You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join GUPSHUP today!
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
He's a world-beating No. 3 and fifth on the all-time run-makers' list, but Dravid is doomed to forever be the man behind the man
Being the man behind the man is not always fun.
Ask Robin. He had the crappy lines, often stuffed up, had a stupid costume, and more often than not had people cast aspersions about his sexuality. On the other hand Batman got the ladies, looked cool in black, was allowed to be moody without being called on it, and kicked ass in hand-to-hand combat.
Rahul Dravid has been the man behind the man his entire career.
The obvious man he is behind is Sachin "Please, may I have a hundred, Kumar" Tendulkar. Dravid is also still behind Lara, Ponting, and Border on the all-time run scoring list. That is not a bad group to be behind. Most of us could handle that. If you were behind Gavin Robertson and Ajit Agarkar, that would suck.
Dravid has made 57 half-centuries in test cricket, which is more than Sachin or Ponting, but Bloody Border has 63. Damn.
It keeps getting worse. Remember when Dravid was part of a partnership of 376 that brought India back from the dead in a Test series against Australia? Well, I was in a Melbourne sport quiz one night, when the question was, "Which player shared a 376-run partnership with VVS Laxman after Australia enforced the follow-on at Kolkata in 2001?" Out of 10 groups, three got it. One of the tables had Indians on it and still got it wrong.
There is also the fact that batting at No. 3 means Dravid quite often has to bat at the other end to the Prophet Sehwag. Even Sachin has to take a back seat to Sehwag. Who can even be bothered looking at the other guy when Sehwag is flailing around his magic wand and showing Sehwagologists the way to live their life?
Dravid is a former captain of India. Sometimes if you are reading a piece by some Kolkata journalist about how great Sourav Ganguly was as a captain, there will be a line or two on Dravid's captaincy. Most other people can't remember any captains before Dhoni.
Dravid is a superfreak with the bat. Born with the patience of an award-winning social worker and a technique so tight that textbooks look on with envy. Plus, he makes a lot of runs. He makes more runs per innings than Tendulkar does, but he hasn't played in as many decades.
It seems to be Dravid's lot in life to be the man behind the man. He doesn't seem to mind, but I do.
It is just that he isn't the guy. He has no essence of being the main man. Even as captain he looked like he was filling in for someone. For the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he should be the main man, but Ross Taylor comes out and slogs across the line and people forget about Dravid. It doesn't matter where he is, or what he does, someone else always gets the attention.
It doesn't mean he isn't an all-time great of the game; he is. It just means that even after he makes 177 in a Test match, he probably still has to wait for a table at a busy restaurant. Someone of his quality should get the best table in the joint straight away every time.
Well, in Indian side,, he definitely is the best batsman... Sachin is behind him for sure in my list...
Zaheer Abbas was a class of his own, but thats for the Pakistan's line up... Pakistan's number one had to be in between Inzimam, Miandad and Zaheer.. Saeed Anwar no way.
Well, in Indian side,, he definitely is the best batsman... Sachin is behind him for sure in my list...
Zaheer Abbas was a class of his own, but thats for the Pakistan's line up... Pakistan's number one had to be in between Inzimam, Miandad and Zaheer.. Saeed Anwar no way.
to me best batsmen was Miandad. He had an edge when it comes to winning the game other than that Zaheer, Inzi, Malik and Yousuf are/were treat to watch and have class too !
Sachin is a more complete batsman than Dravid, IMO. But I like Dravid better because of his innate decency, and a sense of perspective that I have not seen from even Sachin when it comes to gracefully handling both defeat and victory. With Dravid, there is never a hint of gloating after victory and always praise for the other team after a defeat. Am also impressed by how he has managed to retain his dignity in the quote-a-minute circus that is the modern day Indian media. Probably part of the reason why he doesnt get the same ratings as others. An article I read recently had a really apt description of Dravid that I'll cut&paste here:
Dravid is the least obtrusive of players, he demands little mind space. He wears his passion on one sleeve, his intelligence on the other. It is a rare combination that evokes awe rather than love, admiration more than conviviality. He is the intelligent man’s guide to what a sportsman ought to be – modest, dependable, well educated, with the gift of grace under pressure and a perspective that is adult. Dravid’s coolness makes him less than cool, his sobriety works against his being the kind of public hero that Ganguly is in Kolkata, Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Jharkhand or Tendulkar everywhere.
Dravid is a very good batsman, however Sachin is a class apart. I am sure if Dravid had been anointed the best batsman in the world, everyone would have been tearing him apart too
^ Sachin is more "likable" because of his aggression. He is top batsman becasue he has been painted as one and people like him more. He and Dravid are different type of players.
Technically I dont think Dravid is far behind (or even behind) Sachin.
^ I am a fan of Dravid, but he has his limitations. He is primarily a test batsman and not really the best fit for the shorter version of the game. Sachin is much more versatile and his records prove it.
Better than Sachin ??? You've got to be kidding me...
Dravid does not have the same range of strokes as Tendulkar who is a more gifted batsman IMO. Dravid never looks imperious at the wicket and milks the bowlers rather than dominating them. When in form, Tendulkar looks a class act. Some of his straight/cover drives are imperious and simply breath-taking
Dravid though probably handles pressure situations better than Tendulkar
Last edited by GoldenAsif; Dec 2nd, 2009 at 09:34 AM..
Sachin is a more complete batsman than Dravid, IMO. But I like Dravid better because of his innate decency, and a sense of perspective that I have not seen from even Sachin when it comes to gracefully handling both defeat and victory. With Dravid, there is never a hint of gloating after victory and always praise for the other team after a defeat. Am also impressed by how he has managed to retain his dignity in the quote-a-minute circus that is the modern day Indian media. Probably part of the reason why he doesnt get the same ratings as others. An article I read recently had a really apt description of Dravid that I'll cut&paste here:
Dravid is the least obtrusive of players, he demands little mind space. He wears his passion on one sleeve, his intelligence on the other. It is a rare combination that evokes awe rather than love, admiration more than conviviality. He is the intelligent man’s guide to what a sportsman ought to be – modest, dependable, well educated, with the gift of grace under pressure and a perspective that is adult. Dravid’s coolness makes him less than cool, his sobriety works against his being the kind of public hero that Ganguly is in Kolkata, Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Jharkhand or Tendulkar everywhere.
Dravid is a class act. Like every player he has his limitations, but in test cricket he is the best in his generation.
There was one incident (Prank) in which a beautiful girl (I think one of the miss india participants) got an appointment to meet him in a room fixed with hidden cameras, she then suddenly proposes to him and starts falling all over him and he was so dignified in telling her to move away and the way he handled himself was great. I think if it was any other neo cricketers like Sreesanth, Shoaib , they would have made a mincemeat of her.
Linear Mode
gupshup
unplugged
society
arts & cul
features
services
