We didn’t always clap a dead
batted forward defencive stroke from Dravid that was like a stake driven deep
into the bowler, but we felt that all was well with the Indian batting. We knew
tha the wall was in business. We knew he would be there hour after hour,
session after session, day after day, keeping the best in the business out with
an economy of movement, with an effortless ease that sucked the spirit out of
the fastest, meanest bowler in the world.
From teammates to oppositions,
from friends to the very old foe, everyone has acknowledge Dravid as the
ultimate cricketer, the unchallenged team-man, the man who did everything with
grace, panache, dignity, decency and a sense of correctness that is too rare in
this dog-eat-dog world. Rahul Dravid has definitely left cricket a richer,
better place. Cricket will be poorer without him, but cricket will also
consider itself fortunate that a giant graced the sport with such aplomb and
for such a long time. So long, Rahul! And thank you for the memories. Courtesy-Deccan heard page 16, Sunday March
11, 2011-R Kaushik.
I don't think I am gonna see
such bravery, determination, dedication, enthusiasm, passion, commitment, and
respect on the cricket field anymore. Arguably the last Gentleman of Cricket.
We will miss Cricket on the field hereafter Rahul Dravid. Thanks you for
entertaining and teaching us many lessons. And you will be our best example for
commitment and behavior.
Retirement Speech By Dravid.-I would like to
announce my retirement from international and domestic first-class cricket. It
has been 16 years since I first played a Test match for India, and I feel it’s
time for me to move on. Once I was like every other boy in India, with a dream
of playing for my country. Yet I could never have imagined a journey so long
and so fulfilling. I have had a wonderful time, but now it is time for a new
generation of young players to make their own history and take the Indian
cricket team even further.
No dream is ever chased alone. As I look back, as
one does at such a time, I have many people to thank for supporting me,
teaching me and believing in me.
My junior coaches in Bangalore and at various junior
national camps inculcated in me a powerful love of the game which has always
stayed with me.
My coaches at the international level have added to
my craft and helped shape my personality. They pushed me and challenged me to
keep getting better. The physios and trainers worked hard to keep me fit -- not
an easy job -- and allowed me to play late into my 30s.
The selectors who rarely receive any credit in India
had, on occasions, more confidence in me than I had in myself and I am grateful
for that. The various captains I played under offered me guidance and inspired
me.
The media has been kind to me, and I have respect
for their craft.
The KSCA and BCCI have provided me a platform and
the facilities to play the game.
But most of all, I have to thank the teams I played
with. I know what I am going to miss the most is being part of a unit. The joy
of bonding together and striving to achieve a goal is what made cricket special
for me. I was lucky in my early years to play for a Karnataka team which was
trying to forge itself into a strong side and they were years of fun and
learning.
In the Indian team, I was fortunate to be part of a
wonderful era when India played some of its finest cricket at home and abroad.
Many of my teammates have become legends, not just in India but in the wider
cricketing world. I admired them, learnt from them and I leave the game with
wonderful memories and strong friendships. It is a great gift to have.
A career in sport is almost impossible to manage
without the support, guidance, and reassurance of family and friends. During
tough times -- and there have been many -- they are the ones we go to. I found
strength and encouragement from my parents (Sharad and Pushpa ) and brother
(Vijay) and they created around me a positive environment which was essential
to my success.
My wife, Vijeeta, has been a remarkable partner in
my journey. She has made sacrifices in her own career and has almost been a
single parent bringing up our children alone as I travelled abroad to play.
Whenever challenges appeared, she was always there, as sounding board, as ally
and as guide. Being away from my family became harder and harder through the
years and I look forward now to spending time at home and doing the simple
things, like just taking my sons (Samit and Anvay) to school.
Finally, I would like to thank the Indian cricket
fan, both here and across the world. The game is lucky to have you and I have
been lucky to play before you. To represent India, and thus to represent you,
has been a privilege and one which I have always taken seriously. My approach
to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the
team, it was about playing with dignity, and it was about upholding the spirit
of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I
have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride.
In a real sense THE END of an ERA.
