So, Rahul Sharad Dravid turns 40 today. And even after his retirement the admiration, respect and love refuses to die down. It is difficult or rather impossible for us - the fans to move on to life after Rahul Dravid.
There are persons whom you fall in love with instantly and certainly Rahul Dravid was one of them. March 9, 2012 was that dreadful date on which he announced retirement to which I felt a bit hollow from inside as if a part of me was going with him. The announcement was so typical of the man himself: no farewell tour, no grand celebrations. It was a day I would like to forget for the obvious reasons.
He has been my sole reason for watching cricket way back in late 90s and early 2000s to 2012. I was never concerned whether Sachin Tendulkar broke any record or not but even a Rahul Dravid half century made my day. There was some sort of connectedness beyond the cricket stadium which made our hearts beat whenever he came on the ground for any reason.
One of the reasons that made people to love him was his simplicity, willingness to accept anything for the cause of team and what not. I loved Rahul Dravid for what he did and still love him for whatever he his doing right now. I was a little kid when I first saw a glimpse of him. It was in 1999 World Cup in England. He amassed runs at will which was contrary to the wrong perception which people had that he was not 'suited' for limited overs cricket. His double hundred at Adelaide was special so where his rest 35 test hundreds. He was my equivalent or parallel to cricket and got me glued to the game. Very quickly he became my reason to enjoy and love the game of cricket.
The perfection with which Dravid played cricket reminded me of the musician plucking each note carefully, an artist working hard to raise levels constantly. He epitomizes a hard working India full of humility, dignity, perfection, dedication and did his job without ever creating any fuss. Always a charming man with one of the best smiles, he never said no to anything; kept wickets, opened batting and I remember he has fielded at challenging positions like silly point, short leg.
Even his speeches were a delight to listen. The Bradman oration speech was as eloquent as one can get with words. He has always been very polite but that speech gave him the tag of a well articulated man. He was one of the rare gentlemen left in the gentleman's game. He was not "The Wall" to me because Walls only defend you in the times of crisis and Dravid was much more than that he was and is India's best No.3 with a beautiful cover drive, gorgeous flick and a glorious pull shot that could inspire poetry.
The greatness of Rahul Dravid is still etched in the memories of millions of fans and he richly deserves everything and even more than that. Thank you so much for giving us all those beautiful memories along with unbound joy and pleasure.
Happy Birthday - Rahul Dravid.
There are persons whom you fall in love with instantly and certainly Rahul Dravid was one of them. March 9, 2012 was that dreadful date on which he announced retirement to which I felt a bit hollow from inside as if a part of me was going with him. The announcement was so typical of the man himself: no farewell tour, no grand celebrations. It was a day I would like to forget for the obvious reasons.
He has been my sole reason for watching cricket way back in late 90s and early 2000s to 2012. I was never concerned whether Sachin Tendulkar broke any record or not but even a Rahul Dravid half century made my day. There was some sort of connectedness beyond the cricket stadium which made our hearts beat whenever he came on the ground for any reason.
One of the reasons that made people to love him was his simplicity, willingness to accept anything for the cause of team and what not. I loved Rahul Dravid for what he did and still love him for whatever he his doing right now. I was a little kid when I first saw a glimpse of him. It was in 1999 World Cup in England. He amassed runs at will which was contrary to the wrong perception which people had that he was not 'suited' for limited overs cricket. His double hundred at Adelaide was special so where his rest 35 test hundreds. He was my equivalent or parallel to cricket and got me glued to the game. Very quickly he became my reason to enjoy and love the game of cricket.
Even his speeches were a delight to listen. The Bradman oration speech was as eloquent as one can get with words. He has always been very polite but that speech gave him the tag of a well articulated man. He was one of the rare gentlemen left in the gentleman's game. He was not "The Wall" to me because Walls only defend you in the times of crisis and Dravid was much more than that he was and is India's best No.3 with a beautiful cover drive, gorgeous flick and a glorious pull shot that could inspire poetry.
The greatness of Rahul Dravid is still etched in the memories of millions of fans and he richly deserves everything and even more than that. Thank you so much for giving us all those beautiful memories along with unbound joy and pleasure.
Happy Birthday - Rahul Dravid.
It was a treat to read this article,nice to hear about a small corner of your heart.
ReplyDelete-please correct the error on 4th paragraphs 2nd line.
Thank you for your words. :-)
ReplyDelete