Throughout his 16-year career, Rahul Dravid rescued India from choppy waters. And a day after his retirement, he’s still not given up that job.
Throughout his 16-year career, Rahul Dravid rescued India from choppy waters. And a day after his retirement, he’s still not given up that job.
MS Dhoni may be presiding over one of the worst phases in India’s cricketing history, but on Saturday, the India skipper was lucky to have been flooded with questions on Dravid and the impact of his retirement rather than the debacle Down Under.
Dhoni was obviously happy singing paeans to India’s most dependable and selfless cricketer ever. “Jam was a great character to have in the team. He loved challenges that were thrown at him throughout his career, whether it was opening the innings or keeping wickets. He will definitely be missed. He was a perfect brand ambassador for the team and the game. It’s not even advisable to think that a player like him would be replaced.
Youngsters will put themselves under tremendous pressure if they start to think like that,” he said in one breath.
So how difficult is it to step into the great man’s shoes. “Anyone who comes in should not think about replacing the kind of seniors we have had like, say, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman or Sourav Ganguly. Once one of them goes, a youngster gets a chance to become a hero for India.
Someone will start his career now and 10-12 years from now, we will have a successful cricketer.”
Asked how it would be to lead a team sans Dravid, Dhoni said, “As a captain, it’s a tough one. But if you are a captain, then over the years, changes happen. I look at it this way that he played for 16 years and gave the golden period of his life, 20s and 30s, to the team during which he missed his family. And now he has moved on. Now, this is an opportunity for someone to step up, take up the challenge and do well.”
Meanwhile, Australian newspapers were profuse in praise of Dravid. “Dravid is not an apologist for Indian cricket’s problems; indeed, he has spoken of the need for his country to develop a resilient Test team that can be successful abroad, but the above description could not be less accurate for him,” the Sydney Morning Herald said.
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