I feel very priviledged to write abt Rahul Dravid. Thanx MS for providing with this oppurtunity.
The titles like Mr. Right, wall of indian team etc awarded to him truly indicate his calibre. I feel he shud have got his due and included in the team before the 96 world cup (he was the highest run getter in the just concluded challenger series in 96). He had a great start to his test career by 2 back to back half centuries against the then mighty englishmen. he was unlucky on both the occasions to miss out on his hundred.Since then thers been no looking back for rahul as far as test cricket is concerned. Any team wud luv to have him as a player in their test team. His Stroke making is excellent.His cover drives and square cuts r very fluent and just as another writer suggested , a student cud learn a lot of basics right from him. As all the cricket pundits say u got to know ur basics right. I feel he has some work to do on his pull shots, which he mistimes in quite a number of occasions. His hundred against the englishmen at trent bridge was simply gr8. I watched his entire innings and had a belief he cud pushed on to make a double hundred.His test average of 52 speaks for itself.His higher avg at abroad than at home signifies how well he is able to adjust to the pitches.I wud pick out two of his innings, 190 vs kiwis and 186 vs australians as best of his career.
Coming on to one dayers , his career has been some wht patchy. With slow run making contributing to tht. He’s always been criticised of finding fielders more than the gaps.I think he has done a wise thing by donning the gloves. This boosts the strenght of the team by having an extra batsman or a bowler. His performance at recently concluded natwest series was commendable.In onedayers I wud pick out 145 against srilanka , 77 against west indies at toronto as best. I mention this because the during his knock of 145 he was the 1 who had taken the initiative and gone for the big shots. and his knock of 77 was during extremely difficult conditions with half the team back in the pavilion and he had only support of tailenders.anyway there r many more of his knocks worth remembering.
The fact tht he’s from bangalore also makes him my favourite :)...
all the best jammy.....