequalities inhis

olderson,Samit,whohasthesameabilitytoswitchonandoffeasily.ThesequalitieshelpedRahulthroughhiscricketinglife,togetoutofdifficultsituationsandtohandleeasyoneswell.He paid attention to detail, especially the basics. If his formwas not good hewould go back to

shadow-practice – to the hanging ball.When correcting our mistakes, our coach, Keki Tarapore,wouldtellusthatifthebatdidnotcomedownstraight,theballwouldtravelatanangle.Rahulneverforgottheinstruction.Interestingly,henevermadeanychangestohisbasiccricketorinhisapproachtothegame.Right

fromhisschoolcricketdays,hehasplayedthesameway.PlayingintheVcamenaturallytohimandheneveralteredit.Asaroom-mate,Rahulwasdifficultaswellaseasytosharewith.Hewantedazen-likeatmosphere

intheroom–everythingpeacefulandcalm.Hewasquietandmeditative,wouldnotwatchTVmuch;hereadbooksinstead.Hedidn’tseemtorealise that therestofuswerenormalhumanbeingswhowantedtomakenoise.Hehadhissetroutinesandrituals,eveninthosedays.Hewoulddobreathingexercises and clean his nostrils using the ancient practice of Jalneti. It was very boring, but inhindsightIwishIhaddonethesame.PerhapsthenImighthavegraduatedtoahigherlevelofcrickettoo.Rahulsetthebarhighforhimself.SunilGavaskarandGundappaViswanathwerehisheroes,and

whilehemaynotadmitit,hetriedtomodelhisgameonGavaskar ’s.Irememberduringaphysicslessoninclasssixorseven,whiletheteacherwasexplaininghowspecificgravityisequaltorelativedensity,Rahulquipped:“SG=RD.SunilGavaskar=RahulDravid.”In1987,wewereinNagpurforanage-groupinter-zonetournament.Afewofuswerestandingby

ajuicestallinthehostel’satriumwhenacurly-hairedshortguywalkedupandaskedforMujib-ur-Rehman,aTamilNadubatsman.WetoldhimRehmanwasover-ageandwasnotpartof thesquad.Whenheleft,Rahulsaid:“Thisguyisagoodplayer.HeisgoingtoplayforIndia.”Ilaughed,butthenextdaythatkidgotabighundredforWestZone.ItwasSachinTendulkar;insidetwoyearshehadmadehisdebutforIndia.Rahul knew very early in life what he wanted. And that came from his upbringing. His parents

equippedhimwithsolidmiddle-classvaluesthathelpedhimmoveseamlesslyfromoneleveltotheother.Hisabilitytolookatthebigpictureatayoungagewasamazing.Whenwewereconcentratingon

gettingintoUnder-19sides,hewasalreadythinkingofexcellingintheRanjiTrophy–aleapIcouldnotevencomprehendatthatage.AfterhemadehisRanjidebuthetoldmeitwasjustthebeginning

andthathenowwantedtoplayforIndia.AfterhereturnedfromhisdebutTestseriesinEngland,hesaidhewantedtoberememberedasoneofthegreatesttohaveplayedforIndia,notsomealso-ran.As the yearswent by, his determination to excel only grew,whichmeant hewas often harsh on

himself.Inthe1996-97seasonhewasplayingintheRanjiTrophyforKarnatakaafterbeingdroppedfromtheIndiasquadfortheODIseriesagainstSriLanka,supposedlybecauseofhisdefensivestyleofbatting.WewereplayingattheRSIgroundsincentralBangalore,whereourdressingroomwasamakeshifttent.Duringlunchoneday,aspectatorwalkedupandstartedtocriticiseRahul’sbattingandslowscoring.ThemankeptgoingathimbutRahulsattherequietlywithhispadson.AfterawhileIhalfstooduptogivethemanapieceofmymind,butRahulpulledmebackdown.Onceheleft,Rahulsaidthemanhadmadeacoupleofgoodpoints,andthatitwasgoodtotakeinconstructivecriticism.ThemoresuccessfulRahulbecame,themorehumblehegot.But while he was patient, he’d speak his mind if he wasn’t happy with your work. In 1998,

KarnatakatravelledtoplayHyderabadintheRanjisemi-finalinSecunderabad.Weweredesperatetodowellthatseasonandthepressurewason.Halfanhourbeforetheendofthesecondday’splayIwas batting with Rahul. He warned me not to get distracted while Hyderabad’s veteran spinners,VenkatapathyRajuandKanwaljitSingh,werebowlingtogether,andsaidtoplayouttheday.Comingfromamanwhocanplayoutdaysforarun,itwashardlysurprising.UnfortunatelyIgotaninsideedgeontomypadsandwascaughtatsillypoint.LaterRahulgavemesomestickforthedismissal,whichIdidnotlikeatthetime.Itoldmyroom-

mate,JArunKumar,thattillwewonthematchIwouldn’ttalktoRahul.ThematchwentdowntothewireandIscoredacrucial51inoursuccessfulchase.Thenwepatchedupandhadagoodlaugh.Inaway,Rahullettingmehaveitspurredmetodobetter.Healwaysinspiredyoungsterswithhisleadershipqualitiesandhisperformances.Heistheperfect

example of “practisewhat you preach”.Hewould never ask you to do anything hewould not dohimself.Theseriousnesswithwhichheplayedaffectedthevariousdressingroomshewasin–India,Karnataka, and even the corporate club, India Cements, that he played for in theChennai leagues.Peoplealwayshadimmenserespectforhim,anditwasdifficultattimesformetodecidewhowasbetter:RahulDravidthehumanbeingorRahulDravidthecricketer.Fazal Khaleel, a former Karnataka first-class cricketer who played age-group cricket and Ranji Trophy with Rahul Dravid,spoke to ESPNcricinfo assistant editor Nagraj Gollapudi

Grassywicket?Noproblem.BabyRahulwithhisparents

Anearlystart:Dravidwieldsabatnearlyasbigashimself

InhisIndiaUnder-19days

Theelaborateforwarddefence,batsafelybehindpad,onshowinaRanjiTrophymatchagainstTamilNaduin1991

TheBangaloreboys:Dravid,VenkateshPrasad,JavagalSrinathandAnilKumble,flankedbyoffspinnerRangaraoAnanthontheleftandformerEnglandbatsmanColinCowdreyontheright,attheKarnatakaStateCricketAssociation

Classof1996:DravidannouncedhisarrivalinTestcricketwith95atLord’s

Battingduringhisfirst-innings190inHamiltonin1999.Hemadeahundredinthesecondinningsaswell.

Droppedforhisslowscoringbeforethe1999WorldCup,hebeganthetournamentwitha129-ball145inTaunton,andfinisheditasthehighestrun-getter

InKentcolours,2000:Dravidsaidhissix-monthstintwiththecountyhelpedhimbetterunderstandhisgameandhimself

Theduet:someofDravid’sfinesteffortscamewithVVSLaxmanattheotherend–mostfamouslyhis180inKolkatain2001

In2002hemasteredtheswingandseamofHeadingley,makingateeth-gritted148tosettheplatformforIndia’sfirstTestwininEnglandin16years

Soloagain:inAdelaidein2003,his233and72notoutgaveIndiatheirfirstTestwininAustraliasince1981

Dravidcarriedoninthe2003WorldCupwherehehadleftoffin1999,scoring318runs.Healsokeptwicket,effecting16dismissals

Colour-coordinatedwithwifeVijeetaonholidayinSantorini,Greece,2004

WithsonsSamit(above)andAnvay

Hishighestscore,the270inRawalpindiin2004,washisfourthdouble-hundredin20months.IndiawontheTestbyaninnings,andtheseries2-1

DravidwonthefirstICCawardsforPlayeroftheYearandTestPlayeroftheYear,inSeptember2004,forover2000runsacrossbothformats

Physio’sdelight:Dravidrarelyflunkedthedreadedskin-foldstest,andremainedinpeakfitnesstilltheendofhiscareer

Kingston,2006wasanotherclassicofstandalonedefiance.Dravid’s81and68wonIndiatheirfirstseriesintheWestIndiesin35years

OneofthetoughestdaysofhiscaptaincycamewhenIndialeftthe2007WorldCupinthefirstroundafterdefeatstoBangladeshandSriLanka

Thefabfour:Dravid,SouravGanguly,VVSLaxmanandSachinTendulkar,onthe2007tourofEngland

Hiscaptaincycareerendedonahigh,withawininthePataudiTrophy–India’sfirstseriesvictoryinEnglandsince1986

OnhisthirdtriptoAustralia,in2007-08,Dravidbrokeoutofarunofpoorformtoscoreacrucial93inIndia’sfamouswininPerth

In2008,hebecamethesixthbatsmantohavescored10,000Testruns.SunilGavaskarandSachinTendulkararetheonlyotherIndianstohavegonepastthemilestone

LongoneofIndia’sbestspecialistslipcatchers,inDecember2010,Dravidbroketheworldrecord,takinghis200thcatchinTests

Ifit’sJune,itmustbeJamaica:anotherwininKingstonforIndia,thankslargelytoDravid’ssecond-innings112

FifteenyearsafterhisdebutatLord’s,DravidreturnedtoEnglandforoneofhisfinestseries,withthreeTesthundredsandanaverageof76

Old-schoolTestbatsmanornot,Draviddidn’tfaretoobadlyintheIPL.In2012hecaptainedRajasthanRoyalsinthetournament.

I

[26]

MyhusbandtheperfectionistVIJEETADRAVID

’vebeenmarriedtoRahulforalmostnineyearsnowandwehavealwaysbeenveryprivatepeople.This isnotmeant tobea songofpraise forhimonhis retirement; I’mwriting this toprovideaninsightintotherolecrickethasplayedinhislife,andtotakethatinformyselfattheendofhis16-yearinternationalcareer.Howthegamehasmadehimwhoheisandhowhehasbeenabletogetthemostoutofhistimeininternationalcricket.Thelast12monthsofhiscareerwereveryspecialforusformorethantherunsorcenturiesRahul

scored. After the 2010-11 tour of SouthAfrica, our older son, Samit, suddenly developed a hugeinterestincricket.WithhimwatchinghisfatherscorehiscenturiesinEnglandin2011,itwasasifinthelastyearofhiscareerRahulhadfoundhisbestaudience.IwaswiththeboysatOldTraffordwhenRahulplayedhisfirst(andlast)T20international,andwe

alsotravelledtoeverymatchof theone-dayseries.DuringtheODIseries,wewent intotheLord’sdressingroomandshowedSamitandAnvaytheirbaba’snameontheLord’shonoursboard.ItwasahugethrillforbothboystoseeRahulplayliveinfrontofsomanypeople,toseehimatthe“work”thatkepthimawayfromthemformonths.RahulandIwillalwaystreasurethatmemory.Ourfamilieshadbeenfriendsforyears.Ihavetwo

olderbrothers,whichmeantIdidfollowcricket–butonlyone-daycricket,Imustconfess.Ididn’thaveaclueaboutTestcricketandwastoocaughtupinmypost-graduatestudiesinmedicinetofindout.What Ididknowwas thatRahulhadbeenpicked toplay for India,and later thathewasdoingwell.AcoupleoftimesduringTestsinNagpur,Rahuldroppedinatourhousefordinner:verynormal

evenings;peoplewerenotinvitedintoshowhimoffto.WhatInoticedthenwashowcurioushewasaboutotherpeopleandtheirlives.Verylittleoftheconversationwasabouthim.Wewouldtalkmoreaboutmyinternshipinsurgeryandmyworkasaruralmedicalofficerthanabouthiscricket.AtthetimeIappreciatedit,butIdidn’tquiterealisewhatanunusualqualitythatreallyis.NowthatIhavewitnessedthecrazyworldofIndiancricket,Ithinkhemusthaveenjoyedthosedinners.Justanormalevening inanormalhouse,without fuss,wherehewas treated likeanormalperson,whichhehasalwaysbeen.Afterwegotmarried,Isteppedintoacompletelyalienenvironment.Allhehadsaidtomewasthat

onceweweremarried,wewouldtravelalot,IwouldmeetalotofdifferentpeopleandIwouldlearnalongtheway.Aspartofmypost-graduatetrainingIhadspentayearinaMaharashtravillageasamedical officer,workingwith basic facilities, helpingwomen deliver babies, doing surgeries andpost-mortems.Iwasveryinvolvedwithmywork,hadseenalotoflifebythen;mypost-graduationstudieshadmademealittlemorematurethanIwouldhavebeenifIhadgotmarriedat21.Incricket,I found people talking about difficulties and pressures, how to handle being dropped and so on. Ididn’tget it atall.Tome the realanxietiesof lifewereunder theknife, the realpressureswere inhospitalwards.

Veryearlyinourmarriage,IrememberRahulsayingtomethathewashopingtoplayforthenextthreeorfouryearsandthathewouldneedmetobewithhimtosupporthiminthattime.WhenheretiredinMarch2012,Ithought:notbad,we’vedonebetterthanthethreeorfouryearshethoughtabout in 2003.We have shared a very good half of his cricket career together, and knowing howmuchhelovesthegame,thathasmatteredtome.It was six months before I travelled with him for the first time, when the Indian team toured

Australiain2003.Ithadbeensixmonthswithoutinternationalcricket–wehadspentthreemonthsinScotland,andonlywhenwecamebacktoIndiadidIhearpeopletalkaboutAustralia.Ihadnoclueastohowhehadfaredin1999,whythetourwassoimportanttoeveryone.Rahulneverspokeaboutithimselfeither.Itwasasifhewasconsciousthatwhilehiscareerwastheonlythingthatwastalkedabout,hiswifewasanindividualherselfandherworldwasasimportantashiswas.IwatchedhisAdelaideinningsbackhomeontelevisionwithhisparents,everyonegettingupatfive

inthemorning.Ididn’trealisethemagnitudeofthatinningsincricketingterms.Wesawhimgofrom199overnightonthethirddayto200veryearlyonaMondaymorning.WhenIwentintoworkthatday,toStJohn’sMedicalCollege,Iwastoldthereweresomereporterswhohadcometotalktome.Ididn’tspeaktothem,ofcourse,butIcouldtellpeoplewerehappy.IfullyunderstoodthesignificanceofRahul’sdouble-centuryandthatvictorymuch,muchlater.WhenIwenttoMelbourneandSydney,IwashappythatIwasbackwithhimandhewasdoingwell.

Iwasstilltryingtogettoknowhim,knowhisgame.ItwasonlythenthatIbegantonoticehowhewouldprepare:hisroutines,hisobsessionwithshadowpracticeatallhoursoftheday,whichIfirstfoundveryweird.(AtonepointIthoughthewassleepwalking.)I’velearntwhatIhaveaboutTestcricketbytalkingtohim,andafewofhisclosefriends,whohave

helped me understand the tempo of Test cricket, bowling changes, field placements and theimportance of sessions – all the things that can make Test cricket an adventure. As I began tounderstandthegame,Igothookedontoit,somuchsothatwhentherewasamatchIwantedtofollowbut therewasno liveTV, I followed thegameon the internet and enjoyed the text commentary asmuchasIdidtheimmediacyofbeingabletofollowscores.Thesedays,ofcourse,Ihavemyowntheoriesaboutcricket,whichhehastolistento.EarlyinourmarriageIsawthattherewasnothingabouthiscricketthatwascasual,unconsciousor

accidental.Beforehewentontour,Iwouldpackallhisotherbags,buthiscricketkitwassacred.OnlyRahulhandledit.Ididnoteventouchit.IpackedhisthingsknowingfullwellthatifIpackedtwosetsofinformalclothes,hewouldweartheminturnallthroughatourforweeksifhehadtoandnotthinkabout it. He has used one type of moisturising cream for his dry skin for 20 years. He is notenamouredofgadgetsandbarelyregistersbrands,ofwatches,cologneorcars.Iftheweightofhisbatisoffbyagram,though,Rahulwillnoticeitinaninstantandgettheproblemfixed.Everyonearoundhimknewthatcricketwasandhadtobehisutmostpriority.OnmatchdaysRahul

wantedhisspaceandhissilence.Hedidn’tlikebeingrushed,notforthebus,nottothecrease.Allhesaidheneededwas tenminutes tohimself, togetwhat I thoughtofashis“internalmilieu”settled,beforehecouldgetintoamatchday.Whenwebegantotravelwiththekids–andhelovedhavingtheboysaroundduringaseries,even

whentheywerebabies–wemadesurewegottworooms,nexttoeachother.Thedaybeforeeverymatch,theboysweretoldthattheirfatherhadtobeleftaloneforawhile,andhewas.Hewouldgointohisroomtomeditateormaybetodoafewvisualisationexercises.Onthemorningofthegame,

hewould get up and do another session ofmeditation before leaving for the ground. I have triedmeditationmyselfandIknowthatthezoneRahulisabletogetintoasquicklyashedoestakesalotofyearsoftrainingtoreach.Itisallpartofthecompleteequilibriumhetriestoachievebeforegettingintoaseries.Likeallplayers,Rahul toohashissuperstitions;sometimes theywork,sometimes theydon’t.He

doesn’t tryanewbatout inaseries,andheputshisright thighguardonfirst.Onthe2011tour toEngland,hemadesurehesatinthesamespaceintheLord’sdressingroomthatTillakaratneDilshanhadoccupiedwhenhescored193earlierintheseason.Inthatgame,RahulgothisfirstTesthundredatLord’s.Despiteallthispreparationandattentiontodetail,oncethegameison,hehasthisfantasticability

toswitchofffromit.Attheendoftheday’splay,hemaybethinkingaboutit,hisbattingmaybotherhim,hewillbeitchingtogobackandtryagain,butatthatpointhecancompartmentalisehislifeverywell.Hewon’torderroomserviceorbroodindoors.Hewouldrathergoout,findsomethingtodo:gotoamovieorwatchmusicals–whichheloves.Hewillwalkouttotheseatowinddownorgotobookstores.Rahulhasbeenable todealwith all that goeson in cricketbecauseof two reasons–he canput

thingsinperspectiveandhecanswitchfocusfromoneworldtoanotherwhenheneedsto.Whateverhappenedinhiscricket,athomehewasalwayshusband,father,familyman.NeverMrGloomy.Henevercamehomesaying,“Oh,I’vehadabadday.”Unlessasked,hewouldn’tspeakabouthis“work”.Otherthandroppedcatches.When he was going through a very tough time, around the 2010-11 season, the one thing that

botheredhimwas thathedidn’twant tobeplaying ifhewasn’tcontributingand ifhewas takingayoungster ’splace.Hedidthinkaboutretirementthen.Hehadmorethan10,000Testruns,andhehadalwayssaidthathewouldgoifhewasnotcontributing.“BecausethisiswhatIhavestoodfor,”hesaid. To play well in tough conditions, play well abroad, to contribute to victories. We did havediscussionsaboutwhetherheshouldgoatthattime,andalotofmyanswerswouldbeaboutmygut.Ialways told him, “I don’t know about averages.” I just said to him that hewas the onewho kneweverythingabouthisgame.InJanuary2011,afterSouthAfrica,oninstinctIsaidtohim,“Hangon,giveitanotherseriesandthenseeifyouaretakinganyone’splace.”Rahulhasalwayshadaverygoodunderstandingofwhatwasimportantabouthisbeingincricket

andwhatwasnot.Itcanonlycomefromarealdeeploveforthegame.WhenIbegantounderstandthepoliticsthatexistinthegame,heonlysaidonething:thisgamehasgivenmesomuchinlifethatIwillneverbebitter.Thereissomuchtobethankfulfor,andregardlessofeverything,thatwillnevergoaway.Only once, I remember, he returned from a Test and said, “Shucks, I shouldn’t have done

something…Igotabitangrytoday.Ilostmytemperinthedressingroom.”Hewouldn’tsaymore.ManymonthslaterVeeru(Sehwag)toldmethatRahulhadactuallythrownachairthatday.“I’dneverseenhimlikethatandhethrewachairnotbecausewe’dlostbutbecauseofhowwe’dlost.”Hehasalwaysbeeneven-tempered,ongooddaysandbad.Henevergrumbles,anditisvery,very

difficulttounderstandwhatheisfeeling,becausehecaninternaliseeverything.Heoftensaidthattosucceedininternationalcricketforsuchalongtime,“Ihaveonlythoughtaboutmeandmycricket…butI’mlearningtobeunselfish.”Thatsaid,hefoundawaytoworkhistrainingaroundthefamily.Heoftenfitinhisfivehoursoftrainingandnetswhennoneofuswereathome.IfSamitneedshelpwith

hishomework,Rahulwillbetheretohelp.Ofcourseweargue,likeallcouplesdo.Wedidasyoungparents,overwhochangedthenappiesor

whyhedidn’tgetangryaboutthisorthat.Cricketershavetobediplomaticwhentalkingtothemediaduringseries,but I remember tellinghimduring thecourseofaphoneconversationonce,“Hello,I’myourwife.Don’tspeakasifthisisapressconference.”Inturn,hegetsirritatedwithmewhenIambeingwhathecallsalittle“wife-ish”andaskinghimwhyhedidwhathedidandwhyhedidn’tticksomebodyofforsaynotosomething.Ifgivenachoice,hewouldnevercelebrateanyofhison-fieldachievementsathome,because,he

said,hisenjoymentcamewhenhewasonthefield,battingorcompeting.Whathewantedafterthatwastofindoutwhenhewasgoingtobatagain.Iwastheonewhoinsistedthatwerejoicewhengoodthingshappened.Notbythrowingalavishpartyoranythingshowy,butjustbybringinghomesomeice-cream.IoftentellRahulheisaverygoodhusbandbutwouldhavebeenaveryboringboyfriend!Hehasalwayshadawideviewoftheworldandtheabilitytoseethelargerpictureandtakethings

beyondthetrivialandtheindividual.AfterhereceivedthePadmaShriinDelhifor2004,alongwithSourav,thenextdayhelookedatthepapersandsaidthattoseejusttheirphotosonthefrontpageswasunfortunate.Rahulwassayingthisathome,nottoimpresspeopleastohowmodesthewas.Hedoesn’tliketheword“hero”beingusedcarelessly,becausetohimrealheroesaresoldiers,scientists,doctors.Inall theseyearshehas letmebeme.Hedidn’tcareabout thecorrect“cricketwife” image.He

wasn’tfussedaboutanything–whetherIworkedwhenIwantedto,whatIsaidtoanyone.I’vereadalotofstuffabouthowcricketersget“disturbed”whentheirwivesareontour.RahulwasfinewhenItravelled,bothinthePakistaniwinter,whenSamitwasthreemonthsold,andtwomonthslaterintheWestIndies.Itmeantthatoncewelivedoutofahotelroomfor69daysatastretch;noteasywithababy.Rahulenjoyedbeingafatherandwasalsovery,verypatient.(Thoughhealsoknewthatadadwho

hasfieldedfor90oversintheCaribbeanheatisnotgoingtobeaskedtochangenappies!)Wehadourchallengesastravellingparents.SamitonceburnedhishandintheWestIndieswhenRahulwasonthefield.Attheendofitall,though,itwaswonderfultoenterthedressingroomtocelebrateIndia’sfirstserieswinthereafter35years.Heinsistedthatallthewivesandfamilyontourwereinvitedintothedressing roomand included in thecelebrations–mostsatisfyingforallofuswhowere travellingwiththeteam.ItwasrepeatedinEnglandtheyearafter.Next only tomy father, I think ofRahul as themost non-materialistic person I have ever come

across.Gadgets,gizmos,brands,arecompletelylostonhim.IrememberenteringtheroomfortheinauguralICCawardsevent,whenhelookedatacarondisplay,theonethatwastobegiventothePlayeroftheYear,andsaid,“Willbenicetogetit.”Iknewhewasn’tthinkingaboutthecar.Theothernominees included big names like Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and MuttiahMuralitharan. The ceremonywas very long,we had to go throughmany courses of our sit-downEnglishdinner.WhenhewasawardedthePlayeroftheYear,hegavemealittlehugbeforegoingonstage,andtomethatsaiditall.Itmeantalottohim.RetirementwillmeanabigshiftinRahul’slife,ofnothavingtrainingorteam-matesaroundhim

orthechancetocompeteagain.Thefamily,though,isdelightedtohavehimback.This article was first published on ESPNcricinfo on March 12, 2012

[27]

‘Whenyou’veplayedatthetop,it’shardtosettleforsecond-best’INTERVIEWBYSHARDAUGRA

March2012

Howdoesaplayerpicktherighttimetoretire?Howdidyou?What’sthedifferencebetweenaslumpandasignthatyourtimeisup?Whatseparatesdoubtfromforesight?It’sactuallyveryhardtotellifthereissuchathingasarighttime.Allyourcareer,you’retaughttonever never give up. You’re fighting, you keep improving, you always think you can sort outproblems.Ineverthoughtaboutgoingoutonahighorgoingoutonaslump.Alotofpeopletoldme:“Youwilljustknow,Rahul,whenthetimeisright.”Obviouslythereareotherthingsthatcomeintoconsideration:where you are in your life,where the team is at that point of time,what the futurechallengesare,howyoufitintothat.TherearetheimmediatechallengesoftourslikeAustraliaandEngland,whichyouthinkaretough,andyouwanttotrytogothereandmakeadifference.Intheenditjustcomesdowntoknowingandbeingcomfortablewithit.AndIjustthinkIwasmost

comfortabledoingitatthisstage.IfthingshadnotgonewellinEngland,maybeIwouldhavebeencomfortabledoingitthen.ObviouslyafterEnglandIfeltIwasingoodformandthatIneededtogotoAustralia,andIfeltthatitwasgoingtobeatoughtourandthatitwouldn’tberighttowalkawayafterdoingwellinEngland…itmaysoundsilly,butjustwantingtofinishonahigh–thathadn’toccurredtome,inthesensethatIwantedtogowhenIwascomfortable.Therewasaperiodin2008,theendof2008,whenIwasreallystrugglingandnotgettingruns,and

there was a lot of talk of me being dropped. If I had been dropped at that stage, I would’ve stillcontinuedtoplayfirst-classcricket.Notwiththeintentionoftryingtomakeacomeback–IknowthatifIhadgotdroppedat36or37,thelikelihoodofmemakingacomebackwouldhavebeenveryslim.Iwouldn’thaveplayed forwanting tomakeacomeback,butbecause I stillwanted to justplay thegame.ItwasagameIlovedandIstillenjoyedplayingit.IprobablywouldhavecontinuedplayingRanjiTrophyatthatstage.Andhowlongthatwouldhavelasted,whoknows.ButtoendacareerwiththeIPL?Insomewaysit’slikeaweaning-offperiod.Playingcrickethasbeensuchabigpartofmylife,sotojustwalkawaymighthavebeenhard.Someoftheseniorguyswho’veretiredandplayedtheIPLsaytheIPL’sagoodway,insomeways,toslowlyweanyourselfoffthedrugthatiscricket.Whatdoyouassesswhenmakingadecisiontoretire?It’s a combination of things. The important thing to remember is howmuch you are contributing.That’samajorfactor.Asyougetolderthesethingsdocomein,andthat’swhyIsaidthatEnglandforme…itwasimportantformetokeepcontributing.Afterretiring,didyouthink:whatifthisisamistake?I think the best question someone askedme about this retirement thing came fromEric Simons. Icalledhimupandsaid,“Eric,I’mretiring.”AndEricsaid,“Whenyoumadethatdecision,Rahul,didyoufeelreliefordidyoufeeldisappointment?”AndIhadnever thoughtabout it thatway.ItwasafeelingofreliefandIdidfeelit.I’venotregrettedit.I’ve lived this life for20years. Ihaven’t regretted itandIhopeIwon’t regret it. Idon’tknow,I

mightmissit.Wemissalotofthings.Wemisscollege,everyonewantstogobacktoUniandlivethatlife again,butyouknow that’snotpossible.Hopefullyyoumoveon.Youwill know that there areotherthingstodoandotherchallenges.Whatabout international cricketwon’t youmiss, apart from the travel andbeingaway fromfamily?Inacricketcareeryourlifeisinsomewayscontrolledforyou.Youhavenocontroloverschedules,youhavenocontrolaboutwhereyouwanttoplay,youdon’thavecontroloverthatasacricketer.Ithinkwhile I’llmiss the routineandknowingwhat to strive for, I think I’ll enjoy the flexibilityofbeingabletomakesomechoicesaboutthingsIwanttodo.I’llenjoytheluxuryofnowhavingthatchoice.Whatisitaboutlifeaftercricketthatyouthinkaplayerfearsthemost?Eachonehashisownfears,when it’s somethingyou’vedoneallyour life.Andwhen it’s theonlything that you’ve known, it’s almost like starting out fresh again. It’s almost like going back tocollege,likegoingbacktowhatyoufeltlikewhenmakingadecisionaboutwhetheryouwanttodocommerceorengineering.Theonlyproblemis,youaredoingitat40rather thanat17or18,andwithskillsyou’veworkedonfor20yearsattheexclusionofotherskills.Youhavetostartalloveragain.That,Ithink,inalotofwayscanbedauntingtopeople,andit’snoteasy,especially,ifImaysayso,becauseyouareusedtocompetingandplayingatanextremelyhighlevel.Youprideyourselfonacertainlevelofcompetenceandacertainlevelofability.Veryrarelypeoplecan,Ithink,stepoutofsomethingthey’vedonefor23yearsandattainthesame

standardsinwhatevertheydo.Whenyouareusedtoplayingatthattoplevel,it’shardtoacceptthatsometimesyouhavetosettleforbeingsecond-best.Iguessthat’sthewayit’sgoingtobe.Youcan’texpectaguyat40-41tobecome“worldclass”atsomethingelse.Whatdoretiredplayerstellyouaboutcoping?Ihave spoken topeoplewhohave retired, andespecially coaches.Whether it’sbeenconversationswithKapilDevorthroughtheyearswithJohn[Wright],Greg[Chappell],Gary[Kirsten],andevenDuncan[Fletcher]now.Allofthemhavegonethroughthat,andtheysayittakesabitoftimetogetusedto.Yougetusedtoitandthentherearenewthingstochallengeyouandyoumustmoveon.Eachoneisdifferent,Iguess.Beforeyouactuallyretired,was therea time inyourcareer thatyouwereso fedupthatyouactuallywantedtothrowitallaway?Obviously theperiod just after theWorldCupwhenwe lost, in2007,wasdifficult. Itwas the firstphase inmy career, other than the first couple of yearswhen Iwas establishingmyself, that I gotdroppedfromtheone-dayside.OtherthanthatIhadaprettysmoothrunforalongtime.Thatwastoughintermsofsomeofmyperformances,thatwholeperiod,2007-08,gettingknockedoutoftheWorldCupandnotperformingsowellafterIgaveupthecaptaincy,forawhile. I think thatwasareallyhardperiod,whenIquestionedmyselfalotandwonderedwhetherithadalljustdisappearedandgoneaway.I thought I’d really had a good run and I could have walked away in 2008 and felt pretty

comfortablewithwhatIhaddoneandachieved,andIwouldn’thaveregretteditatall.BecauseI’vealways tried to domybest – you’ve always got to try to be the best you can be and hope that theresultsfallyourway.Ifithadn’tworkedout,ithadn’tworkedout.ButIwasluckytogetachancetoplayacoupleofyearsofcricket.

Howmuchwasworkingonyourfitnessapartofpushingyourselfthroughthelastfourorfiveyearsfromthenon?Ispenttwo-threeyearsworkingwithPaulChapman,whowasthestrengthandconditioningcoachattheNCA,andwiththeNCA’sphysiosandtrainers,onraisingthebarofmyfitness.Iwasluckythatwehadallthosepeoplehere.Isawinthosephysiosandtrainers,andinPaul,aresource–reallygoodprofessionalpeoplewhocouldhelpme.AndIsortofdecidedtoutilisethatcompletely.Ididmakeaconsciousefforttotryandraisethebarofmyfitness,becauseifIwantedtokeepplayingatthisage,Ididn’twantanyoftheyoungerguysorpeopleinthefieldtofeelthatIwasn’tfitenoughtobethere.Sometimes performances you canor can’t control, but fitness, I think, to a large extent you can

control. I’m not saying you can control everything in fitness – there are a lot of guys who haveinjuries,who,whatevertheydoandwhatevertheytry,sadlytheycan’tdomuchaboutit.Butinmostthings,fitnessanddietandstufflikethat,youhaveresponsibilityoverit.Sometimesyoupractiseandworkhardandstillthingsdon’tpanout.Butfitnessisalotsimpler.I

said,“Look,I’llmakeanefforttobeasfitasI’vebeen.”WhileIdidtry,itwashardtosayI’vebeenatmyfittest.InsomeareasIwasfitterthanIwasat24-25andinsomeareasIwasnot.ButI’dliketobelievethattillIfinishedmycareer,Isetaprettyhighstandardoffitnessformyself,andthatIdidn’tletanybodydownintermsoftheeffortIputin,intermsofmyphysicalfitness.Didithaveadirectimpactonyourgameinthelastfewyears?It’s hard to co-relate the two. You do perform better when you’re fit, you do feel better aboutyourself,butit’shardtosay.EvenwhenIwasdoingbadlyin2007-08,Iwasprettyfit.WasIreallyfitterinEnglandlastyearthanIwasin2007whenIwasdoingbadly?Really,no.ProbablyIwasfitterbackthenwhenIwasinEngland,sono.Sometimesfitnessisagoodthingtohavebutyouhavetorecognisethatfitnesstakesyouonlysofar,andskillsarethemostimportantthing.Fitness justhelpsyouexecute thosecricketing skills for longerandmoreconsistently,maybe. If

someone thinks, “I’ll spend the off season working on my fitness and I’ll come back a bettercricketer,” Idon’t think that’senough.Youneed to spenda lotof timeworkingonyour skills andhoningyourskills.Whencricketersgointotheirlate30sdotheysensewhattheoutsideworldobservesasafadingoftheirskills?Slowingdownofreflexes,eyesightetc?I didn’t sense it like that personally, butmaybewe are trained not to sense it,whoknows?Maybesometimesthesethingsarebetterjudgedfromoutside.Asaplayeryouwillneveradmittoweakness,toaslowingdownofskills.You’retrainednottoadmitthesethings.Youhavebadpatcheswhenyouare24-25,andit’sonlywhenyouhavebadpatchesafter35-36thatpeoplesayyourskillsaredown,theeyesightisgone.Maybeithasnothingtodowithageandyou’rejustgoingthroughbadformandyouhappentobe35.After35,Ifeltasfitintermsofphysicalfitness–ifyoujudgefitnessintermsofsprintingadistance,runningadistance,whateveryo-yotestswehaveandweightsyoulift–asIwaswhenIwasplayingmybestcricket,at28-29.IwasprobablydoingmoreintermsofsomethingsnowthanIwaswhenIwasyoung.Howdoyoujudgeeyesight?Ifyougotoadoctorandaskhim,hewillsayyou’vestillgot20-20

vision.Maybe[time]justwearsyoudown–thetravelling,thepressure,thedealingwithexpectations,thosethingsslowlystartchippingaway,chippingaway.It’shardtoputadatetoitandsay,“Nowit’sstarteddecreasingandnowithasdecreased.”ThebestexplanationI’veheardfor this is thatmentallysometimesyouarefresherwhenyouare

younger.You’venotbeenworndownsomuch.Soyourresponsetodefeat,failure,success,pressureisbetter.Asyougetolder,thefreshnessgetslost,thesenseofexcitement.LikewhatyouexperiencethefirsttimeyouwalkintoLord’s.Afteryou’vebeentherethreeorfourtimes,maybethatsenseofwondergoes.That’s thebest explanation forwhyafter aperiodofdealingwith someof the samethingstheybecomemoredifficult,ratherthanafadingofskill.Australiamusthavebeenthetourfromhell?Youwenttherewiththebestintentions,thebestpreparation,anditallwentbadly.Whatwentwrong?I thinkAustraliawasdisappointing. InEngland I feltwehadquite a few injuries and I just feltweweren’taswellpreparedaswewereinAustralia.Australia,Ithoughtwewenttherewiththebestofintentions,theguyscared.Theyplayedbetter,theypitchedtheballup,wehadsomeopportunitiesinthefirstTestwedidn’tgrab.Wehadthematsome210for6andthentheygot320andwewereabout220for2,andSachingotoutthateveningandIgotoutnextmorning.Havingsaidthat,youhavegottogivethemcredit.Theybowledwell,pitchedtheballup,theyswungtheball.Fromapersonalpointofview?Allthebowleds?It was disappointing. You set high standards for yourself. I felt that getting out is getting out andobviouslyconstantlygettingout…Soitreallydoesn’tmatterwhetheryouwereoutcaught,lbw,stumped,bowled,whatever?Idon’tlikegettingout,period.Howithappensisalmostirrelevant.Butyeah,obviouslyithappenedafewtimesmorethanIwouldhaveliked,nodoubtaboutit.ThebeautyofitisthatnowIdon’thavetoworryaboutit.Butthosearechallengesyoufaceallyourlife.Ithinkthatiswhatdifferentiatespeoplewhoplayfor

longperiodsof time fromothers,because theykeepgettingaskedquestions.Topbowlers and topbowlingattackskeepaskingyoudifferentquestions.Forsomeitisgettingoutinaparticularway,forsomeitistheabilitytoplayspin,forsometoplaypace.Forsomeitisadifferentbowler,auniqueangle, on a different wicket. These questions keep getting asked and you have to constantly keepcomingupwithanswers.MostoftheguysthatIknowwhohaveplayedoveraperiodoftimehaveconstantlybeenabletofindanswerstothequestionsthatkeepgettingasked.Youbecomeaproblem-solver,asolution-finder.I’dliketobelievethatifIhadcontinued,Iwouldhopefullyhaveworkedonthisarea[gettingbowled]andgotbetteratit.Given that you are seen as a classical, almost old-fashioned, Test player, and you know yourhistory,isthereanerainthegameyouwouldhavelikedtohaveplayedin?WhenI thinkabout thefact that Ihadhelmets, I thinkI’mhappy tohaveplayed in thisera.Playingsome of those West Indian quicks and some of those guys without a helmet must have been afrighteningproposition.YouwereaNo.3inthemouldlargelyofanopeningbatsman.Sodoyouthinkthatcomingintoaline-upfullofstroke-makersactuallyworkedforyourgame,asmuchasyoulentsoliditytoit?ImaginebeingtheNo.3afteranopeningcombinationofBoycottandTavaré.Ithinkweallcomplementedeachother.Thefactthatwedidquitewellinthelastdecade,homeandaway,withourupsanddowns,wasbecauseofabattingline-upthatcomplementedeachother.Therewere stroke-makers, there were guys who played spin in a particular way, guys who were moresolid…throwinaleft-handerinthemiddle.Wecomplementedeachotherquitewell,wefedoffeachother.Ithinkweplayedarole,ineachhelpingtheotheronedoaswellastheyhavedone.Veeru [Sehwag]andGautamGambhirhavecome inanddonequitewellandplayeda role too. I

think I had a role, and I helped some of the guys play better. The ability towear out some of thebowlersdidhelpourstroke-makers.ThefactthatsomeofthemplayedmorestrokesallowedmetosometimesplayinawaythatIcouldplayorfeltmostcomfortableplaying.Overthecourseoftimewealsofoundourniche,ourownplaces.Weallplayedforsuchalongtimetogetherthatweworkedoutwhatwascomfortableforus,anditseemedtogelwellanditworkedfortheteamaswell.Youhavetheworldrecordforthemostcenturypartnerships.Whenyoulookback,dobattingpartnershavewhattheysaydoublesplayersdointennis–achemistrythatbuilds?Orisitjustfamiliarity?Itpartlybuildswithfamiliarity.Onceyou’vebeenaroundeachotheralongtimeandplayedtogetheralongtime,itdoeshelp–it’sacomfortfactor.Youhavesomememoriestogobacktoconstantly.Itdoeshelpwhenyouhaveaguyattheotherendwhoknowsyourgamewellandsometimescanjustpointoutafewthings,orknowsexactlywhenyou’regettingcasualoryou’renotconcentrating.Formeit’sworkedwellwithalltheguysI’veplayedwith.Overthecourseoftimeithasbuilt.I’vehadagoodrecordwithVeeru,Sachin,Laxman,becausewe’veplayedtogetheralongtime.Inapartnership,youdon’tchangeyourgame.Theconversationsaredifferent.Eachonehashis

ownuniqueconversationswithyouandyouhaveyourconversationwith them.WithVeeru,asyouwouldexpect,it’sprobablyacasualconversation–hebringsthatsideoutofyou.Whatdoyoutalkabout?Technique?IknowpeoplegoafterVeeru’s techniquea lot,but tobeapositiveplayeryouhave tohaveaverysolid technique. Technique is not only about being able to defend balls. If you are able to playpositively,itmeansyouaregettingyourselfintherightpositionattherighttimeanddoingitquickerand better than someone else. That in itself is a technique, and it’s just that there’s an attackingtechnique and a defensive technique. I think both are important. Some guys are better at theirdefensivetechniqueandsomeguyshaveabetterattackingtechnique.Bothofthemaretechniques.SowithVeeru, it’s a lotmore casual and relaxed. If you askedhim,hewould say, “I’mactually

quiteseriouswithRahul”,buthislevelofseriousness…Veeruisalwaysaskingyoutoplayshots.WithSachin–wedon’ttalkalot,butIthinkweknow,werespectandknoweachotherenoughto

goandtelltheotherthatmaybeyouarerelaxing,youneedtotightenupabit.There’squitealotofinformationthatisexchanged.WithLaxman–we’veplayedalottogetherinjuniorcricket,soagainwehaveafewkeythingswe

saytoeachother,andwekeepencouragingeachother.Wedon’ttalktoomuchabouttechnique,wejustencourageeachotheralot.WithGangulyit’s,“Don’tjusthogthestrikewhenthespinnerisbowling,andgetmeonthestrike

aswell,buddy.”Oneofthethingsyou’vesaidaboutbattingisthatitisameditativeexperience.Whenyoucomeinat3for1,Indiaisfightingtosaveagame,howisthatpossible?Youcan’tthinkaboutthesethingswhenyouarebattingandthebowlerisrunninginatyou.Thatis,Iguess,themeditativeaspectofit.Itsortoffocusesyouononething,andthat’smeditation,Iguess:theabilitytofocusonaparticularthingbyremovingeverythingelse–thescore,thesituation.Youcan’tbe thinkingaboutall these things, soyou try toget thatoneparticular focus,which, Iguess, is thecricketball.Ifyouhavetobeasuccessfulbatsmanyouhavetobeabletofocusontheball.Youcan’tbethinkingaboutahundredthings,youcan’t.

Butyoudidtaketomeditationitselfasatoolforpreparation?Itooktoitquiteyoung.Iwasjustdrawntoit.Ididitacoupleoftimesat18-19,somebasicformofmeditation.IthinkIgotbetterwithage.Itstartedoffwithtryingtodosomerelaxation,tojustcalmmyselfdowninsomeways.AndI’veexperimentedwithafewthings,notout-of-bodyexperiencesoranything,butIjustfoundthatitwasagreatwaytorelaxandswitchoff.Iwasabitofananxiousteenager.Iwouldworryalotandwasquiteashyyoungkidinsomeways.

ThoughIalwaysbelievedIhadtheabilitytolookatthepositivesideofalotofthings.Eveninthemost difficult situations, itwas very seldom that Iwould get down onmyself and keepmoping. Iwouldalwayslookahead.IthinkIwasmoreanxiousaboutthefutureratherthanworryingaboutthepast.Iwouldgetmoreanxiousaboutwhatmighthappen–what’snext,howwillIcopewithit?SoIthinkthingslikemeditationandjustbeingcalmandrelaxeddefinitelydidhelpmecomethroughthat,especiallywhenIwasayoungster.Whatkindofroutinesdidyouhavewhenyoupreparedforgames?WeretheydifferentforTestsandODIs?Theywerejustafewbasicthings, itwasn’t toomuch.Youhadtobeflexible.Youcouldn’tsaythiswastheonlythingthatIdidandIdidn’tdoanythingelse.OneofthethingswasthatIdidn’tliketogetrushedonthemorningofagame.SoIgotupalot

earlier, tookmy time doing things, just eased into things.But again, you had to be flexible aboutpractices.Sometimesyougotgoodfacilities,sometimesyoudidn’t.Ijustwantedtofeelcomfortable.WhenIwentintoaTestmatch,Iwantedtofeelready,likeI’dpractisedhardenough,I’dhitenoughballs,physicallyI’ddonewhatIneededtodo.Mentallyagain,I’ddonethepreparation,andIfeltinagood,calmspacewhereIwaseagertoperformwithoutbeingtooanxious.Orbeingtoostressedortenseaboutwhatmighthappen.To be fair, I never always reached it. It’s very difficult to do always. The constant process is to

alwaystrytosortofreachthat.Becauseonceyou’veexperiencedit,andseenthat,youwantthattobethe template.But as longasyouare trying to achieve thator striving to achieve that, thenyougetthereorthereaboutsatmosttimes.WhichisallItriedtodo.Itriedtogivemyselfthebestchance.ItisnotthateverytimeIcrackeditI’dbeinthesameperfectstateofmind,ofcoursenot.ButI’dliketobelieveIgotmost thingsdone, in termsofmypreparation leading intoagame.Ifyougotenoughsleep,youweremorerelaxedinthemorningleadingintothegame.Ididvisualisationsometimes,onandoffandwhenIfeltlikeit,notallthetime.Evenwiththemeditationstuff,asIbecamebetteratit,Ididn’tneedtodoiteverytime.WhatisthebiggestchallengeofbeingaNo.3ininternationalcricketthesedays?Doyoubelieveadecadeofbatsmanshipisnowgoingtobefollowedbytheageofthebowlers?I felt that, even in 2000 there were good attacks. You look at any attack that had McGrath, Lee,Gillespie–thatwasagoodattack.Idon’tknowifthechallengesfortheNo.3havebeenanydifferent.Youhavetosometimesgoin

when the ball is new, so lots of times you’re playing the new ball really, which is part of thechallenge.It’salsoapositionwheresometimestheopenersmighthaveagoodpartnership,soyou’vebeenwaitingawhile.It’salmostastateofreadinessyouhavetobeinbecauseyoumighthavetogoininthefirstoveroryoumightnotgoinforalongtime.ThatmightbetrueforaNo.3buttheNos.4,5,6havealittlemorebreathingspace.Theycanwaitalittleforthefirstwickettofallbeforetheyknowthat theymightneedtogoinearly.Ifanopeningpartnershipdevelops,aNo.4canaffordto

relaxandsettledownandswitchoffalittlebitbecauseheknowsthatevenifawicketfalls,theNo.3willgoinandIcanhavealittletimetoswitchonandgetready.Inthatsense,theNo.3doesn’thavethat.ButIdon’tthinkthathasbeendifferentforanygeneration.Isnotthegameitselfchanging,thepaceofTestcricketitself–fewerdraws?Fewerdraws is agood thingbecausepeopleareplayingmore shots.There’snodoubt thatpeoplewant to play shots, theywant to score quicker, and it does sometimes compromise your defensivetechnique.Itdoes,andyouknowit’sa trade-off.Thereareriskswhenyoudothatandyouhave toweigh the risks andplay the shots. Itmakes for amore excitingbrandof cricketwhenpeople seewicketsfallandrunsbeingscored,whichisgood,butalsosometimestherearetimeswhenyouneedtohavetheabilitytoseeoffdifficultperiods.It’snotnecessarilythatyouneedtoplaydefensive,tightcricketallthroughtheTestmatch,butyou

shouldalsohavetheabilitytorecognisemomentsinaTestmatchwhenitneedstobedone.Whetherit’ssavingaTestmatch,it’sthemorningofaTestmatch,whetherit’swhenthesecondnewballistobetakenandthere’sgoingtobeagoodspell.Beingabletorecognisethosemomentsandbeingabletoadaptandplayyourgame,tohavethegametobeabletodothat,isimportant.Youdecidingtoplayinoneparticularwayall the time,whether that’sdefensiveor it’spositive, isnotnecessarily in thebestinterestsoftheteam.Sometimestheteammightneedyoutogrinditoutandyoushouldhavetheskillsandtheabilitytodothatandyoushouldtakeprideinlearningthoseskillsandwantingtodothatifyoudon’thavethem.Theflipsideofthecoinisthattheremightbetimestheteammightneedyoutoplaypositivelyand

wantyoutoplaysomeshotsandsetupthegame.Thenyoushouldbeabletodothataswell.Itworksbothways,andsometimesIfeelthatthisabilitytoseeoutatoughperiodandgrindoutatoughperiodissomethingthatyoumightlosetheabilitytodo,ifbatsmenarenotcareful.Hasthedefinitionofqualitybatsmanshipchangedoverthecourseofyourcareer?Aretherejustfewerpeopleabletomeetthatdescription?Qualitybatsmanshipformeisbeingabletoplayaccordingtothesituation,havingtheabilitytoplayall sorts of roles.Quality batsmanship is not only playing great shots or only leaving good balls.Qualitybatsmanshipishavingarangetobeabletodoallthingsinallconditionsconsistentlyoveraperiodoftime.Somearemorepleasingtotheeyeandsomearelesspleasingtotheeye.That’sthenatureofhowweplay,andthat’sthegiftoftiming.That’ssomethingyoucan’tteach.That’sjusthowweare,butintermsofourvaluetotheteam,it’sincrediblyimportantthatyouexploretherangeofyourskillsandalltheskillsrequiredtosucceedinTestcricket.That’swhyTestcricketisthegreatestformofthegame,becauseitthrowsupdifferentchallenges

atdifferenttimes.YoucanreallyseeinTestcricket–thesuccessfulguysareproblem-solvers,whowould have found a way or skills to find solutions necessary to succeed in all these situations.Whereasinone-dayandT20,youcangetaway,becauseoftheplacewhereyoubat.YoucouldbeaNo.6allyour life andyoucouldbe fine.Youdon’tneedcertain skillsor toplaycertainkindsofbowling.Youcouldmakeasuccessfulcareerofit,butyoucan’tdothatinTestcricket,becauseevena No. 6, in certain times, would be forced or challenged to play good-quality quick bowling.SometimesinthefirstsessionofaTestmatchorwiththesecondnewball.Testcricketisabitmoreofathoroughexaminationofyourskills.Given your style of batting, when ODI cricket began to grow, did you almost feel that youbelongedtoanothertimeandanotherenvironment?Howdidyoucopewiththat?

I did belong to another generation.When I grew up playing cricket, itwas all about playingTestcricket.ItwasallaboutbeingagreatTestplayer.InthosedaystheteamswerepickedforTestcricket,for Test matches, and the same team played the one-dayers. The one-dayers were almost apreparation.EvenwhenwewenttoEnglandin1996,IrememberthesameTestteamplayedtheone-dayers.Theywereplayedbeforehand.Theseniorguysalmostsawtheone-dayersaspreparationfortheTestmatches.That’s how itwas considered as late as ‘95-‘96.But you could senseODIswereslowlycoming.Then,asIstartedplaying,theone-daythingexploded.IhadtoadaptandIhadtolearnhowtoplaya

fewmoreshots.Igotdroppedfromtheone-dayside,Ihadtofightmywaybackandlearnhowtoplayit.Youcouldseefromthewaypeoplewereplayingthefirst10-15oversoftheone-daygamethatalotofthiswasgoingtoseepintoTestcricket.YouareseeingthatnowinT20cricketalso.That1996WorldCuphelpedone-daycrickettakeoffinalotofways.InIndiaandacrosstheworld.DidcopingwiththedemandsofODIcricketbenefityourTestgame?I’m sure it did. The necessity and keenness to play more shots, to discover more shots, woulddefinitelyhavehelpedmyTestgame,becauseitwouldhavemeantthatIcouldhavebroughtsomeofthatintomygame.Intermsofshot-makingandstroke-makingability,itdidhelpmyTestgame.Didyoueverworryaboutbeingleftoutinthischangingenvironment?In1998,when Iwasdropped, it didworrymeabit.But I also recognised that I needed to learn

certain skills. The gamewas changing aroundme and I needed to adapt and become better at it. Iwantedtoplaybothformsofthegame.AtnostagedidIeverthinkthatIdidn’twanttoplayone-daycricket,thatI’dbehappyplayingjustTestcricket.Ineverwantedtodothat.IwantedtoplayforIndiaallthetime.IknewthatIhadtheskillstoplayone-daycricket.IknewthatIcoulddoit.Obviouslyittookmealittletime.Ihadtopractiseitalittlemore,andIwentthroughsomeupsanddowns.Ididn’texpecttobedroppedatthatstage.Itwasdisappointing.Ittakestimetolearnandgrowininternationalcricket, and I felt that Iwas just learningandbeginning togrowand Ihad that setback.But I thinkwhenIlookbackonit–itdoesn’tmakeanydifferencenow–whenyoulookbackatit15yearslater,it’seasiertosayitdidhelpme.Being dropped tookme away from the game, allowedme to practise, and I just foughtmyway

back.BeingdroppedandfightingmywaybackjustshowedmehowmuchIwantedit.Itjustshowedmemyowndesire.Itdidalotformejustpersonally,taughtmethatIcanfightmywaybackoutoftoughsituations.The1999WorldCupwasawatershed.IhadjustcomebacktotheteamfortheWorldCup.There

wasnotalotofone-daycricket,andIgotintothesidefour-fivemonthsbeforetheWorldCup.Sotodo well in the World Cup and become the highest scorer or whatever, that sort of gave me theconfidence.Thiswasaworldevent,aworldstage,conditionsoutsideIndia.IdidwellanditgavemetheconfidencethatfromthereonIcouldbefine.HowhastheIndiandressingroomchangedfromthetimeyouwalkedintoitandasyouleaveitnow?Dressingroomsaredressingrooms.Butwhenwestartedwedidn’thaveamusicboxintheroom.Sonowit’sgonefromnomusicboxtoloudmusicbeingplayed.Ilikethemusic.Sometimesthetasteofsomeof theguys inmusic, Imightnotparticularly like.Butyouhave toendure it sometimes.Rapmusic isnotmyscenebut itseemstobeprettypopularnowadays.There’sa lotmoresupportstaffnow in the changing room thanwehad in thosedays.There is a level of professionalism that has

goneupinthewaypeopleprepareandinthewaytheylookafterthemselvesandtheirbodies.That’sjustareflectionofthegame,professionalisminthegame.You’veplayedagainstmanyofthegreatsofthegameandsharedadressingroomwithsomeofthemaswell.Overandaboveability,whatwouldyousayisthecommondenominatorthatcanactuallybeimitated?Theyalwaysputcricketfirst, irrespectiveofwhotheywere,what theymighthavedone,what theirotherinterestsmighthavebeen.Cricketwasthemostimportantthingintheirlivesanddoingwellincricket was the most important thing. Everything else was secondary – the fame, the money, theattention.Eachoneofusmighthavedonethingsdifferently,wehaveotherinterests,butunderneath,deepdown,therewasahugedesiretoputcricketfirstandtobecomegoodcricketers.WhenIlookaround,someofthelegendsIplayedwith,inaworldwherethereissomuchexternalstimulus–andit’sincreasingallthetime–it’snotthattheydidn’thaveotherinterestsordoanythingelseintheirlifeandthatcricketwaseverything,no.Butatthecoreofitall,wheneverythingwasclearedaway,deep down theywanted to be really good cricket players. It wasn’t necessarily aboutwinning andlosing.WhatadvicewouldyougiveaRahulDravidifhewasstartinghiscricketnow,inthisage?Iwoulddefinitelytellayoungkidthatyoucanlearnallthethreeformsofthegameandyoushouldaimtoplayandsucceedinallthreeformsofthegame.Iwouldtellakidthatcricketisalsoajourneyofself-discoveryandknowingyourself.Youneedtospendalotoftimeunderstandingandfiguringout yourself asmuch as you need to spend learning the skills of the game. People talk about themental side of the game.You need to knowwhatmakes you tick,what your fears are,what yourdoubtsare,howyoureactinsituations,howyoureactunderpressure,howyoureactwhenyouareplayingfastbowlingandspinbowling.Eachoneofusisdifferent,andeveryonehasfearsanddoubts.Much is said about body language, and neither you nor the Indian team was big on bodylanguage.Inyourexperience,howmuchdidthatcountinacompetitor?Ifeelthatnowgoodbodylanguageissometimesequatedtobeingabusiveoraggressive.Eachofusis different, and I think there are people who show more of their body language in a particularmanner,andthat’swhatworksforthem.Fairenough,I’mnotsayingthatthat’swrong.Body language canmean different things. Just because someone is not over-the-top competitive

doesn’tmeanhe’snotagoodcompetitor.Oritdoesn’tmeanhe’snotinforafight.Thereareexternalpeople and internal people. It doesn’tmean that peoplewho aremore internal are less aggressive.Theycanbeasaggressive.Sometimesthetoughestbowlers,Ifound,werealwaystheguyswhogaveawaynothing,intermsof

theway they thought –what got them angry,what got them frustrated.Theywere very, very hardguys,becauseyouknewtheywerejustfocusedonbowlinganddoingthebesttheycould.SomeonelikeMcGrath,someonelikeAmbrose.WhenIplayedAmbrose,itwasagreateducationforme.Heneversaidathing.I’veneverheardhimspeak.Idon’tknowwhathesoundedlikeandIwasontourforfourmonths.Hegaveyounothing.Hepitchedeveryballonthespot,hewasproudofhisskillandhiscraft;hewantedtotakewicketsandheraninwithintensity.Youknew that intensity.Youcould sense that intensitywith them.Theydid it throughout theday

withoutshowingyoumuch.Therewerealotofguyswhowouldshout,stareatyou,swear.Butyouknewtheydidnothavethestaminaorthefitnesstosurvivetilltheendoftheday.Youcouldtellthattheywereemotionallyviolentbutthattheywouldfade.

Then there were people likeWarne orMurali.Warne was dramatic but he was also incrediblyaggressive.Youknew thatwhenhegot theball in thehand, hewasgoing to comeat you. I judgeaggressiononthewaypeopleperform.ThebowlersIrespectedorfearedorratedwerenottheoneswhogavemeliporstaredatmeor

abusedme.Moretheoneswho,atanystageofthegame,whentheyhadtheballinhand,weregoingtobeatme,andtheyweregoingtohavetheskillandthefitnessandtheabilitytobeaggressive.Andthatwaseasilypickedup?Youcouldtellthatveryquickly.Youcanseethespellofaguywho’sjustravedandranted,andafterteayoucan seehe’s just not the samebowler.He’snotdoing thediscipline thing.The teammightrequire him to be bowling one line and blocking up the game because there’s a big partnershipdeveloping.Andtheyaremoreinterestedintryingtobeaggressive,todotheirthingandtryingtobethehero.Itbecomesaboutthem,notaboutwhattheteamistryingtodo.Coming from a country like India,with a technique attuned to playing spin,whatwas it liketacklingMuraliandWarne.Whatwerethemethodsyouusedtofacethem?No matter how much practice you have, these guys were great bowlers. They had variation,consistency, control.Therewere somegreat spinners during that time –Murali,Warne, and Iwaslucky to play with Anil andHarbhajan, two guys who bowledwell for us. You had Saqlain, whobowledwellagainstus inacoupleofseries.DanielVettoriwasextremelyconsistent,bowledgoodtightlines.Sotheseguysweregood.Iliketobelieveweplayedsomeoftheworld’sgreatestspinnersbetterthansomeoftheotherteamsdid.Oneofthethingsisthatbecausewehadsomuchpractice,maybewereadsomeoftheseguysbetter.

Oneofthethingswedidbetterwasthatwheneverabadballwasbowled,wewereabletopunishit,and we had the guys who had that skill. There was a certain amount of pressure on the spinnersbowlingatus,thattheyhadtobeattheirAgameallthetime.AndwhentheywereattheirAgame,theyknockedusovera few times,nodoubtabout it.Butyouhad tobeatyourAgame todowellagainstus,andyoucan’tbeatyourAgameallthetime.What do youmake of the general notion that struggling against fast bowling is worse thanstrugglingagainstspin?Ithinkthatsortofthingisathrowbacktothedayswhentherewasnohelmet,sotherewasafearofinjurywhenfacingfastbowling.Everyonewouldhavebeenscared,butIguessthosewhoshoweditwereconsideredweaker.Also,IthinksubcontinenttoursintheolddayswerenotconsideredtheNo.1tours–peopledidn’tnecessarilyvaluetheirtourstothesubcontinentasmuchastheyvaluedtourstoEngland,AustraliaorSouthAfrica.Thathaschangednow,andit’sprettyobviousthatwiththekindofaudienceandsupportthatcricketgeneratesinthispartoftheworld,atourtothispartoftheworldisextremelyimportantnow.Honestly,ifyouwanttobeagoodbatsmanyouhavetoproveyourselfinallconditions.Tosaythat

it is okay to dobadly in the subcontinent, to dobadly against spin, is not acceptable anymore. It’sslowlychanging.WhenIlookatthemediainEngland,Australia,SouthAfrica,inthepastsometimestheywouldalmosthaveacasualattitudetoperformancesonsubcontinenttours.Theyarealsoputtinga lot more focus and emphasis on it now. When some of their players don’t do well on thesubcontinentaltours,theygetcriticisedanditgetspointedoutandquestioned,whichisagoodthing.Yourcaptaincyhadsomegoodresultsandatthesametimemanydramas.What,firstly,didyoulikeaboutjob?

Ienjoyedthedecision-makingprocessinthemiddle.Theactualcaptaincysideofthingswasgood.Ienjoyedbeingpartoftheprocessoftryingtobuildateam,tryingtobecreative,toseehowwecouldgetthebestoutofplayers,seehowwecouldwinandcompetewiththeresourceswehave.Thosearesidesofcaptaincyyouenjoy.Thereweresomegoodresults.IntheendyouhavetoacceptthatyouarejudgedalotbytheWorld

CupinIndia,whetheryoulikeitnot.ObviouslythatWorldCupdidn’tgowellanddidn’tpanoutthewayIhadhopeditwould.SoIguess itcloudsa lotofwhathappened.ButI think thereweresomegood results and there were some tough times, like with a lot of captains, but the overridingimpression that tends to stay is thatWorldCup. I’mnot here to justify anything. I recognise that Ialwaysknewthatwasgoingtohappen.That’sthewayitis.Wascaptaincysomethingyouwereactuallylookingforwardtodoing?Iwasvice-captainfora longtimeandIwaspartof theprocess,soyes,Iknewthat if therewasaninjuryorsomethinghappened,Iwouldbethenextguyincharge.You’repartofthemanagementanddecision-makingprocess,you’recontributing,you’retickingallthetime,soyouknowyouhavetobeready.IalsoknewthatmeandSouravwerealsoofthesameageanditmightnothappen.Whenitdidhappen,Iwasextremelykeenandexcitedabouttryingtodoagoodjobofit.DidtheChappelldramaweighyoudownasacaptain?Whenyoulookatitnow,shouldyouhavedone somethingdifferently?Maybebehavedout ofpersonality andbeen confrontationalwithhim?OrdidyoubelieveyouandChappellwereon thesamepagebut theenvironmentsouredveryquickly?I think when you look back at any stage of your career, there are things you could have donedifferently,andthatcaptaincyperiodisnodifferent.Intermsofintention,ofwhatweweretryingtoachieve,Ihavenodoubtinmymindthatyouknowitwasontherightpath.Sure,wemademistakes,sure, therewerethingsthatwedidright,andmaybesomeoftheresultsdidn’tshowuprightaway,theydidshowuplateron,butthat’sjustthewayitis.I’llbethefirstonetoadmit–andmywholecareerisbasedonlookingtoimproveandtryingtodo

better–thatthereweretimeswhenIcouldhavedonethingsdifferently,inthewaythatIapproacheditandhandled it.Beingprobablya little less intense.Maybe itcame tome that Iwassokeen todoagoodjobthatIgottoocaughtupinit.Igottootense,tooanxiousortookeenaboutitinsomeways.Doyouthinkthatcaptainscanactuallyloseteams,andthatatonepointyoulosttheteam?Maybeitis.Idon’tknowifyoulosetheteam.Youcanloseplayersinyourteamandyouhavetotryto fight andget themback sometimes.Or sometimes it’s phases that players are themselves goingthroughintheirowncareersthatpushthemawayfromtheteam.Thentherearetimeswhenyouaremaking toughdecisions about doing certain things that not everybody in the team likes.Thenyouneed results to go your way. At a time like that, if results don’t go your way then sometimes itbecomeseasyforpeopleinandaroundthesystemto,Iguess,pullindifferentdirections.Eventuallyitdoesbecomeaboutresults.It’snotallaboutresultsbutresultsareincrediblyimportant.AndIthink,especiallyaswe’veseeninIndia,resultsinbigtournaments.WhydidyoustanddownfromthecaptaincyaftertheEnglandtourin2007thathadgonewell?MaybeIjustlosttheenjoymentofthejob.Igotacertainjoyoutofcaptaincy,andmaybetherewasaperiodonthatEnglandtripwhereIjustlostthejoyofthejob.I’dbeenplayingandcaptainingnon-stopforthreeyearsandIalsohadayoungfamily.Ilostacertainenjoyment,andIgenerallyfeltthatthe captain of India should be someone who is extremely eager and excited and wakes up every

morningwantingtocaptaintheteam.MaybeinthattimethereweredaysthatIdidn’tfeellikethat.

When you retired, you called your team-mates and spoke to them before making theannouncement.Whenyouquitthecaptaincy,youjustvanished.Whatwasthatabout?WhenIlookatitinhindsight,Icouldhavehandleditbetter.Ididn’twanttomakeafussaboutitatthatstage, and I think a lot of people got upset with memore about how I handled it rather than thedecisioninitself.Soyoulearnfromthat,youlearnfromthemistakes.WhatisyourresponsetotheimpactofT20cricketonIndiancricket?Thereality is thatwhenIgrewup,playingTestcricketwas theultimate. Itmatteredprofessionally,alsointermsofmakingalivingfromthisgame,whichdoesbecomeimportantatsomepoint.YouhadtoplayTestcricketconsistentlyforalongtimetodothat.Butnowyoudon’tneedtoplayTestcricket.TheadventofT20andtheIPLhasmeantthatitispossibletomakeanextremelygoodlivingfromthegamewithouthavingtoplayTestcricket.Inthepastyouhadonlythecreamatthetopwhoweremakingagoodliving,butnowithasspreada lotmoreandyouhavea lotmorepeoplewhomakeaverygoodliving.ItisoneofthegreatpositivesofT20andtheIPL.Butthereisobviouslythedangerthatplayersmightsellthemselvesshort.Iftheyfacestumblesor

hurdlesearly in theirTestcareeror infirst-classcricket, theremightbeafewwhomaychoose tosticktoT20becausetheyarebetteratitandtheyaremakingbettermoneyfromitandtheydon’twanttorisklosingthat.IndiawillfacethischallengealotmorebecausealotmoreIndianplayersplayintheIPL.Sohow

weaddressthatchallengeandgooutandmakepeopleandplayersvalueTestcricket–thatwillcomedown to scheduling. We have to schedule more Test matches per year. It will come down tocompensation. You’ve got to compensate Test cricketers adequately now. It’ll come down tomarketing–howyoumarketTest cricket, glorify its history. It’ll comedown to coaches at juniorlevels,howtheytalk to theirwards,howtheyinspire themaboutTestcricket. It’llbeaboutstories,it’llbeaboutmedia.Everyonewillhavetoplaytheirpart.TherehavebeensomegoodexamplesrecentlyofpeoplewhohavebeengoodplayersinT20and

havecomeoutanddonewellinTestcricket.It’sagoodthingforkidstoseethatyoucansucceedinallthreeformsofthegame.That’simportant.Ihavenodoubtthatalotofthekidsplayingtodayintheone-dayandTestsideshavegrownuphavingTestcricketerstoadmire.Butit’skidswhoaremychildren’sageoralittleolder,whoarenowgettinginterestedinthegameforthefirsttimeandareseeingtheIPL,it’sthosekindsofchildrenthatweneedtoeducateandtalktoaboutTestcricket.Theresponsibility lieswith theICCandtheboards toscheduleenoughTestmatches.Theymight

have to make a few sacrifices in terms of money. I have no doubt that if you play enough Testmatches,kidswillwanttoplayit.Peoplemightnotcometothegroundsthateasily,andthat’swhyit’simportanttoexploreotheravenues–whetheritisday-nightcricket,thevenueswhereweplayit,andthecontextofTestmatches.Wehavetoacceptthatpeopledon’thavethetime,butthereisstillhugeinterestforTestcricket.PeoplefollowTestcricket,whetherit’sontelevisionortheinternet,inIndiaasmuchaselsewhere.Inthelastfewyears,inasmuchastherehavebeenfears,thenumberofthearticlesthatgetwritten

aboutTestcricket,thenumberofpeoplewhofollowitpassionately,whotalktomeaboutTestcricket–thathasn’tchanged.In thisT20age,howmust Indiahandle thepassingofagreatgenerationof itsTestplayers?

Howcanthetransitionbemadesmooth?Atsomestagethereisgoingtobeawholenewgenerationofplayers.Iknowtherearealwayslinksbetweenonegenerationofplayersand theothers; there isalwaysamiddle levelofmanagement–playerswhohavebeenaroundandarestillgoingtobearoundforafewyears.Twoor threeguysmightretireinthenextcoupleofyears,whoknows?Butafterthattherearegoingtobeguyswhoaregoing to be around, and the responsibility is going to lie on these guys to step it up. Guys likeSehwag,Gambhir,Harbhajan,Zaheer,Dhonihimself.Notonlyasplayersbutalsoasspokesmen.Aspeoplewhodecidethecultureoftheteam,thewaytheteamisrun,theimagetheywanttoprojectoftheteam,regardingwhichformofthegameisimportanttothisteam.Itwillbeagroupofplayers,who,Ithink,arealreadyseniors,whowillsetthetoneforthenextgenerationcomingthrough.Thatcyclegoeson,thatcyclewillgoon.It’sgottomoveonfrombeingtheteamthatwasledby

mygeneration,whichisalreadyhappeningslowly,andwillcontinuetodosooverthenextfewyears.I’mnotsayingtheseniorsneedtobereplaced.Theywillbe thesoundingboards.But thedirectionandthecultureoftheteamoverthenexttenyearswillhavetobedecidedbythiscapablegroupofyoungplayers.Virat Kohli is now seen as the leader of the younger generation. Do you see him as yoursuccessorintheNo.3slot?He’sgotthetalent–thatwasobviousfromthetimehewasanUnder-19kid.Hedidn’thaveareallygoodfirstyearattheRoyalChallengersBangalore,butyoucouldseethattherewastalent.That’snotgoingtochange.He’sgotthetalenttosucceedatthislevelandit’sgreattoseetheevolutionofthiskid, fromwhatwe saw at 19 towhat he’s becoming now.His consistency of performance and hisabilitytoplayindifferentconditionsandscorerunsindifferentconditions–that’sgreat.Andhe’s got to keepdoing that.Aswith any career and anything that youplay for a long time,

questionsaregoingtobeaskedofhim.Onthetechnicalfront,onthephysicalfront,onthementalfront.Onhowhedealswithfailure,withsuccess,withallthathappensaroundhiminIndiancricket.Questionsaregoingtobeaskedabouthim,andhowhecomesupwithsolutionsoranswersisgoingtodecidehowlongorhowsuccessfulacareerheisgoingtohave.Indian cricket can hope that someone likeVirat,who has seeminglymade that transition from a

precocioustalenttoaperformerattheinternationallevel,isabletohavealongandsuccessfulcareer.Thestrengthofyourteamisfinallybuiltaroundpeoplewhocanhavelongandsuccessfulcareers.Youcanthenbuildateamaroundhimandsomeoftheotheryoungguys.DoyouworryaboutwhereIndiancricketisatthemoment–thatitisgoingtobeaverygood,competitiveteaminODIcricketratherthanasuccessfulTestteam?Orthatallofthisdependsonensuringthatyourfastbowlers’conveyorbeltdoesn’tgoaroundsoquickly?Iwouldn’tsayI’mworried.IwouldsaytherearechallengesthatIndiancricketfacestoday.Someofthesearechallenges thathavealwaysbeen there in thehistoryofourgame–whether it is findinggoodqualityfast-bowlingallroundersorfindingopeningbatsmenorfindingrealfastbowlers.Thesechallengeshavetobeaddressed,andit’snopointworrying.TherearelotsofpositivesaboutIndiancricket.It’sgoingtobeawholenewlevelofthinking,awholenewlevelofleadership,ofthought,thatis

required.LikeIsaid,ofhowtheteamisgoingtoprojectitself.Youcan’tjustletthingsflow.Ifwejustletthingshappen,theywillhappen.Youmightgetlucky,youmightsuddenlyfindabrilliantplayerorabrilliantfast-bowlingallrounderfromsomewhere,butthereneedstobeseriousthoughtputintothe

waytheteamis,whatisthewayforward,andhowwewanttoseetheIndianteam,nottodaybuttenyearsahead.Whenwe got together as a group of guys in 2000, it was important forme how the teamwas

projected.Weweregoing through a roughpatch,wehad comeout of thismatch-fixing thing.Wewerealwaysknownaspoortravellers.Itwassaidwewerescaredoffastbowling,wewerearrogant,rude,orthatbecauseofmatch-fixingyoucan’ttrustanyone.Thesewerethethingsthatyouwantedtochange.Tenyearslater,nowthereisanotherchallenge.Eachteamhasitsownimage;that’swhatyouwant to change.Maybe this team now has the image where it’s said they are very good one-dayplayers,theyarenotthatgoodasTestplayers.YoukeephearingtalkaboutwhatimpacttheIPLmighthave,howeveryonewillonlywanttoplayIPL,andhowitmightaffectourTestcricket.Hopefullytheseguyswillgoontochallengethatnotion,toshowusthatitisnotthecase.Sharda Ugra is a senior editor at ESPNcricinfo, where this interview was first published on March 29, 2012

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‘Everythingthathasgivencricketitspowerhasstartedfromthefan’RAHULDRAVID

InDecember2011,RahulDravidwas invited todeliver theBradmanOration inCanberraduringIndia’s tour toAustralia.His speechwaswide-ranging,meticulous andmemorable, touching onissuesfromstrikingabalancebetweenthethreeformats,tomeasuresagainstcorruptionincricket.

hankyouforinvitingmetodelivertheBradmanOration.Therespectandtheregardthatcamewiththeinvitationtospeaktonightaredeeplyappreciated.IrealiseaverydistinguishedlistofgentlemenhaveprecededmeinthetenyearsthattheBradman

Orationhasbeenheld.IknowthatthisOrationisheldeveryyeartoappreciatethelifeandcareerofSirDonBradman,agreatAustralianandagreatcricketer.IunderstandthatIamsupposedtospeakaboutcricketandissuesinthegame–andIwill.Yetfirst,beforeallelse,ImustsaythatIfindmyselfhumbledbythevenuewefindourselvesin.

Eventhoughthereisneitherapitchinsight,norstumpsorbatandballs,asacricketerIfeelIstandon very sacred ground tonight. When I was told that I would be speaking at the National WarMemorialIthoughtofhowoftenandhowmeaninglesslythewords“war”,“battle”,“fight”areusedtodescribecricketmatches.Yes,wecricketersdevote thebetterpartofour adult lives tobeingprepared toperform forour

countries, to persist and compete as intensely as we can – and more. This building, however,recognisesthemenandwomenwholivedoutthewords–war,battle,fight–forrealandthengaveitallupfortheircountry,theirlivesleftincomplete,futuresextinguished.ThepeopleofbothourcountriesareoftentoldthatcricketistheonethingthatbringsIndiansand

Australianstogether.Thatcricketisoursinglecommondenominator.India’sfirstTestseriesasafreecountrywasplayedagainstAustralia, inNovember1947, threemonthsafterour independence.Yetthehistoriesofourcountriesarelinkedtogetherfarmoredeeplythanwethink,andfurtherbackintimethan1947.We share something else other than cricket.Before theyplayed the firstTestmatch against each

other,IndiansandAustraliansfoughtwarstogether,onthesameside.InGallipoli,where,alongwiththousandsofAustralians,over1300Indiansalsolosttheirlives.InWorldWarII,therewereIndianandAustraliansoldiersinElAlamein,NorthAfrica,intheSyria-Lebanoncampaign,inBurma,inthebattle forSingapore.Beforewewerecompetitors, IndiansandAustralianswerecomrades.So it isonly appropriate thatwe are here this evening at theAustralianWarMemorial, where alongwithcelebratingcricketandcricketers,weremembertheunknownsoldiersofbothnations.Itis,however,incongruousthatI,anIndian,happentobethefirstcricketerfromoutsideAustralia

invitedtodelivertheBradmanOration.Idon’tsaythatonlybecauseSirDononcescoredahundredbeforelunchatLord’sandmyhundredatLord’sthisyeartookalmostanentireday.Butseriously,SirDonplayedjustfiveTestsagainstIndia;thatwasinthefirstIndia-Australiaseries

in1947-48,whichwas tobehis last seasonathome.Hedidn’tevenplay in India, and remains themostveneratedcricketerinIndianottohaveplayedthere.WeknowthathesetfootinIndia,though,

inMay1953,whenonhiswaytoEnglandtoreportontheAshesforanEnglishnewspaper,hisplanestoppedinCalcuttaairport.Thereweresaidtobeclosetoathousandpeoplewaitingtogreethim.Asyouknow,hewasaveryprivateperson,andsohegotintoanarmyjeepandrushedintoabarricadedbuilding,annoyedwiththeairlineforhaving“breachedconfidentiality”.ThatwasallIndiansofthetimesawofBradman,whoremainsamythicalfigure.Foronegenerationof fans inmycountry, thosewhogrewup in the1930s,when Indiawas still

underBritishrule,BradmanrepresentedacricketingexcellencethatbelongedtosomewhereoutsideEngland.ToacountrytakingitsfirststepsinTestcricketthatmeantsomething.HissuccessagainstEnglandatthattimewasthoughtofasourpersonalsuccess.Hewasstrikingoneforallofusruledbythecommonenemy.Orasyourcountryhassopoeticallycalledthem,thePoms.TherearetwostoriesthatIthoughtIshouldbringtoyournotice.June28,1930,thedayBradman

scored254atLord’sagainstEngland,wasalsothedayJawaharlalNehruwasarrestedbythepolice.Nehruwas,atthetime,oneofthemostprominentleadersoftheIndianindependencemovement,andlater, independent India’s first prime minister. The coincidence of the two events was noted by ayoungboy,KNPrabhu,whowasbothnationalistandcricketfanandlaterbecameindependentIndia’sforemostcricketwriter.Inthe‘30s,asNehruwentinandoutofjail,BradmanwentaftertheEnglandbowling,andforKNPrabhuhebecameakindofavengingangel.There’sanotherstoryI’veheard,aboutthedayin1933whenthenewsreachedIndiathatBradman’s

recordforthehighestTestscoreof334hadbeenbrokenbyWallyHammond.Asmuchasweloveourrecords,theysaysomeIndianfansatthetimewerenotexactlyhappy.Now,there’satalethatafew evenwanted towear black bands tomourn the fact that this precious record that belonged toAustralia–andbyextension,us–hadgoneback.ToanEnglishman.Wewillneverknowif this istrue,ifblackbandswereeverworn,butasjournalistssometimestellme,whyletfactsgetinthewayofagoodstory.MyownlinkwithBradmanwasmuchlikethatofmostotherIndians–throughhistorybooks,some

oldvideofootageandhiswisewords.Aboutleavingthegamebetterthanyoufoundit.Aboutplayingitpositively,asBradman,thenaselector,toldRichieBenaudbeforethe1960-61WestIndiestourofAustralia.Of sending the rightmessageout fromcricket to itspublic.Ofplayersbeing temporarytrusteesofagreatgame.Whiletheremaybeverylittlesimilarityinourrecordsorourstrikeratesorourfielding–andI

can say this only today, in front of all of you – I am actually pleased that I share something veryimportantwithSirDon.Hewas,primarily,likeme,aNo.3batsman.It isa tough, tough job.We’re theoneswhomake lifeeasier for thekingsofbatting, themiddle

order that followsus.Bradmandid thatwithabitmore successandstyle than Idid.Hedominatedbowlingattacksandputbumsonseats;ifIbatforanylengthoftimeIammorelikelytoborepeopletosleep.Still,itisnicetohavebattedforalongtimeinapositionwhosebenchmarkis,infact,thebenchmarkforbatsmanshipitself.Beforehe retired frompublic life inhis80s, Idoknow thatBradmanwatchedSunilGavaskar ’s

generationplayaseriesinAustralia.IremembertheexcitementthatwentthroughIndiancricketwhenweheardthenewsthatBradmanhadseenSachinTendulkarbatonTVandthoughthebattedlikehim.Itwasmorethanmereapproval,itwasasifthegreatDonhadfinallypassedonhistorch.Nottoan

AussieoranEnglishmanoraWestIndian.Buttooneofourown.

OneofthethingsBradmansaidhasstayedinmymind.Thatthefinestofathleteshad,alongwithskill,afewmoreessentialqualities:theabilitytoconducttheirlifewithdignity,withintegrity,withcourageandmodesty.Allthis,hebelieved,wastotallycompatiblewithpride,ambition,determinationand competitiveness.Maybe those words should be put up in cricket dressing rooms all over theworld.Asallofyouknow,DonBradmanpassedawayonFebruary25,2001,twodaysbeforetheIndiav

AustraliaserieswastobegininMumbai.Wheneveranimportantfigureincricketleavesus,cricket’sglobalcommunitypausesinthemidstofcontestsanddebatestorememberwhatherepresented,whathestoodfor,andBradmanwasthepinnacle.ThestandardagainstwhichallTestbatsmenmusttakeguard.TheseriesthatfollowedtwodaysafterBradman’sdeathlaterwentontobecomewhatmanybelieve

wasoneofthegreatestincricket.Itisaseries,I’dliketobelieve,hewouldhaveenjoyedfollowing.Afiercecontestbetweenbatandballwentdownto thefinalsessionof thefinaldayof the finalTest.BetweenanAustralian teamthathadrisen to theirmost imposingpowersandayoungIndian teamdeterminedtorewritesomechaptersofitsownhistory.The 2001 series contained high-quality cricket from both sides and had a deep impact on the

careersofthosewhoplayedapartinit.TheAustralianswerenearunbeatableinthefirsthalfofthenewdecade,bothhomeandaway.Asothersflounderedagainstthem,Indiabecametheonlyteamthatcompetedwiththemoneventerms.India kept answering questions put to themby theAustralians and asking a few themselves. The

qualitydemandedofthosecontests,sometimesacrimonious,sometimesuplifting,madeus,theIndianteam, grow and rise. As individuals, we were asked to play to the absolute outer limits of ourcapabilities,andweoftenextendedthem.Whenwetouredin2007-08,IthoughtitwasgoingtobemylasttourofAustralia.TheAustralians

thought itwasgoingtobe the last timetheywouldbeseeingSachinTendulkarontheirshores.Hereceivedwarm standing ovations fromwonderful crowds all around the country.Well, like a fewcreakingTerminators,we’reback.Older,wiserand,Ihope,improved.Ifbothteamslookbacktotheir2007-08seriesinAustralia, theywillknowthat theyshouldhave

donethingsalittledifferentlyintheSydneyTest.ButIthinkbothsideshavemovedonfromthere;we’veplayedeachothertwiceinIndiaalreadyandrelationsbetweenthetwoteamsaremuchbetterthantheyhavebeenasfarasIcanremember.Thanks to the IPL, Indians and Australians have even shared dressing rooms. Shane Watson’s

involvementinRajasthan,MikeHussey’srolewithChennai,tomentionafew,aregreatlyappreciatedback home. And even Shane Warne likes India now. I really enjoyed playing alongside him atRajasthan last season and can confidently report toyou that he is not eating importedbakedbeansanymore.Infact,lookingathim,itseemsheisnoteatinganything.Itisoftensaidthatcricketersareambassadorsfortheircountry;whenthere’samatchtobewon,

sometimeswethinkthatisanunreasonabledemand.Afterall,whatwouldcareerdiplomatsdoiftheresultofaTestseriesdependedonthem,say,walking?ButastiesbetweenIndiaandAustraliahavestrengthenedandourcontestshavebecomemorefrequent,werealisethatasIndianplayerswestandforavast,varied,oftenunfathomableandendlesslyfascinatingcountry.

At themoment, tomuchof theoutsideworld, Indiancricket representsonly two things–moneyandpower.Yes,thataspectofIndiancricketisapartofthewhole,butitisnotthecompletepicture.Asaplayer,asaproudandprivilegedmemberoftheIndiancricketteam,Iwanttosaythatthisone-dimensional,oftenclichéd,image,relentlesslyrepeated,isnotwhatIndiancricketisreallyallabout.Icannot takeallofyou into the townsandvillagesourplayerscomefromand introduceyou to

theirfamilies, teachers,coaches,mentorsandteam-mateswhomadetheminternationalcricketers.Icannot take all of you here to India to show you the belief, struggle, effort and sacrifice fromhundredsofpeoplethatrunsthroughourgame.AsIstandheretoday,itisimportantformetobringIndiancricketanditsownremarkablestoryto

you. I believe it is very necessary that cricketing nations try to find out about each other, try tounderstand each other and the different role cricket plays in different countries, because ours is,eventually,averysmallworld.InIndia,cricketisabuzzing,humming,livingentitygoingthroughamostremarkabletime,like

no other in our cricketing history. In this last decade, the Indian team represents, more than everbefore, the countrywe come from– of people fromvastly different cultures,who speak differentlanguages, follow different religions, belong to all classes of society. Iwent around our dressingroomtoworkouthowmanylanguagescouldbespokeninthereandthenumberIhavearrivedatis:15,includingShonaandAfrikaans.Mostforeigncaptains,Ithink,wouldbaulkattheidea.ButwhenIledIndia,Ienjoyedit.Imarvelled

at therangeofdifferenceand theabilityofpeople fromsomanydifferentbackgrounds toshareadressingroom,toaccept,accommodateandrespectthatdifference.Inaworldgrowingmoreinsular,thatisapreciousqualitytoacquire,becauseitstaysforlifeandhelpsyouunderstandpeoplebetter,understandthesignificanceoftheother.Letme tell you one ofmy favourite stories frommyUnder-19 days,when the IndiaU-19 team

playedamatchagainsttheNewZealandjuniorteam.Wehadtwobowlersintheteam,onefromthenorthIndianstateofUttarPradesh–hespokeonlyHindi,whichisusuallyalinklanguageforplayersfromalloverIndia,aheadevenofEnglish.Itshouldhavebeenallright,excepttheotherbowlercamefromKerala, in the deep south, and he spoke only the state’s regional language,Malayalam.Noweventhatshouldhavebeenokayastheywerebothbowlersandwouldn’treallyneedtotalktoeachothermuchonthefield.Yet inonegame theyhappened to come together at the crease. In thedressing roomwewere in

splits,wonderinghowtheyweregoingtomanagethebusinessofapartnership,callingforrunsorsharingthestrike.Neithermancouldunderstandawordofwhattheotherwassaying,andtheywerebattingtogether.ThiscouldonlyhappeninIndiancricket.Exceptthatthesetwoguyscameupwitha100-runpartnership.Theircommonlanguagewascricketandthatworkedoutjustfine.Theeveryday richnessof Indiancricket lies right there,not in thenewsyouhear aboutmillion-

dollardealsandtelevisionrights.WhenIlookbackoverthe25yearsI’vespentincricket,Irealisetwo things.First, rather alarmingly, that I am theoldestman in the team,older to evenSachin, bythree months. More importantly, I realise that Indian cricket actually reflects our country’s owngrowth story during this time. Cricket is somuch a part of our national fabric that as India – itseconomy,societyandpopularculture–transformeditself,sodidourmost-lovedsport.AsplayersweareappreciativebeneficiariesofthefinancialstrengthofIndiancricket,butweare

morethanjustmascotsofthateconomicpower.ThecaricatureoftenmadeofIndiancricketanditscricketersintherestoftheworldisthatwearepamperedsuperstars–overpaid,underworked,treatedlike a cross between royalty and rock stars. Yes, the Indian team has an enormous emotionalfollowing,andwedoneedsecuritywhenwegoaroundthecountryasagroup.Itisalsowhywemakeitapointtoalwaystrytoconductourselveswithcomposureanddignity.Ontour,Imustpointout,wedon’tattackfansordodrugsorget intodrunkentheatrics.Andathome,despitewhatsomeofyoumayhaveheard,wedon’tliveinmansionswithswimmingpools.Thenews about themoneymaywell overpower all else, but alongwith it, our cricket is full of

stories theoutsideworlddoesnot see.Television rightsgenerated around Indian cricket aremuchtalkedabout.Letmetellyouwhattelevisionhasdonetoourgame.A sport that was largely played and patronised by princes and businessmen in traditional urban

centres–cities likeBombay,Bangalore,Chennai,Baroda,Hyderabad,Delhi–hasbeguntopull incricketersfromeverywhere.AstheearningsfromIndiancrickethavegrowninthepasttwodecades,mainlythroughtelevision,

theBCCIhas spread revenues tovariouspockets in the country and improvedwhereweplay.Thefieldisnowspreadwiderthaniteverhasbeen,thegroundcoveredbyIndiancrickethasshifted.Twenty-seven teams compete in our national championship, the Ranji Trophy. Last season

Rajasthan,astatebestknownforitspalaces,fortressesandtourism,wontheRanjiTrophytitleforthefirsttimeinitshistory.Thenationalone-daychampionshipalsohadafirst-timewinnerinthenewlyformedstateofJharkhand,whereourcaptain,MSDhoni,comesfrom.The growth and scale of cricket on our televisionswas the engine of this population shift. Like

BradmanwastheboyfromBowral,astreamofIndiancricketersnowcomesfromwhatyoucouldcallIndia’soutback.ZaheerKhanbelongstotheMaharashtraheartland,fromatownthatdidn’thaveevenoneproperturfwicket.HecouldhavebeenaninstrumentationengineerbutwasdrawntocricketbyTV,andmodelledhisbowlingbypractisinginfrontof themirroronhiscupboardathome.Hefirstbowledwithapropercricketballattheageof17.Oneday,outofnowhere,aboyfromavillageinGujaratturnedupasIndia’sfastestbowler.After

MunafPatelmadehisdebutforIndia,theroadfromthenearestrailwaystationtohisvillagehadtobeimprovedbecausejournalistsandTVcrewsfromthecitieskeptlandingupthere.WearedelightedthatUmeshYadavdidn’tbecomeapoliceman,likehewasplanning,andturnedto

cricket instead.He is the firstcricketer from thecentral Indian first-class teamofVidarbha toplayTestcricket.VirenderSehwag,itshouldn’tsurpriseyou,belongstothewildwestjustoutsideDelhi.Hehadto

beenrolledinacollegewhichhadagoodcricketprogrammeandtravelled84kmeverydaybybustogettopracticeandmatches.EveryplayerinthisroomwearinganIndiablazerhasastorylikethis.Here,ladiesandgentlemen,

istheheartandsoulofIndiancricket.PlayingforIndiacompletelychangesourlives.Thegamehasgivenusachancetopaybackour

debttoallthosewhogavetheirtime,energyandresourcesforustobebettercricketers:wecanbuildnewhomesforourparents,getoursiblingsmarriedoffinstyle,giveourfamiliesverycomfortablelives.

The Indian cricket team is, in fact, India itself in microcosm. A sport that was played first byprinces,thentheirsubordinates,thentheurbanelite,isnowplayedbyallofIndia.Cricket,asmytwoU-19team-matesproved,isIndia’smostwidelyspokenlanguage.EvenIndiancinemahasitsregionalfavourites; a movie star in the south may not be popular in the north. But a cricketer? Lovedeverywhere.It isalsoaverytoughenvironment togrowupin–criticismcanbesevere,responsestovictory

anddefeatextreme.Thereareinvasionsofprivacyandstoneshavebeenthrownatourhomesaftersome defeats. It takes time getting used to – extreme reactions can fill us with anger. But everycricketer realises at some stage of his career that the Indian cricket fan is best understood byrememberingthesentimentofthemajority,nottheactionsofaminority.Oneofthethingsthathasalwaysliftedmeasaplayerislookingoutoftheteambuswhenwetravel

somewhereinIndia.WhenpeopleseetheIndianbusgoingby,seesomeofussittingwithourcurtainsdrawnback,italwaysamazesmehowmuchtheylightup.Thereisaninstantaneoussmile,directednotjustattheplayertheyseebutatthegameweplay,that,forwhateverreason,meanssomethingtopeople’slives.Winorlose,themanonthestreetwillsmileandgiveyouawave.AfterIndiawontheWorldCupthisyear,ourplayerswerenotcongratulatedasmuchastheywere

thankedbypeopletheyraninto.“Youhavegivenuseverything,”theyweretold,“allofushavewon”.CricketinIndianowstandsnotjustforsportbutpossibility,hope,opportunities.OnourwaytotheIndianteam,weknowofsomanyofourteam-mates,someofwhommayhave

beenequallyormoretalentedthanthosesittinghere,whomissedout.WhenIstartedout,forayoungIndian,cricketwastheultimategamble–allornothing,nosafetynets.Nosecondchancesforthosewithout an education or a college degree, or second careers. Indian cricket’swealth nowmeans awiderpoolofwell-paidcricketers,evenatfirst-classlevel.ForthoseofuswhomakeittotheIndianteam,cricketisnotmerelyourlivelihood,itisagiftwe

havebeengiven.Withoutthegame,wewouldjustbeaveragepeopleleadingaveragelives.AsIndiancricketers,oursporthasgivenusthechancetodosomethingworthwhilewithourlives.Howmanypeoplecouldsaythat?ThisisthetimeIndiancricketshouldbeflowering.Wearetheworldchampionsintheshortgame,

andoverthespaceofthenext12monthsshouldbeinvolvedinatightcontestwithAustralia,SouthAfricaandEnglandtodeterminewhichofusistheworld’sstrongestTestteam.YetIbelievethisisalsoatimeforintrospectionwithinourgame,notonlyinIndiabutallovertheworld.Wehavebeengivensomealerts,andrespondingtothemquicklyisthesmartthingtodo.IwassurprisedafewmonthsagotoseethelackofcrowdsinanODIseriesfeaturingIndia.Bythat

I don’t mean the lack of full houses. I think it was the sight of empty stands I found somewhatalarming.Indiaplayedtheirfirstone-dayinternationalathomeinNovember1981,whenIwasnine.Between

thenandnowIndiahaveplayed227ODIsathome;theOctoberfive-matchseriesagainstEnglandwasthefirsttimethatthegroundshavenotbeenfullforanODIseriesfeaturingtheIndianteam.Inthesummerof1998Iplayedinaone-dayeragainstKenyainKolkataandtheEdenGardenswas

full.Ournextgamewasheldinthe48-degreeheatofGwaliorandthestandswereheaving.TheOctoberseriesagainstEnglandwasthefirstoneathomeafterIndia’sWorldCupwin.Itwas

calledthe“revenge”series,meanttowipeawaythememoryofaforgettabletourofEngland.India

keptwinningeverygameandyetthestandsdidnotfillup.Fivedaysaftera5-0victory95,000turneduptowatchIndia’sfirstFormula1race.AfewweekslaterIplayedinaTestmatchagainstWestIndiesinKolkata,infrontofwhatwasthe

lowestturnoutinEdenGardens’history.Yeswestillwantedtowinandourintensitydidnotdip,butattheendofthedayweareperformers,entertainers,andweloveanaudience.Theaudienceamplifieseverythingyouaredoing:thebiggerthecrowd,thebiggertheoccasion,itsmagnitude,itsemotion.When I thinkabout theEdenGardenscrowds thisyear, Iwonderwhat the famousCalcuttaTestof2001wouldhavefeltlikewith50,000peoplelesswatchingus.AustraliaandSouthAfricaplayedanexcitingandthrillingTestseriesrecently,andtwogreatTest

matches produced some fantastic performances from players of both teams, but thematchesweresadlyplayedinfrontofsparsecrowds.ItisnotthenumbersthatTestplayersneed,itistheatmosphereofaTestthateveryplayerwantsto

revelinanddrawenergyfrom.Myfirstreactiontothelackofcrowdsforcricketwasthattherehadbeen a lot of cricket and soperhaps a certain amount of spectator fatigue.That is too simplistic aview;it’stheeasythingtosay,anditmightnotbetheonlything.TheIndiavEnglandODIserieshadnocontext,becausethetwocountrieshadplayedeachotherin

fourTestsandfiveODIsjustafewweeksbefore.WhenIndiaandWestIndiesplayedODIsamonthafterthat,thegroundswerefull,butthistimethematcheswereplayedinsmallervenuesthatdidn’thosttoomuchinternationalcricket.Maybeourcluesareallthereandwemustremainvigilant.Unlike inAustralia orEngland, Indian cricket has never had to competewith other sports for a

shareofrevenues,mindspaceorcrowdattendanceatinternationalmatches.Thelackofcrowdsmaynotdirectlyimpactrevenuesorhowimportant thesport is toIndians,butwedoneedtoaccept thattherehasdefinitelybeenachangeintemperatureover,Ithink,thelasttwoyears.Whatever the reasons are – maybe it is too much cricket or too little by way of comfort for

spectators–thefanhassentusamessageandwemustlisten.Thisisnotmeresentimentality.Emptystandsdonotmakeforgoodtelevision.Badtelevisioncanleadtoafallinratings.Thefallinratingswill be felt bymedia planners and advertisers looking elsewhere. If that happens, it is hard to seetelevision rights around cricket being as sought-after as they have been in the last 15 years. Andwheredoesthatleaveeveryone?I’mnottryingtobeaneconomistordoomsdayprophet–thisisjusthowIseeit.Letusnotbesosatisfiedwiththepresent,withdealsandfinancesinhand,thatwegetblindsided.

Everythingthathasgivencricketitspowerandinfluenceintheworldofsportshasstartedfromthatfaninthestadium.Theydeserveourrespectandletusnottakethemforgranted.Disrespectingfansisdisrespectingthegame.Thefanshavestoodbyourgamethrougheverything.Whenweplay,weneedto think of them.As players, the balance between competitiveness and fairness can be tough but itmustbefound.Ifwestandupfor thegame’sbasicdecencies, itwillbe fareasier to tackle thebiggerdangers–

whether it is finding shortcuts to easy money or being lured by the scourge of spot-fixing andcontemplatinganyinvolvementwiththebettingindustry.Cricket’sfinancialsuccessmeansitwillfacethreatsfromoutsidethegameandkeepfacingthem.

Thelasttwodecadeshaveprovedthisoverandoveragain.Theinternetandmoderntechnologymayjustendupbeingastepaheadofeveryanti-corruptionregulationinplaceinthegame.Asplayers,the

onewaywecanstayaheadisifwearewillingtobemonitoredandregulatedclosely.Evenifitmeansgivingupalittlebitoffreedomofmovementandprivacy.Ifitmeansundergoing

dope tests, let us never say no. If it means undergoing lie-detector tests, let us understand thetechnology,whatpurposeitserves,andacceptit.Nowliedetectorsarebynomeansperfectbuttheycould actually help the innocent clear their names. Similarly, we should not object to having ourfinancesscrutinised,ifthatiswhatisrequired.When the firstanti-corruptionmeasureswereput intoplace,wedidmoana littlebitaboutbeing

accredited and depositing our cell phoneswith themanager. But nowwemust treat it like we doairport security,becauseweknow it is forourowngoodandourownsecurity.Players shouldbeready togiveupa littlepersonal spaceandpersonalcomfort for thisgamewhichhasgivenus somuch. If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. Other sports have borrowed fromcricket’santi-corruptionmeasurestosetuptheirownethicalgovernanceprogrammes,andwemusttakeprideinbelongingtoasportthatisprofessionalandprogressive.Oneofthebiggestchallengesthatthegamemustrespondtotoday,Ibelieve,ischartingoutaclear

roadmap for the three formats.We now realise that the sport’s three formats cannot be played inequalnumbers–thatwillonlythrowschedulingandthetruedevelopmentofplayerscompletelyoffgear.Thereisaplaceforallthreeformats,thoughwearetheonlysportIcanthinkofwhichhasthree

versions.Cricketmust treasure this originality.These three versions require different skills; skillsthathaveevolved,grown,changedoverthelastfourdecades,oneimpactingontheother.Testcricketisthegoldstandard.Itistheformtheplayerswanttoplay.The50-overgameistheone

thathaskeptcricket’srevenuesaliveformorethanthreedecadesnow.T20hascomeuponusanditistheformatpeople,thefans,wanttosee.Cricketmustfindamiddlepath,itmustscaledownthismadmerry-go-roundthatteamsandplayers

find themselves in: heading off for two-Test tours and seven-match ODI series with a few T20sthrownin.Testcricketdeservestobeprotected,itiswhattheworld’sbestknowtheywillbejudgedby.Where

Icomefrom,nationversusnationiswhatgotpeople interestedincricket in thefirstplace.WhenIhear thenews that a country isplayingwithout someof itsbestplayers, I alwayswonder:whatdotheirfansthink?PeoplemaynotbeabletoturnuptowatchTestcricket,buteveryonefollowsthescores.Wemay

notfill65,000capacitystadiumsforTestmatches,butwemustactivelyfighttogetasmanyaswecanin,tocreateaTestmatchenvironmentthattheplayersandthefansfeedoff.AnythingbutthesightofTestsplayedonemptygrounds.Forthat,wehavegottoplayTestcricketthatpeoplecanwatch.Idon’t thinkday-nightTestsoraTestchampionshipshouldbedismissed.InMarchof lastyearI

playedaday-nightfirst-classgameinAbuDhabifortheMCC,andmyexperiencefromthatwasthatday-nightTestcricketisanideaseriouslyworthexploring.Theremaybesomechallengesinplaceswherethereisdew,butthevisibilityanddurabilityofthepinkcricketballwasnotanissue.SimilarlyaTestchampionship,witheveryteamandplayerdrivingthemselvestobewinnersofa

sought-aftertitle,seemslikeitwouldhaveacontexttoeverygame.Keeping Tests alive maymean different innovations in different countries – maybe taking it to

smallercities,playingitingroundswithsmallercapacities,likeNewZealandhasthoughtofdoing,mayberevivingsomeoldvenuesintheWestIndies,liketheoldRecreationGroundinAntigua.When Iwas around sevenyearsold, I remembermy father takingaFridayoff so thatwecould

watch threedaysofTestcricket together.Onoccasionshecouldn’t, Iwouldaccompanyoneofhisfriends,justtosoakinadayofTestcricketandwatchthedramaslowlyunfold.What we have to do is find a way to ensure that Test matches fit into 21st-century life, through

timing,environmentsandthevenuestheyareheldin.Iamstillconvinceditcanbedone,eveninourfast-movingworldwithitsshortattentionspans.WewilloftengettoldthatTestmatchesdon’tmakefinancialsense,butnooneeverfellinlovewithTestcricketbecausetheywantedtobeabusinessman.Noteverythingofvaluecomesataprice.Thereisaproposaldoingtheroundsaboutscrappingthe50-overgamecompletely.IamnotsureI

agreewiththat.Icertainlyknowthatthe50-overgamehelpedusinnovatestrokesinourbattingwhichwewerethenabletotakeintoTestmatches.Weallknowthatthe50-overgamehasbeenresponsibleforimprovingfieldingstandardsallovertheworld.The future may well lie in playing one-day internationals centred around ICC events, like the

ChampionsTrophyandtheWorldCups.Thiswouldensurethatall50-overmatcheswouldbuildupforthosetournaments.Thatwillcutbackthenumberofone-dayinternationalsplayedeveryyear,butatleastthosematcheswillhavecontext.Since,Ithink,1995,peoplehavebeensayingthatthereistoomuchmeaninglessone-daycricket.Maybeit’sfinallytimetodosomethingaboutit.TheT20game, asweknow,has asmanycritics as it has supporters in thepublic.Given that an

acceptablestrikerateinT20thesedaysisabout120,Ishouldprobablycomplainaboutit themost!Thecrowdandrevenuenumbers,though,tellusthatifwedon’thandleT20correctly,wemaywellhavemoreandmoreprivateplayerssteppingintooffernotjustslicesofpiebutmaybeevenbiggerpiesthemselves.SoI’llreiteratewhatI’vejustsaidveryquicklybecausebalancingthethreeformatsisimportant:We have Test cricket, likewe have always had, nation versus nation, but carefully scheduled to

attractcrowdsandplannedfairlysothateveryTest-playingcountrygetsitsfairshareofTests.Andplayingforachampionshiporacup,notjustaranking.The50-oversformatfocusedaroundfewer,significantmulti-nationICCeventsliketheChampions

Trophyand theWorldCup. In the four-yearcyclebetweenWorldCups,plan theODIcalendaranddevise rankings around these few important events.Anythingmakesmore sense than seven-matchODIseries.Thebest role forT20 is as a domestic competition throughofficial leagues,whichwillmake it

financiallyattractiveforcricketers.Thatcouldalsokeepcricketviableincountrieswhereitfightsforspaceandattention.Becausethegameisbiggerthanusall,wemustthinkwayaheadofhowitstandstoday.Wheredo

wewantittobeintheyear2020?Or,say,in2027,whenitwillbe150yearssincethefirstTestmatchwasplayed?Ifyouthinkaboutit,crickethasbeenwithuslongerthanthemodernmotorcar.Itexistedbeforemodern air travel took off. Asmuch as cricket’s revenues are important to its growth, itstraditionsanditsvibrancyareanecessarypartofitsprogressinthefuture.Weshouldn’tleteithergobecauseweplayedtoomuchofoneformatandtoolittleoftheother.

Professionalism has given cricketers of my generation privileged lives, and we know it, eventhoughyoumayoftenhearuswhiningaboutburnout,travel,andthelackofrecoverytime.Wheneverwe begin to get into that mindset, it’s good to remember a piece of Sachin’s conversation withBradman.SachintoldusthathehadaskedSirDonhowhehadmentallypreparedforbiggames,whathisroutineswere.SirDonsaidthatwellbeforeagamehewouldgotowork,andafterthegamegobacktowork.Wheneveracricketerfeelsawhingecomingon,thatwouldbegoodtoremember.BeforeIconclude,IalsowanttotalkbrieflyaboutanexperienceIhaveoftenhadoverthecourse

ofmycareer.ItisnottodowithindividualsorincidentsbutisoneIbelieveisimportanttoshare.Ihavesometimesfoundmyselfinthemiddleofabiggame,standingatsliporevenatthenon-striker ’send, and suddenly realised that everything else has vanished.At thatmoment, all that exists is thecontestandtheveryrealsenseofthejoythatcomesfromplayingthegame.It isanalmostmeditativeexperience,whereyou reconnectwith thegame just likeyoudidyears

ago,whenyoufirstbegan,whenyouhityourfirstboundary,tookyourfirstcatch,scoredyourfirstcentury,orwereinvolvedinabigvictory.Itlastsforaveryfleetingpassageoftime,butitisaverypreciousinstant,andeverycricketershouldhangontoit.Iknowitisutterlyfancifultoexpectprofessionalcricketerstoplaythegamelikeamateurs,butthe

trick,Ibelieve,istakingthespiritoftheamateur–ofdiscovery,oflearning,ofpurejoy,ofplayingby the rules– intoourprofession.Taking it topracticeorplay, evenwhen there’s anepidemicofwhite-linefeverbreakingoutalloverthefield.Ineverycricketerthereliesacompetitorwhohateslosing,andyes,winningmatters.Butitisnot

theonlythingthatmatterswhenyouplaycricket.Howitisplayedisasimportantforeverymemberof every team, because every gamewe play leaves a footprint in cricket’s history.Wemust neverforgetthat.Whatwedoasprofessionalsiseasilycarriedoverintotheamateurgame,ineveryway–batting,

bowling, fielding, appealing, celebration, dissent, argument. In the players of 2027 we will see areflectionofthistimeandofourselves,andithadbetternotannoyoranguishus50-year-olds.As the game’s custodians, it is important we are not tempted by the short-term gains of the

backwardstep.Wecanberememberedforbeingthegenerationthatcouldtakethegiantstride.

Thenumbers

WhenDravidwasatthecrease,theteamscored32,039runs,whichamountedto35.6%ofthetotalrunsthatIndiamadeintheTestsinwhichDravidplayed.Dravidisalsotheonlybatsmantobeinvolvedinmorethan700partnerships;infact,no

otherbatsmanhastouched650sofar.

T

[29]

Themantheycouldn’tmoveSRAJESH

hestatthatperhapsbestsumsupRahulDravidisnotthenumberofrunsorhundredshemadebutthenumberofballsheconsumed–46,563,overacareerthatspannedfifteenandahalfyears.In286Testinnings,Dravidplayed31,258balls.Giventhatnootherbatsmanhasfacedmorethan

29,000 deliveries in that format, it puts into perspective the sheer effort thatwent into scoring the13,288 runshedid inTests.Therewereotherbatsmenwhohadmorenatural talent,orweremoreelegant,aggressive,andexcitingtowatch.Intermsofdedicationtocraftandworkingonachievingperfection,though,Dravidrankssecondtonone.Thatdedicationfetchedhimjustrewards,ensuringhescoredrunsineverycountryheplayedin,andfinishedhisTestcareerasthesecond-highestrun-getter,nextonlytoSachinTendulkar.AndthentherewasDravidtheone-dayplayer.Forsomeonewhoseplayingstylewasthoughttobe

suited only toTest cricket, finishing eighth on the list ofmostODIs played, andwith the seventh-highestrunaggregate,isnomeanachievement.DravidneverhadtheattackingabilityofaTendulkaroraBrianLara,butit’satestamenttohisadaptabilitythatheplayed344ODIs,scored10,889runs,andstruck12centuriesand83fifties,includingoneoff22balls,whichremainsthesecond-fastestbyanIndian.Apart fromall that,hekeptwicket in73ODIs,andyetneverallowed that toadverselyaffecthis

batting–infact,hisbattingstatsimprovedwhenhekeptwicket.HealsoledIndiain79matches,andachievedthesecond-bestwin-lossrecordamongIndianswhocaptainedinatleast50ODIs.Foranycricketer this is a staggering resume; for one considered only a Test specialist, it borders on theunbelievable.

DravidinTests

Fromthetimehescored95inhisfirstTestinnings,againstEnglandatLord’s,itwasclearhewasanexceptionalbattingtalent,butevenso,notmanywouldhaveenvisagedacareerthatspanned164Testmatches. His maiden Test century, a sparkling 148 against a tough South African attack inJohannesburg, further confirmed his class, and from there it was a journey of several highs,interspersedwithitsshareoflows.Formostofhiscareer,consistencywasoneofDravid’sfortes.Forinstance,inthefirsttenseries

thatheplayed(excludingone-offTests),heaveragedmorethan40inseven.Hisbestphase,though,was the four-year period from the middle of 2002 to 2006, when he scored heavily pretty mucheverywherehewent: in16seriesduring this time,heaveragedmore than49 in13,andnine timesover75.More importantly,hescored those runs in toughbattingconditions,and inoverseasTeststhatledtowinsabroad,aphenomenonthattillthenhadbeenprettyrareinIndiancricket.Duringthisperiodhisoverseasaveragewasanexceptional77.07.Aslumpfollowed,almostinevitably,fromthemiddleof2006to2008,whenhestruggledinSouth

Period Tests Runs Average 100s /50s Homeave

Awayave

T illMar31,2002 55 4329 50.92 9/24 48.91 53.20

Apr2002-Jul2006 49 4720 68.40 14/22 55.71 77.07

Aug2006-Dec2008 27 1460 31.06 3/7 31.60 30.66

Jan2009onwards 33 2779 52.43 10/10 75.31 42.54

Career 164 13,288 52.31 36/63 51.35 53.03

Batsman WonTests Runs Average 100s /50s Drawn

Tests Runs Average 100s /50s

RahulDravid 15 1577 65.70 4/7 32 3083 75.19 10/17

SachinTendulkar 13 1219 60.95 5/3 42 3484 71.10 11/18

VVSLaxman 14 1111 52.90 2/8 26 1931 58.51 4/14

Africa,England,Australia andSriLanka.Therewas talk, inevitably again, thatDravid shouldquitTests,butinhislastthreeyearshecameoutofthattroughprettywell.HewasamongtherunsinNewZealand,West Indies,and– inwhatmust rankasarguablyhisbest series,given the lackofbattingsupport – in England in 2011, when he fought the home team’s pace attack almost single-handed,scoring 461 runs at 76.83.His last series, inAustralia,was admittedly a huge disappointment, butdespitethatheaveragedmorethan52inhislast33Tests.

RahulDravid’sTestcareer

AthomeoverseasAsmentionedabove,perhapsthemostsignificantaspectofDravid’sTestcareerwasthattherunshescoredcontributedsignificantlytoIndia’swins,mainlyoverseas.Overall,Dravidscored5131runsinTestwins,nextonlytoTendulkar ’s5594.However,inoverseasTestwins,hewasoftenIndia’smainman, even more than Tendulkar. India won 15 Tests abroad during Dravid’s career (excludingmatches in Bangladesh and Zimbabwe), and in those games he scored 1577 runs at 65.70 – bothaggregateandaveragehigherthanTendulkar ’s.Quitefittingly,DravidwasManoftheMatchinthelastoverseasTestwinthatIndiaachievedduring

hiscareer–hissecond-innings112andmatchtallyof152werelargelyinstrumentalinIndiawinningalow-scoringgameinKingstonby63runs.Inall,eightofhis11Man-of-the-Matchawardscameinoverseas Tests, and five in overseas wins, including unforgettable performances at Headingley(2002),Adelaide(2003),Rawalpindi(2004)andKingston(2006).Tendulkarwononlyfiveofhis14Man-of-the-Matchawardsoverseas,andonlyoneinawin(excludingTestsinBangladesh).Infact,noIndianhaswonasmanymatchawardsoverseasasDravidhas. (Remember, though, that thisawardwasn’talwaysaroundduringthedaysofsomeofIndia’searlierplayers.)Aswellashelping Indiawinoverseas,Dravidalso scoredmountainsof runs indrawsoverseas,

averagingmorethan75inthosematches,withtencenturiesin32Tests.Twoofthosehundredswerein thedrawngameinHamilton in1999,oneof twotimeshescoredacentury ineach inningsofaTest.Infact,heisoneofonlythreeIndianstoachievethisfeat–SunilGavaskarandVijayHazarearetheothers.Indianbatsmeninoverseas Tests,inwinsanddraws

VirenderSehwag 11 965 56.76 3/1 15 1386 57.75 4/4

SunilGavaskar 9 756 50.40 3/3 30 2697 64.21 9/12

SouravGanguly 9 617 51.41 1/5 21 1601 59.29 5/8

GundappaViswanath 6 533 53.30 2/3 19 1040 40.00 2/8

Batsman Innings Runs Average 100s /50s

RahulDravid 219 10,524 52.88 28/50

RickyPonting 196 9904 56.27 32/43

KumarSangakkara 160 8716 58.10 27/36

DonBradman 56 5078 103.63 20/10

RichieRichardson 107 4711 47.11 14/21

RohanKanhai 90 4689 52.68 13/20

DavidBoon 111 4412 45.58 13/20

IanChappell 91 4279 50.94 13/22

Pointofentry Innings Runs Average 100s /50s

10orbelow 66 2322 38.07 4/12

11to20 45 2482 60.54 7/9

21to50 42 1913 53.14 4/11

51andabove 66 3807 62.41 13/18

ExcludingTestsinBangladeshandZimbabwe

No.1atNo.3Indiadidn’talwayshavetheluxuryofsolidopeningpairsthroughDravid’scareer,whichmadehispresenceatNo.3allthemoreimportant.Heistheonlybatsmanatthemomenttohavescoredmorethan10,000runsatthatposition,andhediditatasuperbaveragetoo,scoringcloseto53runsperdismissal. At No. 3, though, his home record was better – he averaged 54.81 in India and 51.35abroad.InoverseasTestsexcludingBangladeshandZimbabwe,hisaverageatNo.3fellmarginallybelow50,to48.75.

Highestrun-gettersatNo.3inTests

Dravid’s stats at No. 3 sorted by the score at which he came in to bat present some interestingnumbers.Heaveragedonly38whenthefirstwicketfellwithtenrunsorfewerontheboard,butonthe 18 occasionswhen the firstwicket fell at zero, he averaged 51.94,with three centuries and asmany fifties. In fact, his highest Test score, 270, camewhen he came out to bat second ball, afterVirenderSehwaghadfallentoShoaibAkhtaroffthefirstballoftheinnings,inRawalpindi.Healsohadplentyofsuccesswhenhecameintobatfairlyearly,withthescorebetween11and20.The148atHeadingleyin2002cameafterthefirstwicketfellfor15,whilethe217thatfollowedinthenextTest,atTheOval,wasscoredafterthefirstwicketfellat18.Heobviouslyalsorelishedcomingintobataftertheopenershadgiventheteamasolidstart.On

the66occasionswhen theyaddedmore than50,Dravidaveraged62.41.Amonghiskeyknocks insuchsituationswas the233 inAdelaide in2003– thatmatch-winningeffortcameafter theopenershadadded66.DravidatNo.3bypoint-of-entryscores

Pointofentry

Bradman-Runs/ave

100s /50s

Ponting-Runs/ave 100s /50s Sangakkara-

Runs/ave 100s /50s

10orbelow 1403/127.55 5/1 2359/53.61 9/10 2948/57.80 8/13

11to20 524/52.40 2/1 975/46.43 1/8 1370/48.93 3/9

21to50 1689/112.60 7/5 3631/69.83 13/10 1953/48.82 5/7

51andabove 1462/112.46 6/3 2939/49.81 9/15 2445/78.87 11/7

Batsman Innings Notouts Ballsfaced Average Strike

rate

Ballsper

dismissal

Jacques Kallis 256 39 27,139 57.04 45.60 125.06

RahulDravid 286 32 31,258 52.31 42.51 123.06

ShivnarineChanderpaul 221 33 21,365 48.79 42.93 113.64

ThilanSamaraweera 116 20 10,653 52.89 47.66 110.97

SteveWaugh 137 21 12,705 53.06 48.45 109.53

GaryKirsten 143 14 13,841 47.19 43.98 107.29

SachinTendulkar 256 25 23,781 56.22 54.61 102.95

MichaelHussey 121 13 11,059 50.82 49.63 102.40

KumarSangakkara 181 12 17,236 55.39 54.31 101.99

Andhere’s a comparisonwith a couple of other top-classNo. 3 batsmen by their point-of-entryaverages.RickyPontingandKumarSangakkarahavebetteraverageswhentheyhavecomeintobatwiththescoreat10orunder,whileDonBradman’sstatsarepredictablybeyondcompare.OtherNo.3batsmenbypoint-of-entryscores

StayingthroughpartnershipsDravid’sabilitytospendlongperiodsatthecreasemeantbowlershadtoinvariablyworkhardtogethiswicket.Onaverage,heplayed123ballsperdismissal,whichworksoutto20.3overs.SincetheyearofDravid’sdebut,theonlybatsmanwhohasfaced10,000-plusdeliveriesandhasahigherrateofballsperdismissal is JacquesKallis,whoaverages125.55ballsperdismissal.They’re theonlytwowithaballs-per-dismissalfigureofmorethan120.Furtherdownthetablebelow,TendulkarandKumarSangakkarahave similarnumbers: bothhavehigher averages thanDravid,but their higherscoringratesalsomeantheydon’tplayasmanydeliveriesperdismissal.

HighestballsperdismissalinTestssinceJan1996

Qualification:10,000ballsplayed

Dravid’sability tospend longperiodsat thecreasemeanthiscontribution to the teamwasmuchmore than just the runs he scored. His solidity at the top of the order allowed the other, moreextravagant,strokeplayersintheIndianteamtoexpressthemselvesfreely,knowingthatDravidwouldholdhisendupforlongperiodswithoutlosingconcentration.ThetablebelowshowsthatwhenDravidwasatthecrease,theteamscored32,039runs(60ofthose

wereintheTestbetweenAustraliaandtheICCWorldXI,so31,979runswerescoredbytheIndianteam).GiventhattheentireIndianteamscored89,668runs,itmeans35.6%ofthetotalrunsthatIndiamade in theTests inwhichDravid playedwere scoredwith him at the crease. The corresponding

Batsman Partnerships Partnershipruns

100/50s tands

Batsmanruns Percentage

RahulDravid 738 32,039 88/126 13,288 41.47

SachinTendulkar 646 30,278 85/121 15,470 51.09

RickyPonting 496 26,703 85/110 13,200 49.43

Jacques Kallis 581 26,349 65/119 12,379 46.98

AllanBorder 617 24,500 63/104 11,174 45.61

SteveWaugh 590 23,457 64/87 10,927 46.58

BrianLara 508 21,495 62/84 11,953 55.61

SunilGavaskar 519 21,080 58/85 10,122 48.02

MahelaJayawardene 429 20,948 63/82 10,271 49.03

Batsman Centurystands Partners with10+centurys tands

RahulDravid 88 Tendulkar (20), Laxman (12), Sehwag(10),Ganguly(10)

RickyPonting 85 Hayden(16),Langer(14)SachinTendulkar 85 Dravid(20),Ganguly(12)Jacques Kallis 65 deVilliers(12)SteveWaugh 64 —AllanBorder 63 —MahelaJayawardene 63 Sangakkara(14),Samaraweera(10)

BrianLara 62 Sarwan(12)ShivnarineChanderpaul 60 —

SunilGavaskar 58 Chauhan (11), Vengsarkar (10), MAmarnath(10)

percentageforTendulkaris29.9,and32.6forKallis.Dravidisalsotheonlybatsmantobeinvolvedinmorethan700partnerships;infact,nootherbatsmanhastouched650sofar.EverytimeDravidwalkedouttobat,hewasinvolvedin,onanaverage,2.58partnerships.Among

batsmen who have played at least 100 innings, only Shivnarine Chanderpaul has a higherpartnerships-per-innings number (2.66). SowhileDravid scored heaps of runs himself, his battingstylealsomeantmanymorerunswerebeingscoredfromtheotherendwhilehewasaround,allofwhichhelpedtheteam’scause.Partnershiprunsforbatsmenwith10,000-plusTestruns

Dravidhasbeen involved inmorecentury stands thananyotherbatsman:he finishedat88,withTendulkarandPontingon85each.Dravidisalsotheonlybatsmantohavetenormorecenturystandswithfourothers.AndwithTendulkar,Dravidscoredmorepartnershiprunsandcenturystandsthananyotherpair,includingopeners,did:6920runsin143partnershipsat50.51,with20centurystands.(GordonGreenidge andDesmondHaynes are next in terms of runs,with 6482,while in terms ofcenturystands,theWestIndianopeningpairsharessecondplacewithHaydenandPonting–bothhave16hundredpartnershipseach.)

Batsmeninvolvedinmost100-plusstandsinTests

BeyondthebatsmanAndifallthoseachievementsarenotenough,DravidwascaptainoftheIndianTestteamfor25Tests,aperiodduringwhich the teamhadan8-6win-loss record, andwon series in theWest Indies and

Captain Tests Win/Loss Draw W/Lratio

MSDhoni 37 17/10 10 1.70

SouravGanguly 49 21/13 15 1.61

RahulDravid 25 8/6 11 1.33

SunilGavaskar 47 9/8 30 1.12

MohammadAzharuddin 47 14/14 19 1.00

Strike

England.AmongIndiancaptainswholedin20ormoreTests,onlyMSDhoniandSouravGangulyhavebetterwin-lossratios.

Indiancaptainswithbestwin-lossratio

Qualification:atleast20Testsascaptain

Andonthefield,hetookarecord210catches,mostlyintheslips.Thatwasanotheraspectofthegamewherehisimmensepowersofconcentrationstoodhimingoodstead.There’s plenty to like about Dravid’s Test career. The one disappointing aspect, though, is his

record againstAustralia andSouthAfrica, arguably the twobest bowling sides duringhis playingperiod.His poor final series inAustraliameant his overall average against themdippedbelow40(38.67),whileagainstSouthAfricaheaveragedonly33.83.Thus,in54Testsagainstthosetwoteams,heaveraged36.75,withonly fourhundreds; in27Tests in those twocountries,heaveraged36.53,with only two centuries. He never scored another Test hundred in South Africa after that 148 inJohannesburg in 1996-97,while the 233 inAdelaide remained his only Test hundred inAustralia.Those,though,areminorblipsinacareerthatlargelystayedatanexceptionallyhighlevelformorethan15years.DravidinODIsUnlike his Test career,which startedwith a bang,Dravid’s scores in his first five completedODIinningswere3,4,3,11and13. Itwasonly in the tougherconditionsofToronto, in1996, thathisorthodoxyandtighttechniquewerefirstrecognisedasablessinginODIsaswell:inthefive-matchFriendshipCupagainstPakistan,henotcheduphisfirsthalf-centuryandtop-scoredintwomatches.Thatwasfollowedbyafewimpressiveinnings,includinghismaidencentury,againstPakistan,ina

match overshadowed by Saeed Anwar ’s record-breaking 194. However, ODIs were still largely astruggle for Dravid, and perhaps never was that better illustrated than by his 21-ball 1 againstBangladeshinaCoca-ColaTriangularSeriesmatchinMay1998.Till theendofthatyear,hisODIrecordwasstrictlymodest:anaverageofunder32,atastrikerateof63,in65games.In his firstODI of 1999,Dravid broke the shackleswith an outstanding unbeaten run-a-ball 123

againstNewZealandinTaupo,andthatkickstartedasustainedrunofexcellenceoverthenextsevenyears.ItincludedafantasticWorldCupin1999–461runsat65.85–andanotherrun-a-ballcenturyagainstNewZealand later thatyear,153 inHyderabad,whichremainedhishighestODIscore.The2003WorldCupwasanotherbigsuccess–318runsat63.60.Between 1999 and 2005, Dravid averaged almost 43 from 210 matches, scored ten of his 12

centuries,andwonnineofhis14Man-of-the-Matchawards.RahulDravid’sODIcareer

Period ODIs Runs Average rate 100s /50s

T illDec1998 65 1709 31.64 63.48 1/12Jan 1999 to Dec2005 210 7134 42.97 71.97 10/53

Jan2006onwards 69 2046 35.27 76.34 1/18Career 344 10,889 39.16 71.24 12/83

Batsman ODIs Runs Average Strikerate 100s /50s

DamienMartyn 163 4411 46.43 78.18 5/30Jacques Kallis 177 6348 45.66 70.69 10/48SachinTendulkar 151 6181 45.44 85.07 17/28RahulDravid 210 7134 42.97 71.97 10/53RickyPonting 179 6443 42.66 80.48 13/37Inzamam-ul-Haq 180 5772 42.13 75.61 5/45MohammadYousuf 194 6502 40.89 75.28 10/42SouravGanguly 194 7185 40.82 76.00 17/41

Player ODIs Runs Average Strikerate 100s /50s

ABdeVilliers 37 2009 80.36 99.65 8/11

MSDhoni 190 6235 49.09 87.50 7/40

RahulDravid 73 2300 44.23 72.60 4/14

KumarSangakkara 257 8647 39.84 76.99 9/63

AdamGilchris t 282 9410 35.64 96.94 16/53

AndyFlower 186 5845 34.58 73.71 4/46

Inthesevenyearsfrom1999to2005,DravidwasamongthemostsuccessfulODIbatsmenintheworld,whichsaysalotabouthisabilitytoworkonhisgameandadapt.Amongbatsmenwithatleast4000ODIrunsduringthisperiod,onlythree–DamienMartyn,KallisandTendulkar–hadahigheraverage, while Dravid’s strike rate of 72 was very acceptable too. Batsmen like Inzamam-ul-Haq,MohammadYousufandSouravGanguly,whoweregenerallyratedasfarmorefree-stroking,onlyhadmarginallyhigherscoringrates.

TopODIbatsmenbetweenJan1999andDec2005

Qualification:4000runsscored

Ofthe344ODIsthatDravidplayedin,Indiawon160,andhiscontributionsinthosegameswereprettysignificant:5729runsat50.69,whichmadehimoneofonly11batsmentoscore5000ormorerunsinwinsat50-plusaverages.Throughsomeofthatperiodbetween1999and2004,apartfromscoringtonsofrunsDravidalso

keptwicket.Hewascompetentenoughatthejobtodoit73times,includingatthe2003WorldCup.Inthose 73 games Dravid didn’t allow his batting to suffer, scoring 2300 runs at more than 44 perdismissal.Amongwicketkeeperswhohavescoredmorethan2000runs,onlyMSDhonihasahigheraverage. Dravid’s debut aswicketkeeperwas especiallymemorable: in the 1999World Cup gameagainstSriLanka,hesmashed145off129ballsandwasina318-runstandforthesecondwicketwithGanguly,whichat the timewas thehighestpartnership for anywicket inODIs. In fact,Dravidhasbeen involved in both triple-century partnerships that have been recorded in ODI history: later in1999,heshareda331-runstandwithTendulkaragainstNewZealand,andintheprocessalsonotcheduphishighestscore.

BestbattingaveragesofwicketkeepersinODIs

AlecStewart 138 4017 33.47 70.06 4/26

Batsman Matches Runs Average Strikerate 100s /50s

VivRichards 23 1013 63.31 85.05 3/5RahulDravid 22 860 61.42 74.97 2/6SachinTendulkar 45 2278 56.95 88.98 6/15HerschelleGibbs 25 1067 56.15 87.38 2/8SouravGanguly 21 1006 55.88 77.50 4/3MartinCrowe 21 880 55.00 83.57 1/8

Captain ODIs W/L Ratio Batave Strikerate

MSDhoni 106 59/37 1.59 52.92 82.55RahulDravid 79 42/33 1.27 42.19 75.42MohammadAzharuddin 174 90/76 1.18 39.39 78.46

KapilDev 74 39/33 1.18 30.66 105.74SouravGanguly 146 76/65 1.16 38.79 76.32SachinTendulkar 73 23/43 0.53 37.75 83.49

Qualification:2000runsscored

Ofallthebatsmenheplayedalongside,DravidhadthemostsuccesswithTendulkarandGanguly,puttingtogether11centurypartnershipsandscoringmorethan4000runswitheach.Thatmakeshimoneofonlythreeplayers–TendulkarandGangulybeingtheothers–tohavescoredmorethan4000partnershiprunswithatleasttwobatsmen.Dravid’spartnershipswiththesetwowerefruitfulinWorldCupstoo:heaveraged88withGanguly

andalmost83withTendulkar.Infact,Dravid’soverallWorldCuprecordwassplendid,eventhoughhislastWorldCupcampaignendedinbitterdisappointmentin2007.Amongbatsmenwhoscoredatleast750WorldCupruns,onlyVivRichardshasabetteraverage.BestWorldCupbattingaverages*

*Qualification:750runsscored

Dravid’s stint asODI captain is remembered largely for India’s shocking early exit in 2007, butIndia’soverallODIrecordunderhisleadershipwasextremelyhealthy.In79gamestheywon42andlost33,givingthemawin-lossratioof1.27.AmongcaptainswhohaveledIndiaatleast50timesinODIs,onlyDhonihasabetterratio.IndiancaptainsandtheirODIrecords*

*Qualification:50matchesplayedascaptain

LikeinTests,though,theoneblotonDravid’sODIcareerishisrecordagainstthebestteamofhisera:in39inningsagainstAustralia,hehadahighestscoreof80,anaverageof24.97andastrikerateof66.94.Thosearedisappointingnumbers,especiallygiventhenumberofmatchesheplayedagainstthem. Of course, given Australia’s awesome bowling attack, plenty of other top ODI batsmenstruggledtoo–Gangulyaveraged23.45,Anwar23.55,andSehwag22.37.Againstalltheotherteams,though,Dravid’s recordwas top-class, even ina format thatwas initially thought tobeoutsidehiscomfortzone.S Rajesh is stats editor of ESPNcricinfo, where a version of this article was first published on March 9, 2012.

CareeraveragesMat Inns NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50

overall 164 286 32 13288 270 52.31 42.51 36 63

CareersummaryGrouping Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50ICCWorldXI 1 2 0 23 23 11.50 31.08 0 0India 163 284 32 13265 270 52.63 42.53 36 63

vAustralia 33 62 6 2166 233 38.67 39.33 2 13vBangladesh 7 10 2 560 160 70.00 59.44 3 1vEngland 21 37 5 1950 217 60.93 41.35 7 8vNewZealand 15 28 2 1659 222 63.80 45.22 6 6vPakistan 15 26 3 1236 270 53.73 45.24 5 3vSouthAfrica 21 40 3 1252 148 33.83 34.86 2 5vSriLanka 20 32 1 1508 177 48.64 46.47 3 9vWestIndies 23 38 7 1978 146 63.80 40.54 5 13vZimbabwe 9 13 3 979 200* 97.90 49.41 3 5

inAustralia 16 32 4 1166 233 41.64 39.57 1 6inBangladesh 7 10 2 560 160 70.00 59.44 3 1inEngland 13 23 3 1376 217 68.80 44.66 6 4inIndia 70 120 11 5598 222 51.35 42.38 15 27inNewZealand 7 14 2 766 190 63.83 43.69 2 5inPakistan 6 9 2 550 270 78.57 51.06 3 0inSouthAfrica 11 22 1 624 148 29.71 37.63 1 2inSriLanka 12 21 1 662 107 33.10 40.61 1 4inWestIndies 17 28 5 1511 146 65.69 38.40 3 11inZimbabwe 5 7 1 475 118 79.16 46.11 1 3

home 70 120 11 5598 222 51.35 42.38 15 27away 94 166 21 7690 270 53.03 42.60 21 36

1996 7 12 1 436 95 39.63 37.42 0 31997 12 18 2 984 148 61.50 36.93 1 91998 5 9 0 413 118 45.88 37.85 1 31999 10 19 1 865 190 48.05 42.44 4 12000 6 11 3 624 200* 78.00 49.44 2 12001 13 23 3 935 180 46.75 40.28 1 62002 16 26 3 1357 217 59.00 41.92 5 52003 5 10 2 803 233 100.37 51.37 2 3

CareeraveragesMat Inns NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50

2004 12 18 3 946 270 63.06 42.49 2 42005 8 12 0 640 135 53.33 45.58 2 42006 12 22 4 1095 146 60.83 42.26 3 72007 10 19 2 606 129 35.64 41.79 1 32008 15 28 2 805 136 30.96 38.60 2 42009 6 10 1 747 177 83.00 48.60 2 52010 12 20 2 771 191 42.83 44.56 3 12011 12 23 3 1145 146* 57.25 44.74 5 42012 3 6 0 116 47 19.33 34.62 0 0

Testmatchrecord

UndercaptainMAzharuddin 12 21 1 1162 190 58.10 42.98 4 6MSDhoni 35 62 7 2812 191 51.12 45.28 11 8RDravid 25 45 6 1736 146 44.51 41.95 4 10SCGanguly 49 80 13 4912 270 73.31 45.52 14 22AKumble 14 27 2 785 111 31.40 37.38 1 5VSehwag 3 6 0 199 83 33.16 35.15 0 2GCSmith 1 2 0 23 23 11.50 31.08 0 0SRTendulkar 25 43 3 1659 148 41.47 35.46 2 10

iscaptain 25 45 6 1736 146 44.51 41.95 4 10isnotcaptain 139 241 26 11552 270 53.73 42.59 32 53

1stteaminnings 164 164 10 9105 270 59.12 43.73 30 392ndteaminnings 132 122 22 4183 180 41.83 40.07 6 24

1stmatchinnings 75 75 3 4121 222 57.23 44.89 15 152ndmatchinnings 89 89 7 4984 270 60.78 42.81 15 243rdmatchinnings 67 65 4 2608 180 42.75 40.49 5 154thmatchinnings 65 57 18 1575 103* 40.38 39.39 1 9

wonmatch 56 92 14 5131 270 65.78 47.57 15 23lostmatch 49 98 5 2778 146* 29.87 35.08 4 12drawnmatch 59 96 13 5379 222 64.80 42.84 17 28

Battingposition1 3 3 0 72 38 24.00 25.89 0 02 14 20 4 735 146* 45.93 42.26 4 13 134 219 20 10524 270 52.88 42.78 28 504 16 21 3 957 146 53.16 39.75 2 65 11 11 3 308 144* 38.50 37.19 1 16 6 8 2 413 180 68.83 51.94 1 27 4 4 0 279 95 69.75 45.51 0 3

CareeraveragesMat Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 4s 6s

Overall 344 10889 153 39.16 71.24 12 83 950 42

CareersummaryGrouping Mat Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 4s 6sAsiaXI 1 75 75* - 105.63 0 1 5 0ICCWorldXI 3 46 26 15.33 52.87 0 0 3 0India 340 10768 153 39.15 71.18 12 82 942 42

vAustralia 43 974 80 24.97 66.94 0 8 85 2vBangladesh 10 197 60 32.83 64.59 0 2 13 0vBermuda 1 7 7* - 350.00 0 0 0 1vEngland 30 1012 92* 38.92 77.48 0 11 103 5vICCWorldXI 1 75 75* - 105.63 0 1 5 0vIreland 1 - - - - - - - -vKenya 11 358 104* 71.60 74.58 1 1 33 1vNamibia 1 - - - - - - - -vNetherlands 1 17 17 17.00 44.73 0 0 0 0vNewZealand 31 1032 153 41.28 69.58 2 5 96 10vPakistan 58 1899 107 36.51 67.17 2 14 157 1vScotland 1 10 10* - 125.00 0 0 2 0vSouthAfrica 36 1309 84 39.66 66.54 0 14 116 4vSriLanka 46 1662 145 48.88 75.20 3 11 144 8vUAE 1 104 104 104.00 111.82 1 0 8 0vWestIndies 40 1348 109* 42.12 74.39 3 8 127 10vZimbabwe 32 885 85 36.87 72.12 0 8 61 0

inAustralia 22 666 84 33.30 67.13 0 7 53 0inBangladesh 9 295 60 42.14 66.44 0 2 23 0inCanada 18 415 90 27.66 59.20 0 2 27 3inEngland 32 1238 145 45.85 80.65 2 11 117 7inIndia 97 3406 153 43.11 78.53 6 24 317 16inIreland 4 112 74 37.33 73.68 0 1 10 0inKenya 8 238 68* 39.66 65.02 0 2 27 0inMalaysia 4 39 26 9.75 46.42 0 0 5 0inNetherlands 2 0 0 0.00 0.00 0 0 0 0inNewZealand 12 425 123* 38.63 63.33 1 2 36 3inPakistan 11 503 99 50.30 73.00 0 6 51 0inScotland 1 10 10* - 125.00 0 0 2 0inSingapore 6 190 103* 38.00 73.92 1 0 18 2inSouthAfrica 30 930 84 44.28 64.89 0 10 70 4inSriLanka 42 1156 104 38.53 68.60 1 8 88 3

CareeraveragesMat Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 4s 6s

inUAE 17 538 92 31.64 59.57 0 4 41 0inWestIndies 15 408 105 34.00 68.11 1 2 38 4inZimbabwe 14 320 72* 32.00 74.94 0 2 27 0

home 97 3406 153 43.11 78.53 6 24 317 16away 120 4044 123* 41.26 69.44 2 37 349 16

ODIrecord

neutral 127 3439 145 34.04 67.11 4 22 284 10

1996 20 475 90 27.94 69.54 0 3 32 11997 31 951 107 39.62 63.69 1 8 77 21998 14 283 64 21.76 54.84 0 1 16 01999 43 1761 153 46.34 75.16 6 8 164 122000 31 980 85 35.00 63.80 0 9 91 12001 24 740 80 43.52 70.74 0 6 58 12002 28 913 109* 48.05 76.65 1 7 70 22003 23 623 62 41.53 64.49 0 4 50 42004 31 1025 104 39.42 74.98 1 10 85 22005 30 1092 104 47.47 74.64 2 9 100 22006 27 919 105 35.34 73.22 1 8 112 32007 31 823 92* 37.40 82.05 0 8 75 102009 6 180 76 36.00 68.70 0 1 11 22011 5 124 69 24.80 77.50 0 1 9 0

UndercaptainMAzharuddin 34 1206 145 40.20 74.39 4 6 103 4MSDhoni 17 355 76 23.66 70.71 0 2 25 3RDravid 79 2658 105 42.19 75.42 2 25 275 14SCGanguly 133 4229 109* 41.87 71.90 3 34 346 12AJadeja 13 320 81 26.66 61.42 0 2 31 0SMPollock 3 46 26 15.33 52.87 0 0 3 0SRTendulkar 65 2075 153 38.42 65.91 3 14 167 9

iscaptain 79 2658 105 42.19 75.42 2 25 275 14isnotcaptain 265 8231 153 38.28 69.99 10 58 675 28

isdesignatedkeeper 73 2300 145 44.23 72.60 4 14 193 9

isnotkeeper 271 8589 153 38.00 70.88 8 69 757 33

1stmatchinnings 168 6202 153 42.77 73.22 9 48 528 272ndmatchinnings 171 4687 109* 35.24 68.78 3 35 422 15

day/nightmatch 147 4870 123* 40.24 70.41 5 38 408 13daymatch 197 6019 153 38.33 71.92 7 45 542 29

CareeraveragesMat Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 4s 6s

wonmatch 160 5729 153 50.69 75.27 8 47 506 26lostmatch 165 4807 123* 31.01 67.24 4 33 408 15tiedmatch 2 42 23 21.00 55.26 0 0 5 0noresult 17 311 82 38.87 69.41 0 3 31 1

Tournament Mat Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 4s 6sWorldCup 22 860 145 61.42 74.97 2 6 76 3AsiaCup 13 334 104 37.11 78.22 1 2 29 1AusTriSeries(CB) 18 545 84 32.05 65.34 0 6 45 0ICCChampionsTrophy 19 627 76 48.23 73.33 0 6 56 1

tournamentfinals 24 729 103* 34.71 68.13 1 3 59 4tournamentsemi-finals 4 128 58 42.66 66.32 0 1 12 0

tournamentquarter-finals

2 57 48 28.50 58.16 0 0 5 0

preliminaryquarter-finals 1 68 68* - 78.16 0 1 7 0

preliminarymatches 153 4555 145 37.33 69.07 5 38 390 11

Battingposition Mat Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 4s 6s1 8 191 85 27.28 60.63 0 1 16 12 13 595 105 45.76 70.91 1 6 64 33 109 4000 153 38.83 69.60 7 27 363 154 102 3301 109* 36.27 70.91 2 26 300 45 69 2459 104 43.91 73.60 2 22 181 156 13 306 51 51.00 95.03 0 1 25 37 3 26 16 26.00 59.09 0 0 1 18 1 11 11 11.00 52.38 0 0 0 0

Acknowledgements

This book, like all anthologies, features a number ofwriters, but a book does not come to lifewithoutvitalcontributionsfrommanypeoplewithoutbylines.Thanksaredueto:SaurabhChaturvedi,forgettingexcitedbytheidea.RinaMehta,forbeingthepunchingbag.Priya

Ramani,WallyMasonandAlexLavelle,fortheirgenerosity.VijeetaandPushpaDravid,forsharingtheirfamilyalbums.AndNishiNarayanan,fordealingwithmassesofcopy.