Dravid, the silent warrior

Rahul Dravid has been in sublime touch. Not just the manner in which he cracked back to back centuries against Sri Lanka — one saving a match and the other ensuring a win — but the domineering way in which he scored the runs showed the class of the man with 28 Test centuries against his name.

Always silently confident rather than one for exaggerated expression of feelings, he has shown the kind of worth ethics the next generation needs to learn from. Dravid scored a near century (94) in a preceding Ranji Trophy match against Delhi even as his teammates were engaged in shorter-version engagements for India, taking his form and intention from that match on to Test cricket.

He seems to have detached himself and is in the ‘zone’ so to say, even if it does eventually come down to negotiating the next delivery hurled at him.

How else does one understand the way he has put behind his recent selection (Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka) and subsequent dropping from the ODI side, and continues to slog it out even as the selectors reportedly again consider him for upcoming one-day matches.
If a knock of 177 in the first innings at Ahmedabad took India out of the woods, the 144 at Kanpur ensured a total huge enough to trample the opposition. With opener Gautam Gambhir ruling himself out for the third Test for personal reasons, there is even the possibility of Dravid being asked to open in order to accommodate an extra bowler.
One who has helped win several memorable matches over the years, including the Kolkata Test against Australia in 2001, and a bashing of the Aussies Down Under with 233 and 72 not out two years later, Dravid was commended liberally for that knock in Adelaide by none other than Steve Waugh in his autobiography Out of My Comfort Zone.

“Rahul’s batting was poetic, with flowing follow-throughs that capitalised on exceptional footwork and a rock-solid base. His head was like the statue of David, allowing for perfect balance and easy hand-eye coordination,” Waugh wrote in his book.

Dravid has helped Mohammad Azharuddin’s and to a larger extent Sourav Ganguly’s impressive records as captain, and will be remembered as one of the main contributors towards India’s 100 Test wins.

Reversing a slump that saw him go without a century for 10 Test matches before he produced an elegant 136 against England at Mohali last year, he has maintained an average of 80.9 thereon including the series win in New Zealand where he slammed four half-centuries in three matches.

A third consecutive hundred in an Indian victory might be asking for too much, but it will not only take India atop the world Test rankings but bring Dravid on a par with Sir Donald Bradman at 29 centuries. Fitting, would it not be?