You can be as happy or as unhappy as you want to be. It's all a friggin' state of mind.
True words.

The nice guy who finishes second...

There is a rumour that Dravid might retire soon from Test cricket. There are enough and more people baying for his blood, especially after his recent poor performance with the bat in Australia. His habit of “always being around” has been taken for granted and people typically tend to be unforgiving when it comes to him. I’m not sure if he’ll actually retire today or even soon, but knowing him, he’s very likely to pick an ordinary day, when there’s no media glare or when the press is busy reporting something more important, to hang up his boots. No Lights, Camera, Action for him. A few articles will be written about his contribution to the game, his style, his character, his status of being “the quintessential unsung hero”, his absolute love for the game and people will move on to something else or someone else of a more Godly status. And Dravid, in his typical style will smile, shrug and move on.

However, I for one do not want to wait for the day when he retires to write something about him. Yes, I belong to that motley crowd of people who support him, no matter what and who constantly rue the fact that he does not get sufficient praise or attention…but not today. Dravid’s been someone I’ve truly admired for a lot of things. What started off as an innocent crush when I first saw him on television way back in 1996, has over the years, blossomed into a fervent admiration for a man, who has, on many an occasion brought India back from the brink. I followed him throughout his playing career, observed and learnt several things from him - lessons in life, that I could not have gleaned from any other public figure, sportsman or otherwise. The next few paragraphs are dedicated to those valuable lessons.


Persevere, do your duty. The rest will follow.
Dravid did not start off too well in the game. He was brought into the side as a replacement for Kambli after the 1996 World Cup, but was dropped subsequently. However, over the next few series, he struggled and slowly picked up his game and went on to become India’s highest run getter in the 1999 World Cup. Over the course of his playing career, he has been dropped several times, but always came back improving his technique, his style, his game. He developed the reputation of being a defensive batsman who shouldn’t be playing one day games due to his slow run rate and was dropped from the side. He came back stronger and went on to win the ICC Player of the year. Time and again, year after year he has reiterated his worth to the side. He’s never once complained or pinned blame for his bad performance on anything else. His game mirrors the struggle of our daily existence. We do not always get what we what, but we should plod on no matter what. Life has to go on, and we just have to keep fighting personal battles and getting better at what we do. The joy is always in the struggle, not in the reward; the beauty is always in the journey, not the destination.


Love what you do, truly, madly, deeply. And do it right.
No one worships the game more than Dravid. In the entire Indian lineup, it is only him who probably understands and reveres cricket, especially the pristine Test format and its history, significance, purity and tradition. I can almost imagine him surveying the field on the eve of every match, taking in the stunning silence or maybe the chirping of a sole grasshopper in the background and smile while he thinks of the game that will be played the following day. I heard he once got upset when some pressmen walked on the pitch, the day before the game. To him, the ground is like a temple, a place of worship to be treated with all due respect.

No one seems to care about technique more than he does. If someone did an analysis on his strokes, each one would probably be in accordance with the description laid out in the Wisden book of cricket. Each shot of his, be it a cover drive, square cut, defense or sweep are a joy to behold. Not for him the helicopter shots and the random hitting that T20 cricket has brought in. The beauty, tradition and the purity of what you do ought to be preserved.


Adapt, for change is the way of life!
No other cricketer in the Indian team has worn as many hats as Dravid. He’s given up his #3 position in the lineup many a time and has opened the game, played down the order, been night watchman, etc . He’s bent to the whims and fancies of other players in the side, and has taken up positions that may have been least desirable at that point, but done his duty well. Uncomplaining, yet unfailing. When India lacked a good wicketkeeper, he willingly donned the gloves, would squat for 50 overs, after which he would put on his batting gloves and come down to open with the bat. When he was not keeping, one was sure to find him fielding in the slip, watching in rapt attention and waiting for the ball to snick off the bat and come towards him. He was even called to bowl once and has a wicket to his credit. He, like no one else, has taught me the importance of reinventing oneself to suit the current circumstances while maintaining one’s identity.


Be a team player
Dravid does not play for records. I’m willing to stick out my neck to say this and take any amount of criticism or counter arguments for this statement. Unlike many others in the game from across teams (and I’m not taking any names here), Dravid has never played for having his name etched on the trophies or inked in the record books. That he is the second highest run getter in the history of Test cricket, or is credited with the most number of catches, is only incidental.

Throughout his career, Dravid has played under a shadow of someone else. Whatever he does, someone else outshines him. Whether it was during his early playing years when he was outplayed by Dada with his stylish strokes and his aggression, or the times Down Under when the focus was always on the Very Very Special performer or during all those times when he’s been outperformed by Sachin… People have almost forgotten that he was the highest run-getter in 2011. A few years from now too, when all the stalwarts of the game will no longer be playing, people will remember “Sachin’s shot of Warne during such and such a match” or “Sehwag’s century during that series”, etc., but Dravid’s ever-present support in all these innings will be forgotten. After all, teams win matches, but it is always the individual performance that stands out in time. He has been the stable backbone of many a great partnership – with Ganguly, with Tendulkar, with Laxman. Records have been made on his support and Dravid has watched, smiled and offered his strong shoulders for other giants to stand on. During a crucial partnership with Sehwag, Dravid told him, “'Just keep enjoying yourself, mate. I'm having a great time watching you”. He had been severely criticized when, during a series as a stand-in captain, he declared the innings when Sachin was batting on 194 with sufficient overs remaining. However, what people then failed to notice was that, for him, someone’s record of scoring a 200 was pointless in the face of the game. Whether India later won the match or not, is immaterial. He did what seemed right at that point of time and proved that no single player is ever above the game.


Live your life with humble, quiet dignity
When Dravid gave the Bradman oration last year, it had everyone spellbound. No one had ever thought that a player could so astutely observe macro factors that were having a quiet influence on the game, and form a clear analysis on what had to be done to preserve cricket. What however had me stumped, was the way he began the speech, acknowledging the venue (the War Memorial) and remembering all those “men and women who lived out the words – war, battle, fight - for real and then gave it all up for their country, their lives left incomplete, futures extinguished”. On such a grand stage, while delivering such an honourable speech, he first chose to pay his respects to the holy ground on which they stood. Such is the man.

His game too is similar. It does not have the flamboyance of Saurav Ganguly, the aggression of Dhoni, the timelessness of Tendulkar or the urgency of Sehwag, but has the stability and a calming effect that stems from his strong, well-grounded personality. Dravid is the Mr. Darcy of Indian cricket, always in the background doing his duty and expecting no rewards, unassuming, unpretentious and solid. He’s always one of the faces in the dressing room, applauding another’s performance, encouraging another during a bad form, giving the much needed thump on the back. As a stable supporter, he’s taught a competition obsessed nation that it is okay to come second. “You never win the silver, you always lose the gold” is not a quote for him. Like silver, he’s passed the test of fire several times and has always come out pure on the other side.

I’m not sure if he will retire soon. He will, in all probability stick around to coach the newbies and to pass on the baton to younger hands. And one day he will go, walking into the twilight, looking down at his feet in his typical, non-descript way, and time will stop for a brief moment to honour him and his invaluable contribution to the game. For, cricketers may come and go, but there never will be another “Wall”, another perfect role model, another Rahul Dravid.