“Which one do you enjoy more, the sound of ball hitting the middle of your bat or the sound of it thudding into your gloves?” Asking Rahul Dravid this question is a no-brainer, one would imagine, but his response, after becoming the ICC Player of the Year in 2004 would have surprised many. “The sound of the ball thudding into my gloves. Every time that happens, I say thank you!” he said. Those who used to follow Indian cricket back then would know that he was alluding to his wicket-keeping gloves.
Rahul Dravid the batsman was often India’s best Test bet, especially in overseas conditions, ever since he made his debut in 1996, but in One-Day cricket, he had become a bit of a liability and that’s when Sourav Ganguly, the then captain, offered a new proposition to him. He had to ‘keep’ his place in the side! For someone who hadn’t touched the keeping gloves since the age of 15, keeping at the international level was a serious challenge. He wasn’t a natural, his feet were all over the place and looked bad and awkward at times, but the quintessential team man he was, Dravid did the job for his country.
In the 73 ODI matches for India as a keeper, Dravid took 71 catches and effected 13 stumpings and with an average of 44.23, he is second only to Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the all-time list of wicket-keeper batsmen who have played more than five ODI matches for India. But, that’s a bonus because the real gain for Team India was the luxury of playing seven batsmen. As it turned out, it wasn’t a luxury but a crucial strategic decision as India went on to win some close matches riding on the back of the number seven, none more cherished than the NatWest Trophy final in 2002.
Years later, when the Kohli-Shastri combination seemed to employ the strategy rather successfully, the man in question is the legend’s name sake and from the same city—interesting coincidence!
The Indian Premier League 2020 has entered that phase where the divide is clear and the categories are formed. When the ones at the top are looking to consolidate and gearing up to get to the finish line, a few ones in between are keeping the mathematicians and the Almighty busy. The scramble is inevitable! While it’s about form, fitness, confidence and skills, from hereon, it’s also going to be a lot about the men in charge.
Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli—all seem to be comfortably placed at the moment, but what interests me is the contrasting stories of two captains who found themselves in the same deep waters but chose different directions to swim. Dhoni has been forced to take a seat where he has never before watched the tournament from. Short of answers, he looked uncharacteristically shaken and the ‘youngsters lacking spark’ comment was rather unusual from the ‘Captain Cool’.
On the other hand, there was Kannur Lokesh Rahul who, despite being criticised heavily earlier in the tournament, has been gracious in accepting them and also inspiring his team to a better standing in the points table.
Many feel that of the five Indian captains on show this edition, Rahul has been the most impressive. The way he has handled the pressure due to the initial slump has been praiseworthy. He had his own share of mistakes but to open the innings, keep wickets and take tough calls in tight situations, is some serious pressure and Rahul has done a fantastic job. With another Karnataka legend Anil Kumble lending him support as the coach, the chemistry between the two seems to work fine.
By defending an improbable 126 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad the other night, Rahul & Co have generated more interest in the proceedings before the play-off starts. KXIP have got quite a bit of work still to do if they were to qualify but their comeback has had a positive influence on the tournament.
The IPL is often about promises as much as it is about current performances. Right from its inception, that has been the beauty of the tournament. It has always thrown some light on the future. K.L. Rahul, in his own rights, is already an established player in the Indian set up but this edition of the carnival has only underlined that. And yes, the orange colour of his cap is just another feather!
