Is http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rahul-c83321 “The Wall” Dravid Crumbling With Age?
He has been http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750’s most dependable batsman for over a decade. He has led the side with distinction and has never deviated from responsibility. Yet the current dip in form has fuelled questions regarding Rahul Dravid’s form and place in the Indian side.
The maestro isn’t getting any younger. He will turn 38 in January next year. Despite everything going against him, Dravid continues to prosper when the going gets tough for the Indian side. The job for him has not been that easy.
He may be the unsung hero for Indians at times, yet he has done what others haven’t. Indian batsmen have not fared well outside the Indian subcontinent but Dravid has been an exception. From the early part of his career, he has been excellent on wickets where others falter. On his Test debut in England, he was dismissed for just 5 runs before what could have been a century on debut. He followed that innings with 84 in his second test and proved his mettle. He was also the only Indian to stand against the Proteas when India toured http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 later that season. His century in Johannesburg was the first step in the right direction. Till date, Dravid has crossed the 100 run mark on 29 occasions. He is the first and the only batsman to score a century away from home, against all ten Test playing nations.
He has been the backbone of the Indian cricket team, with his strong technique and nerves of steel. Dravid’s dedication to the cause of Team India can be judged from the fact that he donned the wicket keeping gloves on numerous occasions in One Day Internationals to make room for an extra batsman in the side. With 196 catches, he holds the world record for the most numbers of catches in test cricket by a fielder.
Although he is one of the few batsmen in the world who have scored over 10,000 runs in both forms of the game, there have been calls for axing him and inducting youngsters. Some say Dravid’s recent performance with the bat has not been rewarding. But that’s not true since his last three centuries in test cricket have come in his last 8 matches, and he has grown from being ‘The Wall’ to the pillar of strength.
No other batsman in the world has been as consistent for his side as has been the case with Dravid. He is not only the second Indian to score over 11 thousand runs in tests but is also only the fifth player to do so. He also became one of the elite six batsmen in 2007 that scored more than 10, 000 runs in both forms of the game.
Rahul Dravid is, besides Sachin Tendulkar, the only player in the side who has never been involved in any controversy. Whether he plays as a batsman or as a captain, he has been tremendous. Dravid is also one of the three Indian captains to win a test series in India, a feat he achieved in 2007. Before him, only http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kapil-Dev-c70234 managed to do so, and Dravid’s feat broke the 21 year jinx of not winning in England.
Similarly, it was under Dravid’s leadership that India broke the jinx of not winning a test match in and against the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760. In 2006, when the Indian team beat them at home, they not only started the ‘winning abroad’ theme but also won their first match in the Caribbean since 1971.
Dravid has played over 142 matches for India and continues to score runs. He has been an integral part of India's 'Fab Four', which also features Sachin Tendulkar, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Virender-Sehwag-c95429. No matter what anyone says Rahul Dravid is what Test cricket is all about. He is still the cool customer he was in 1996. He can still bat for durations longer than any youngster while in the slips he is always agile, and a dream catcher for any bowler.
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