The Hindu : Sport : A special match for Dravid

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Friday, Nov 18, 2005

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A special match for Dravid

K.C. Vijaya Kumar

He can become one of India's greatest captains, says Chappell

Bangalore: On Saturday, when the crowds turn Chinnaswamy Stadium into one heaving mass, Rahul Dravid will add another laurel to his burgeoning kitty of good tidings this season. Fatherhood, captaincy and the joy of a 6-1 triumph over Sri Lanka are all nuggets that have enriched his experience over the last few weeks and as he crosses the ropes and walks on to the turf with Graeme Smith for the toss, a touch of emotion will register in his heart. It will be Dravid's first match as the Indian captain on his home ground!

Dravid, never a man to embellish words with excess emotion, said in a matter-of-fact tone: "I have played at this ground as a 14-year-old and to be frank, I think I have spent more time here than even at my home. Yes it is an honour to play for India and to lead India. And to do it in my hometown is something special."

The contrasting mix of `Mr. Nice' and `Mr. Tough' rests easy on Dravid's shoulders and perhaps it is a legacy that he has inherited from Gundappa Viswanath, who in the Jubilee Test against England in 1980 — overturned the umpire's verdict, recalled Bob Taylor and then watched Ian Botham engineer a remarkable victory.

Viswanath, a man famous for his square cuts and gentlemanly approach, was equally adept at scorching fire, as evident in his epochal unbeaten 97 against Andy Roberts and Co. at Chennai in the 70s.

Bright career ahead

And after Viswanath's brief tenure as skipper for two Tests and Anil Kumble's lead role in a lone one-dayer, Dravid is the latest player from Karnataka to lead India. It is indeed apt that pride resonates in Viswanath's words while he chronicles Dravid's climb from the junior rungs to the hot seat in Indian cricket. "To be honest I didn't see much of his early matches but I remember watching him bat in a Moin-ud-Dowlah game and I must say I was impressed with the way he batted. He scored some 60-plus runs and I thought `well this lad has a career ahead of him'. But to be frank, at that time, I never thought about the great heights he will achieve. He is a shrewd thinker about the game and with the experienced Greg Chappell as coach, it is a combination that is working well. I see Dravid leading the side well for many more years," Viswanath said.

The former chairman of selectors also expressed his happiness over Dravid's ascent to the throne. "I think Dravid has got the captaincy at the right time and we have to give credit to the selectors for giving him a long rope, in terms of the number of matches. He has a team that is a good blend of experience and youth. It was heartening to watch their performance against Sri Lanka and now that experience will help them against a tougher side like South Africa. Even at Hyderabad, though we were 35 for five, we recovered well and that is a positive sign," Viswanath said.

Tough competitor

The Dravid story is often lost in clichés ranging from `The Wall' to the `Mr. Perfect'. But coach Chappell, on the sidelines of a function on Thursday, was quick to point out that there is enough steel in Dravid's feather-touch approach. "He is a tough competitor and I have been seeing him play since 1997 and I can see why he has been successful — he has a great mind and he has a great deal of courage. And I think he has the possibility of being one of the greatest captains in Indian cricket. Captaining the Indian team is the toughest job and it is ideal that the toughest man has been handed over the responsibility," Chappell said.

The gung-ho air after swamping Sri Lanka 6-1 might still linger despite the faltering first step against South Africa at Hyderabad but Chappell was quick to add: "We know it is impossible to win all the matches but we possibly want to win most number of matches we play." Dravid too chipped in and said, "look we know that South Africa is a good team and we never had any illusions about that and they played well at Hyderabad. But we are also playing some good cricket."

Dravid — captain, sheet-anchor, nervous father and voracious reader of books — is not done yet. He still has some unfinished tasks on hand and while fans scream `I love you Rahuls' on Saturday, he will perhaps try and correct an indifferent record at his home ground — no century yet in an International match, either in Tests or in one-dayers. Perhaps it is time to erase that blemish too.

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