Dt :10/03/2012
While I had made it a point to stop blogging about cricket and explore into different fields of life.Today is one day where I am compelled to blog about one of the greatest cricketers of our generation.
Even though I used to follow cricket since the early nineties ,it used to be more of ODIs and home test series .I started following international Test cricket prominently from the India tour of England in 96.Incidentally it was the same tour on which two of Indian crickets greatest batsmen made their TEST debut.It was Lords where Saurav Ganguly made a century on debut while Rahul Dravid missed what could be a great debut 100.
People who know me may wonder if I may start praising Saurav again in this blog but no this one is dedicated to the WALL of India --Rahul Dravid. The day that he missed that 100 he looked very disappointed with it and must have decided to not let the next chance go by. He missed another but soon got his first test hundred.His position in the ODI squad was always debated because of his slow approach to scoring runs .He not only rectified this by cementing his place in the ODI squad but also became a key player in the RCB T20 squad for IPL.Eventually he went on to get 36 test hundreds and 10,000 runs in both formats of the game.With a record no of slip catches he became a complete package for the team.
How Rahul influenced the youngsters.
For most of us,especially myself growing up in the nineties our priorities were broadly academics.Apart from studying hard the only other thing that used to get my maximum attention used to be cricket.Therefore Saurav , Rahul ,Sachin became our role models during the those years.While I learnt aggression from Saurav ,I learnt humility and dignity from Rahul.
I remember playing cricket with friends in the locality . I was never a great batsmen, I would spend more time bowling when playing overarm.But in the evening when we used to play underarm box cricket,each one of us would try to 'cover drive' like Rahul.We would practice that shot all along as HIS had class written all over it.I wonder how many kids playing in the cricket clubs he would have inspired.While fielding in the slips he was a great example of concentration and technique.Everything that he did had a methodology attached to it.Though this might have meant that his captaincy was also a bit method oriented but he was at his diplomatic best as captain in press conferences and post match presentations and that is how it should really be.
He is a brilliant orator and would make a great commentator but judging by the way things have gone I wonder if we will ever have him in the commentary box.May be the spectators may not get Rahul as a commentator.May be he is destined for bigger things.Who knows only time will tell.
Thanks Rahul for being an entertainer and a teacher .
[Sharing with you : Paper cut out of Adelaide test victory. 2002-03 which Rahul won us with his batting.Also in the pic Saurav's hundred in the first test on that tour and other role models back then .The pic is of my cupboard door .These people were a source of inspiration for me .]
While I had made it a point to stop blogging about cricket and explore into different fields of life.Today is one day where I am compelled to blog about one of the greatest cricketers of our generation.
Even though I used to follow cricket since the early nineties ,it used to be more of ODIs and home test series .I started following international Test cricket prominently from the India tour of England in 96.Incidentally it was the same tour on which two of Indian crickets greatest batsmen made their TEST debut.It was Lords where Saurav Ganguly made a century on debut while Rahul Dravid missed what could be a great debut 100.
People who know me may wonder if I may start praising Saurav again in this blog but no this one is dedicated to the WALL of India --Rahul Dravid. The day that he missed that 100 he looked very disappointed with it and must have decided to not let the next chance go by. He missed another but soon got his first test hundred.His position in the ODI squad was always debated because of his slow approach to scoring runs .He not only rectified this by cementing his place in the ODI squad but also became a key player in the RCB T20 squad for IPL.Eventually he went on to get 36 test hundreds and 10,000 runs in both formats of the game.With a record no of slip catches he became a complete package for the team.
How Rahul influenced the youngsters.
For most of us,especially myself growing up in the nineties our priorities were broadly academics.Apart from studying hard the only other thing that used to get my maximum attention used to be cricket.Therefore Saurav , Rahul ,Sachin became our role models during the those years.While I learnt aggression from Saurav ,I learnt humility and dignity from Rahul.
I remember playing cricket with friends in the locality . I was never a great batsmen, I would spend more time bowling when playing overarm.But in the evening when we used to play underarm box cricket,each one of us would try to 'cover drive' like Rahul.We would practice that shot all along as HIS had class written all over it.I wonder how many kids playing in the cricket clubs he would have inspired.While fielding in the slips he was a great example of concentration and technique.Everything that he did had a methodology attached to it.Though this might have meant that his captaincy was also a bit method oriented but he was at his diplomatic best as captain in press conferences and post match presentations and that is how it should really be.
He is a brilliant orator and would make a great commentator but judging by the way things have gone I wonder if we will ever have him in the commentary box.May be the spectators may not get Rahul as a commentator.May be he is destined for bigger things.Who knows only time will tell.
Thanks Rahul for being an entertainer and a teacher .
[Sharing with you : Paper cut out of Adelaide test victory. 2002-03 which Rahul won us with his batting.Also in the pic Saurav's hundred in the first test on that tour and other role models back then .The pic is of my cupboard door .These people were a source of inspiration for me .]
