Rahul Dravid: The Unsung Hero Of Indian Cricket

Rahul Dravid. Okay, tell me, what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the name 'Rahul Dravid'?

'The Wall'? Team-man par excellence? A gritty technician who batted as if he was meditating in the middle? A monk amid 'larger than life personalities? A versatile cricketer who would adjust to any role for the sake of his team? 

Or is it his innocent smile, his calm demeanour that flashes in front of your eyes every time you hear his name?

It can be a combination of all, given the multiple layers of his persona? Isn't it?

And to be honest, you're not alone if you can't decide that one thing that sticks out as far as Dravid is concerned. Over the last 20 years, we have seen multiple facets of one of India's most loved cricketers.

We have seen him as this shy young Indian batter who was ready to take on all the challenges his way pretty early on in his career. However, we have also seen him transform himself from a 'Test specialist' to a versatile ODI batter and a keeper who nailed almost every role accorded to him with utmost diligence and honesty.

We have seen him carve out masterclasses after masterclasses in obscure situations to help India script some of the most memorable victories. We have also seen the tactical and management side as the Indian captain and U19/A side head coach. 

Amidst all this, ever wondered how this monk, who had achieved enough to boast, remained under the shadow of the greats like Sachin Tendulkar and kept providing his hands whenever the team needed him? 

We frequently talk about the captaincy eras, including the Ganguly era, the captain with multiple trophies – the MS Dhoni era and the era when Indian Test cricket peaked the Virat Kohli era. 

But, we often overlook the period between the end of the Ganguly era and the start of the Dhoni era. And for good reasons.

The period between 2005-07 will be remembered as a dark chapter in Indian cricket. It was a phase that marred with the ugly tussle between then coach Greg Chappell and Sourav Ganguly, which eventually led to the former being dumped and axed.

Not only this, Chappell was embroiled in off-field controversies and had issues with a whole host of senior players, including Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.

During this phase, Dravid was bestowed with leadership duties. While he did have a fair share of disappointments during his tenure, especially in the ODI format, one can't overlook the team's success under him in the longest format.

Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Chappell, a divided dressing room and shambolic defeats in the 2006 Champions Trophy and 2007 WC have always dominated the narrative whenever we talk about his stint.

It wasn't an easy chore for Dravid; he got the leadership role after the biggest crisis hit the Indian Cricket team. Wherever he went, be it on foreign tours, in airports and sometimes in the news, the Indian fans were spotted chanting "We Want Ganguly, We Want Ganguly". 

Though they had nothing against Rahul, the circumstances under which he was made captain angered fans, and rightly so.  

Rahul Dravid - The Unsung Captain  

We often discuss and celebrate Dravid's achievements as a batsman but rarely open upon his success as a captain. Yet, in the two years following his appointment as Indian captain, the team went on to win four out of seven Test series while losing just three out of 15 away Tests, something which used to be a fantasy till then for Indian fans. And those victories aren't just against any random team; every single win has its own behind-curtain story. 

Coming back to the question, "What had he achieved as a captain of India?" 

The team India, which was coming out of a massive 'captain-coach' controversy, won its first-ever Test series in the West Indies after 1971 (1-0 in 2006) under Dravid, and with that, they made it clear that they are here to rule for the upcoming years. 

India went on to win their first-ever Test match in South Africa later that year and followed it up with a historic tour of England in 2007 when India won a Test series in their den after 21 years (1-0 in 2007). And the fact that India hasn't won a single Test series there till 2020 tells you the significance of that victory. 

The current Indian team is on the brink of history as they lead 2-1 against hosts England, with the final Test, which was postponed due to covid-19, to be played in July 2022 at Edgbaston.  

An Underrated ODI cricketer 

Enough of Test captaincy bragging. Can we switch to ODIs now? 

"Oh, it's Rahul Dravid! Why bother about ODIs? He wasn't that great an ODI player." That's the most common answer you "ll hear from people who pigeonhole Dravid as just a Test great.

Dravid struggled in ODIs in the first two years of his career as he failed to match the tempo demanded.

However, the diligent cricketer didn't give up. He went back, improved his hitting ability, worked on his ability to find gaps, and became a bedrock of our middle-order over the next 7 to 8 years.

Taunton 1999? He was there. Hyderabad 1999? He was there. Lord's 2002, Ahmedabad 2002? He was there. Centurion 2003, Lahore 2004? He was there. Wicket keeping? He was there. 

Need a 21-ball 50? He was there. 

Need a captain who would make it a culture to effect run-chases successfully? He was there.

Team India had a point to prove after getting knocked out in the first round of the Champions Trophy in 2004 and losing to Pakistan at home in 2005. Then "Dravid" happened, under whom India went on to win the bilateral series against Sri Lanka, England and Pakistan. 

Not just this, India set an excellent record of 16 consecutive successful chases under him. Still, all of it came under scrutiny when India was eliminated from the 2007 ODI World Cup after the group stage. Something which started on a sweeter note didn't get the desired result. 

Indian captains with the best W/L ratio in Tests

Indian captains with the best W/L ratio in ODIs 

Despite having one of the best win-loss records, Dravid was seen as a stand-in captain who led the team when the team needed him the most. Yet, he kept doing what he was known for amidst all this. He bowled at times, kept wickets to take in an extra batter in the team, opened the innings, and played as a finisher and whatnot. You name the position, and you would see him donning the role. 

Then came the silent resignation of the dark knight as a captain in 2007; when he felt he could provide more with the bat as the team needed it more, he simply walked away. 

"He said he can't handle both the responsibilities, which were leading to small deficiencies. He has said he would like to continue to play and improve upon his performance and also give full support to whoever takes the responsibility to lead the team," the then cricket board president Sharad Pawar said after Dravid gave up on the captaincy in 2007.

Though it was short, it was sweeter. And ten years after that, we saw him preparing the youth of India to do what he had been doing for the team since his early days in cricket. Be selfless and ready for all roles the team offers.

A coach who shaped the destiny of the Nation 

Dravid, who had to choose between a coaching offer from Delhi Daredevils or an Indian coach for the Under 19/A side, the selfless man picked the latter and nailed his job with utmost perfection from 2016-to 2019.  

Under Dravid, India was runners-up in the 2016 U-19 World Cup and champions in the following season. The former Indian captain is prominently known for grooming several Indian stars during their time with the A-side under Dravid's coaching, which is considered one of the herculean jobs.

The likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Arshdeep Singh, and Washington Sundar are some of the exciting talents that are now either making their name on the international stage or knocking on the doors of Indian Cricket team.

Dravid then also took charge as the Director of Cricket Operations at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore in 2019, where the injured international stars were closely scrutinized under the sharp eyes of Dravid & Co.

For half of his life, he has followed the mantra "...Of the team, by the team and for the team" and still doing so as he accepted the request of the Indian cricket board to coach the senior men's team and take them to glory again, this time as a head coach.