A Tribute

How do you pay tribute to someone you don’t know at a personal level, but one who has proven an inspiration in many ways?  What do you write about someone about whom so much has already been written?  Why, indeed, should one even attempt to pen one’s thoughts when one knows so little about that person?  Irrespective, here’s my individual tribute to Rahul Dravid, one of India’s greatest cricketers but someone always destined to be in the shadow of Sachin.  As one expert opined recently, Tendulkar is genius that comes along rarely, but Dravid is someone we can all aspire to be.

Indeed, the one thing that has defined Dravid throughout his career is his indefatigable work ethic and desire for perfection.  Commentators have gone hoarse mentioning the perfect cover drive that has been one of Dravid’s signature shots, superbly executed with the head down, the elbow high and the follow through complete. Undoubtedly what we see on TV is but a miniscule fraction of the number of such shots practiced night and day in the nets, against all manners of bowling, pace and spin, and in all types of conditions, hot and cold.  We don’t see the tweaks made in posture, or the changes in footwork, or indeed even the grip on the bat, all minor perhaps by themselves but that collectively result in gasps of awe from millions of fans that have been privileged to see perfection in action.  What we also don’t see is the overwhelming desire to set the standard for taking existing skills and capabilities and honing them to an art form, not with natural brilliance but with uncompromising dedication and commitment.

In addition to his excellence on the field, Rahul has been a near perfect ambassador for an emerging India on the global stage.  His career has coincided with the flattening of the world, the shift from West to East and the rise of the BRICs.  What that has led to is an unprecedented interest in India in general, and capabilities of Indians in particular.  In that sense, India has been privileged to have Dravid as an articulate representative of all that Indians hold dear in terms of values—a desire for excellence, a never say die attitude, and respect not only for the game but also how it’s played.  The global recognition and appreciation earned by Dravid is a result not only for what he has achieved but also for the manner in which it has been done, and proves without a doubt that both excellence and humility can coexist side by side.

Many of us remember watching Test matches in which India would have lost many wickets with not many runs on the board, and saying to ourselves “at least Rahul is still there”.  His presence at the crease brought with it a reassurance that the 250 runs still required to avoid the follow on with only 3 wickets in hand was still achievable, that no matter what the odds we could still prevail as long as he was there.   Conversely, when it came to one day matches or the more recent 20-20, his presence at the crease was often considered more of an inconvenience, that he would waste many balls before starting to score, that somehow his prodigious Test talents were a handicap in other forms of the game.  Dravid did answer back by adapting his style to the new requirements, but without sacrificing the grace and elegance which have always defined his strokeplay.  But at heart, Dravid was always a Test match player, a fine student of the game and of its greatest form, and who learnt to become one of its best exponents.  As he brings his on-field career to an end, all we can hope for is that he continues living his life as if it were a Test match—he has only completed the first innings, the second is yet to start.