The eternal go-to man
With unparalleled skill and an extraordinary work ethic to add to his incredible versatility, Rahul Dravid has outdone himself writes Madhu Jawali in the Deccan Herald .
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
With unparalleled skill and an extraordinary work ethic to add to his incredible versatility, Rahul Dravid has outdone himself writes Madhu Jawali in the Deccan Herald.
No Indian cricketer has been as accommodative as Dravid. If there’s an award for selfless cricket, then the 38-year-old has little challenge. That’s not to cast aspersions on the others. But where the rest are happy disposing of the normal duties, Dravid has often been asked to step out of his comfort zone to meet the requirements of the team.
“There are not many who will agree to keep wickets, and there are fewer people who agree to open. But Dravid has always done that for us without any complaints. We are lucky that we have somebody like him in our side,” said Dhoni, acknowledging his former captain’s commitment to the team’s cause.
Following the selectors decision to include Dravid in the limited-overs squad for the England tour, Sriram Veera asks - Will the ODI team really benefit if India win on the back of Dravid? Is such short-term gain meaningful? Dravid himself, by announcing his retirement, has made that a rhetorical question. More in the Mumbai Mirror.
While Dravid is a hard man to read at the best of times, the timing of this announcement, at the end of a play when Indian team’s spirits were already low, suggests he has had enough. Treated as a beast of burden for too long, it was time he told the cricket establishment to get off.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo