If you remember Rahul Dravid’s early years in ODI cricket, you will remember him as a classy batsman; a classy batsman who hit good-looking...
If you remember Rahul Dravid’s early years in ODI cricket, you will remember him as a classy batsman; a classy batsman who hit good-looking shots that almost always seemed to find the fielder. He was the epitome of classical batsmanship — sure about whether he wanted to defend or play a shot but it was almost the kind of batting that was easiest to contain. There was no in-between shot. There was no ‘drop the ball and run’.
From 1996, when he made his debut, to 2002, when he was designated as keeper, Dravid’s strike-rate in ODIs was 68.40. These days, with that kind of strike-rate, he wouldn’t even have made the team let alone play for six years.
The class of Dravid’s batsmanship was clear to everyone — more so when India went on an overseas tour and that is why India was always on the lookout for a way to make him part of the XI. He wouldn’t throw his wicket away, he would hang in there and arrest a collapse if need be.
And in April 1999, everyone in India was given the first glimpse of an idea that would radically change things for Dravid and his team. In a match...
