How much an Indian Cricket fan would have loved
Dravid. It is realized by the hatred Dravid received from the fan. The more
hatred he received, the more lovable he became.
I started loving hatred through Dravid. Over the
years, when opening pairs were broken, quite early or not, a man with head down
comes to the crease, starts tucking down deliveries. His survival was
considered as a break for fans to resume their unfinished tasks. They begin to
iron their next weeks cloths, goes to get groceries and finish bath. I was not
different too but had to stop at Dravid’s elegant flicks through square and
fine leg. Sad to say that we are going to miss it.
Growing years I realised that I was a big fan of
him and loved with the same degree that I had vested for my dream god Sachin.
His 50 balls 30, 70 balls 40 with Sachin,Ganguly or Sehwag seems insipid when
we chase down a meagre scores of less than 230 because we had the luxury to go
for attack. Fans hate these essentials though they were the building blocks. If
there were targets around 200-230 and Indian top order tumbles to even feeble
attacks of minnows, when probable win seems to be loosing from our hand, his
50s and 80s had lifted the doomed morale of crew.....and it was noticed late.
I believe moments need to be cherished forever.
Living through them gives a soothing relief.
One of such kind was in Samsung cup 2004 at
PAKISTAN. It was a 5 match series and PAK was leading 2-1. Cable was not there
in my home at that time and I was watching that match at the expense of
favourite mega serial of my neighbours family. I had been showing my ecstasy
for each ball as they would hesitate to change the channel and was at their
mercy during over break. Yuvi and Dravid were cruising smooth repairing the
loss of wickets at regular intervals. Suddenly Yuvraj got out, India was 162/5
stranded at Lahore on chasing a score of 290+. I gave the remote back to them
and started walking to my house despaired. I really had wished to win that
match from the bottom of my heart, don’t know why. It would be expected to give
me a ray of inspiration on the lean patch of life I was going through at that
time. It was March, watching TV for cricket was considered to be a sin and I
had cancelled my home tuition for 2 students. Serials got over, I went back
again and switched on TV. A glee of joy sprang up in my heart. India needs runs
less than per balls. Dravid and Kaif were running like kids between wickets.
When the winning run was hit I looked around to express my joy and I couldn’t
find a face other than of a bewildered 80 year old woman who was laughing at my
excitement. I told her that India won by 5 wickets and she asked me how many
runs Sachin scored. Sachin was their favourite too.
My neighbor Lijo and I usually play cricket in my
front yard for hours continuously. Sometimes my brother comes to spend his
time. Those were the times I felt a cricketer that I have seen over the small
screen is playing in front of me. He batted like a Dravid against us. We were
hardly bowled out him. Toiled hard and hard and finally he quarralled with him
for spoiling our style of play that we imitated foolishly the then superstars
Sachin,Lara,Waugh….Once I was in a dilemma of how to behave next when he was
out for a duck at first ball. I couldn't play for minutes because I could never
think that my brother who came at 9'o clock at morning and went out in first
ball. My friend and I looked each other not knowing what to do next. This would
have been the same in Indian dressing room I swear. There is no surprise that
Dravid owns the record for not being dismissed on a duck for 120 innings
consecutive one-day matches.
I still remember the moments when I was thinking
about the new saviours of Indian cricket doomed in deep sorrow of humiliation
in front of their own crowd. I had wished Kambli hit consecutive sixes and
fours on Jayasurya and Vaas and take India home at Eden. There comes the
resurgence of Indian team in the form of two young bloods - Ganguly and Dravid.
Dravid was sidelined by the stardom of Ganguly
and Sachin and later by Sehwag and Yuvraj as they were natural stroke makers.
Debates were plenty about the pressure applied by Dravid when he was not able
to find runs in 2-3 balls of an over, which indirectly creates pressure on
non-strikers who were then in omniscient touch. This was a false concept
because others were natural stroke makers and love to take attack back onto the
bowlers and in course they forgot the value of wicket. They hit balls that were
not in slot that might cost sometimes and when they got out the blame was on a
man who was speculate in shot selection. In this regard cricket as a game
perceived wrongly in 90s and 00s and started revealing the role a shield anchor
now a days. Actually in his times Dravid was doing the same, but couldn't
convince or he didn't try to showcase it properly to the world about the
importance of his own existence in the game.
Without him an inspiring innings 98(75) from our
little maestro would be a pain now….
Without him it was not possible to win a series
at Rawalpindi (2004)...
He was there at Adelaide(2003) in their first win
in Australia since the same kind in 1980-81.......
And he stood as a wall to produce one of the
greatest comeback victories, Kolkatta(2001) in the history of the cricket....
He was ailing for a similar kind of help at Port
Of Spain against Lanka at league match WC2007. I wished I had a computer
program to create a matrix of Dravid and send to the middle.
Keeping ones value of wicket was as important as
that of playing strokes in cricket. But that saga was unsung over the years and
we scratch from baskets now.
Hats off to that man whose toil will be the myths
of next generation.....
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