Column

Memonics

Linking the current predicament of one of India’s greatest cricketers with a popular number from the evergreen Sound of Music might seem a tad facetious, but just how to resolve a problem like Rahul Dravid is the issue that is haunting Indian cricket nonetheless.

Dravid’s sullen walk back to the pavilion for just four runs on a day when India were to register one of their greatest triumphs would have only heightened the debate in the dressing room and among the selectors. There was just a hint of despair on his visage on the long trek back suggesting that Dravid himself was perhaps aware that that this had been one failure too many.

For, someone who had held the Indian batting together for almost a decade with his steely resolve and watertight technique, to be now considered the weak link in what is emerging as a champion side is, of course, replete with sadness and irony.

Without Dravid’s stellar contribution, it is unlikely that Indian cricket could have taken the dramatic upswing it did at the turn of the century under Sourav Ganguly, and not enough can be said of what Indian cricket owes him.

He lacked Tendulkar’s genius, but more than compensated for this with admirable diligence and such a massive sense of responsibility that his became the most prized wicket in the world. For at least 5-6 years and spread over almost 70-80 Tests, Dravid was the fulcrum on which the fortunes of the Indian team depended.

Inexplicably, his form started to wane from the series against South Africa in late 2006 just when he looked set to rule, as batsman and captain, for a long time. It is a moot point whether there was not something on that tour which affected him badly mentally, because clearly, Dravid’s poor run of scores since is located more in the mind than in his technique. To talk of his ability is puerile, and his slip-catching remains so brilliant still that fitness too can’t be an issue.

In the past 18-odd months in which Indian cricket’s stock has soared, however, Dravid’s has dipped so alarmingly that his future has come under grave threat. Circa 2008, in particular, has been annus horribilis for him. Just 578 runs in 13 Tests is a terrible tumble for a man who has otherwise scored most of his 10,373 runs with a calmness and determination that could reduce bowlers to tears.

There are several youngsters snapping on his heels, and Indian cricket is now headed ahead with a momentum and ruthlessness that might be unable to accommodate even stalwarts if they are not delivering. For somebody who has always espoused meritocracy, Dravid would know this only too well.

Have we then seen the last of him? My heart and head differ widely on this, but then again, there is not much that fans and critics can do. Come Friday, we will know whether Dravid’s sell-by date passed last Monday.