Rahul Dravid: A gentleman who played Cricket!

Rahul Dravid's press conference of his retirement at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, was  in every sense a reflection of the person we have always seen - both on and off the field - calm, mature, prim, articulate, and dapper (Notice that he turned up wearing a suit with India tie). Tears welled up my eyes, as I heard him talk one last time as India player - for he has been my biggest hero since childhood! Like any other Dravid fan, I am also filled with emptiness.

With his departure, the species of the finest and the most disciplined artists of this great game becomes rarer. His talent was more acquired and built by hard work than natural and gifted, he always believed himself to be a learner more than a teacher and his performances testify to that fact. He never belonged to the class of brazen strokemakers, nor did he have the panache that some of his ingenious contemporaries possessed yet his presence in the middle was always reassuring, his cover-drives, cuts and flicks made for a purist's delight and always brought joy to those who understood the game. Dravid's biggest quality though was placing team's interest above self all the time. The brand of Cricket he has played and endorsed consistently over the years has always been centered around achieving team goals which jettisoned an otherwise a predominant Indian norm of enshrining individual accomplishments.

Rahul Dravid: Awe-Inspiring Gentleman!

One can't help but being in awe of him only on the basis of sheer weight of the numbers. He has scripted some of the most memorable and iconic Indian wins almost single handedly. Some of those innings that instantly come to mind are the ones at Adelaide, Kolkata, Headingly and Rawalpindi. He has aggregated more runs at No. 3 position than any other to have ever played the game. But the one reason why Dravid's stature is colossus is because his contribution in Indian wins overseas has been immense. He has even outperformed Tendulkar by scoring more runs and thus winning more Tests for India in 'out-of-the-comfort zone' territories. Not to forget his exceptional catching skills making him the apple of every bowler's eye! But numbers only tell part of the story. Dravid's soft skills have been as important in him becoming the player that he is. His career is largely characterised by perseverance, resilience, grit, unyielding focus, and the ability to concentrate for long periods. It is often said that he has lived under the shadow of Tendulkar but I remember Harsha Bhogle tweeting once that he is too big a player to be cast under anyone's shadow.

True, his exit has in perpetuum denied us the privilege of seeing him take guard for India again, and marvel at the spectacle of his diverse range of shots timed to perfection with a pre-determined result, but he has been a reason for millions of us to be passionate followers of the game and even more to take up Cricket!

Rahul Dravid, you are the best ambassador the game could ever get! Long live legend!