rahul dravid

 

Does it mean Dravid only leaves the ball more? Not always.  He can send the ball screeching with little effort but the emphasis of his batting, keeping in mind the demand made of him by the team, is to occupy the crease.  He literally carries his bedroll to the wicket.    
Such is Dravid's temperament that he can tackle long scoreless spells without allowing it to affect his style, or commitment.  Not that he is incapable of playing shots but often has to sacrifice his instincts to belt the ball because of the team's interests.   
The longer Dravid bats, the better become India's chances of posting a respectable total.  He ensures that one end is intact and that assumes importance knowing the vulnerability of India's middle-order which has come to rely a lot on Sachin Tendulkar and Dravid, and Saurav Ganguly if he happens to be in the playing eleven.		 Rahul `Well Left' Dravid.  That is how some West Indian scribes had begun to refer to one of India's most reliable batsmen.  
The West Indians were certainly not mocking at Dravid, who shows an excellent judgment regarding which ball to leave and which to play.  It was this act of putting his left foot out and raising the bat to allow the ball to pass that earned this solid batsman from Karnataka the name.  
The `well left' tag was just an appreciation of Dravid's keen eye to ignore the harmless ball.  Not many in international cricket can leave the ball as Dravid can.  He watches the ball closely but more importantly assesses the bounce and line much quicker than many and thus is comfortably  
placed to play or leave it.

 

 

 

rahul dravid

 

Does it mean Dravid only leaves the ball more? Not always.  He can send the ball screeching with little effort but the emphasis of his batting, keeping in mind the demand made of him by the team, is to occupy the crease.  He literally carries his bedroll to the wicket.    
Such is Dravid's temperament that he can tackle long scoreless spells without allowing it to affect his style, or commitment.  Not that he is incapable of playing shots but often has to sacrifice his instincts to belt the ball because of the team's interests.   
The longer Dravid bats, the better become India's chances of posting a respectable total.  He ensures that one end is intact and that assumes importance knowing the vulnerability of India's middle-order which has come to rely a lot on Sachin Tendulkar and Dravid, and Saurav Ganguly if he happens to be in the playing eleven.
   
The Test series in South Africa and the West Indies have established Dravid as India's frontline batsman.  The skipper can rely on this man to take charge of the situation from the first ball he faces.  And Dravid, who relishes batting in tight situations, does take pride in the fact that he is rated so high by his skipper.   
Dravid's gait as he walks briskly to the wicket and takes guard reflects the confidence this young man has come to acquire in just one year of international cricket.  From his debut at Lord's to the Bourda in Georgetown, he has played some quality innings which just give glimpses of plenty of more worthy contributions one can expect from him.   
The maturity shown by Dravid in accepting the responsibility of batting at the crucial number three slot is remarkable.  As he admits, a batsman should be prepared to bat at any position he is asked to and he has come to adapt superbly.   
Dravid admits that he needs to play more shots and that, whenever it happens, should help him take a step closer to developing into a complete batsman.  His defence is compact and strokeplay open to improvement.   
Dravid is now concentrating on working to become a batsman who dominates the bowling.  It is within his capabilities to achieve that aim and would require the batsman to simply allow himself the freedom of playing his shots.  It would come with time.   
Clive Lloyd, the West Indian manager, rated Dravid very high in his list of current batsman capable of carving a long career.  "He has the right technique and temperament to play very long and become one of India's finest batsmen ever," said Lloyd in his praise of Dravid.   
The Karnataka batsman is well aware of the expectations and the hopes which follow him everytime he walks to the wicket.  The pressure mounts when Tendulkar fails but he does not allow anything to ruffle his intentions.  Allan Donald swore at him in South Africa and he coolly ignored him to continue in the same vein.  That then is the hallmark of a great batsman in the making.   
Dravid, the humble person that he is, aims at not only becoming a regular member of the side but one who contributes consistently.  "I aimed at establishing myself in the side," confessed Dravid about his intentions when he was picked for the tour to England last year.   
He has gone a step ahead in just one year, having established himself as a batsman second only to Tendulkar in terms of consistency and reliability.  That he has class has been acknowledged and has been discovered by bowlers all over the world.  He has to work hard and maintain the high standards that he has set for himself.   
Having risen through the ranks, and learnt the intricacies of the game through practical experience, Dravid is in a better position than many to raise the level of his batsmanship.  The good things about him is that he is a keen listener, a very fine observer of events around him and a voracious reader which enables him sharpen and develop his mind for cricketing combats.  He has respect for his opponent which in turn earns him respect too.   
Dravid is an asset which needs to be preserved and handled with care.  Thrusting him with a load of responsibilities can surely strenghten his approach but let not the pressure diminish his strokemaking abilities.  He must be made to realise that his paramount task is to dominate the bowling, and not just worry about occupying the crease