THE WALL

Somewhere in future – India 2 down for 1 on a greener wicket; then we will miss that straight bat of jammy.

Plenty has already been written ever since Rahul Dravid retired from international cricket. I am neither a cricket expert nor a journalist to pen down ‘THE WALLS’ cricketing graph. But my fondness for the great player and my likings for those perfect cover drives forced me to write a tribute to that extraordinary team player.

A man whose work over 16 years needs no certificate and whose worth is quite obvious. His ability to play great knocks under pressure, his supernatural ability to score match-winning innings. Like most of his fans who have seen many of his classic innings, but there’s one - which I agrees to be his best: his superb 180 against Australia in 2001 Test match at Eden Gardens. Of course, like many of Dravid's innings it was overshadowed by VVS Laxman's 280.

This is not the only innings where the limelight was taken away from him. But, Dravid was born with a curse to be always Number 2, a curse to play second fiddle. From his debut test at Lord's, where his 95-run knock fainted under the strong image of Saurav Ganguly; until his retirement he always remained 2^nd best. Dravid grew as a player but his curse continued. In a team with Sachin, Laxman, Sehwag all waiting to attract all the limelight, Dravid got very little of it.

Besides his second fiddle image in the media; Dravid was a class act, a perfect team man, a player who not only played for his country but also played for the game of cricket. He played a major role in most of the victories abroad in the 2000s by agreeing to don the wicketkeeper gloves, batted at every position the team required, even opening the innings in Test cricket. When he played, he did it for the team's good, when he decided to move on; he did it to clear way for the young players.

Now, no longer will we ever see Rahul Dravid walking in at number 3 in his whites. But, we have a chance to see the master again when he takes to the field in IPL-V. I hate this IPL more than I love the game of cricket. But this time I will see it as Dravid’s last chance to go out on a high. While we're on the subject, it was the same side (Rajasthan Royals) with which Shane Warne showed that he was indeed a remarkable captain, who could never lead Australia. Now, can Dravid prove that in a same manner?

As a tribute to the legend I will repeat those great words by Sachin Tendulkar "There was and is only one Dravid. There can be no other."