Dravid Delivers Timely Reminder of Greatness

Rahul Dravid today passed 11,000 Test runs in one of the innings of his life on day one of the first Test with Sri Lanka.

‘The Wall’, as he is nicknamed, hit a superb, unbeaten 177, displaying his full array of shots and batted as purposefully as he ever has in Test cricket.

Dravid’s innings, spanning 251 deliveries and featuring 26 fours and a six, saw him pass Steve Waugh to become the fifth-highest run-scorer in Test history.

He now lies within 1000 runs of second placed Brian Lara, with Ricky Ponting third and Allan Border fourth on a list topped by his team-mate, Sachin Tendulkar.

India’s most valuable player for long periods since 2001, Dravid has the record of a genuine great. More than 11,000 Test runs at an average of 52 should guarantee a mark of greatness.

But Dravid has spent large parts of his career in the shadow of others. Even during his golden periods, he had the looming presence of Tendulkar to contend with. And now the flair of  Yuvraj Singh and pin-up appeal of Mahendra Singh Dhoni threaten to push him into the background.

A sign of the changing face of world cricket, Dravid represents the last of a dying breed – the attritional, defensive Test batsman.

If many possess a broader range of strokeplay, few can match Dravid’s temperament and nigh-unbreakable powers of concentration.

This latest landmark represents a remarkable turnaround. Less than a year ago, pressure was growing on the Indian selectors to axe him from the Test team, amidst a run of low scores – as often happens when a 30-something hits a barren run.

But he hit back in typical style in the second Test against England, at Mohali in December 2008 – his 137 spanning 328 balls and almost eight hours. His innings today was of a different kind, but further underlined his class.

Yet you sense that Dravid’s approach, in an era where streaky hair, sixes and podium dancers rule the roost, will go unappreciated.

But the history books will tell a story of a man of unmatched will and technique approaching perfection. He would walk into any of the great sides and should be celebrated as one of the true greats of the game and a master of the finer arts of cricket’s purest form.

Click here for highlights of day one of the first Test