Rahul Dravid: Timeless Steel

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Rahul Dravid: Timeless Steel Page 12

by Chappell, Greg


  In the toughest conditions of the series so far, Dravid has come through as the toughest batsman on either side. In passages of play when the bowling has been unrelenting and during spells when the ball has darted, jagged, leapt and thrown flying kisses at the bat’s edge, Dravid has been instinct and calculation in perfect sync.

  With this 34th century, he has now drawn level with Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara, to go with his No. 2 spot on the list of all-time Test run scorers. If there ever was a poll conducted to identify the most hardy and considerate international batsmen of this age, Dravid has a very good chance of topping it. In this series already he has done most of what he is known for: opened, batted at No. 3, kept wicket, fielded at slip – and, he will say with his droll humour, also dropped a few. Asked, after his century, about his ability to bowl, he laughed and said, “If I bowl, my shoulder will come out of my back.”

  On this tour of England, it is a shoulder his team has leaned heavily upon. Of all the India batsmen, he has adjusted the quickest in England, looked the most composed, and scored the most heavily. India still find themselves gasping because he has had very little company.

  He was out in an outrageously flashy manner here, a wild, short-game cut off Tim Bresnan, as out of place in his innings as pink hot pants would be at an awards presentation. Given that his partners had been unpredictable in the last ten minutes, and four wickets had fallen for six runs, it was hard to blame him for going for broke.

  It is worth remembering that his first-innings century at Lord’s had been rendered paltry because of a poor effort from the rest. So maybe if Dravid is seen attempting reverse hits or Dilscoops at The Oval, we’ll know how the Indian batting has gone for the rest of the series. After Harbhajan Singh was out, Dravid said he wanted to go for the runs, the extra 20-25 runs that could add up at the end. Essentially he wanted to borrow from Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann’s ninth-wicket approach on Friday.

  Dravid’s second century of the tour had begun with a bruising hour of play on Friday evening. He was hit on his wrist, jammed in the fingers, worked over. He kept batting through two more sessions, sometimes hobbling, sometimes cramping but always pushing forward. He was hit on the wrist again this morning, and after the initial spasm, his hand lost sensation for a few overs. What Dravid never lost was the purpose of what he had to do: bat one ball at a time.

  In his epic innings – and he’s one of the few who has produced regular epics as against memorable stanzas – Dravid can often bat like a clock that ticks reliably. Tap. Single. Back again. Forward. Defend. Dot ball. Beaten. Dot ball. Forget. Off stump. Leave. Dot ball. Late. Nudge. Two. Soft hands. Kill. Dot ball. Width. Cut. Four. Ball after ball, over after over.

  He called Nottingham one of his better hundreds because of the “hard-working, fighting” aspects of it that he enjoyed. He said the conditions in Headingley back in 2002, when India batted first on a green track to put up a total that set up victory, were tougher, but the bowling in 2011 was far more demanding and precise.

  He emerged with VVS Laxman on a bright morning and within three overs they cracked four consecutive boundaries. Two each, off rare lapses from James Anderson and Broad, that erased the dread that had built up last evening among the small gathering of vociferous Indian fans at the ground.

  The partnership hummed along like it always has, at varying paces. The two men farmed the attack cleverly, Dravid facing Broad and Laxman against Anderson, with few singles, several twos, and the quick boundary at a juicy sighter.

  Laxman melted the conditions – driving, pulling and cutting savagely to score his second half-century of the series. At the other end, Dravid was in his own bubble of concentration, found often at the non-striker’s end shadow-practising the leave as much as he did the forward defence.

  Broad later said Dravid’s wicket had been his favourite in a day when they fell in a clatter and had included his stunning hat-trick. Dravid’s game is based on technical classicism and attached to it is the awareness of how valuable a wicket his can be. Unlike items in the English retail market right now, Dravid’s wicket in this series is not going to be offered at a discount.

  In Nottingham there was measured driving, his runs earned by tucking balls away off the pads, countering the swing by playing the ball late and easing it through to third man. Closer to his century, the new ball nearing, Dravid saw the slower bowlers and the sun come on, and decided to show off the rest of his repertoire of shots: a back-foot cover drive, a glide through slips. Swann, in particular, was taken apart, going for 42 in 37 balls to Dravid.

  If Dravid’s batting in this series were to be set to music, it could be to Elgar possibly: both pomp and circumstance. This is his last tour of England, a country where he has always enjoyed playing his cricket. He has scored five centuries here (average 73.18) and soaked in its best traditions. His grim, beautiful fights in these two Tests for India have also carried with them gratitude for the grounds he is playing on.

  In Nottingham as he tried to push his team ahead in the contest, run by run, inch by inch, he was also giving the crowd his farewell masterpiece. Dismissed in an uncharacteristic manner, he walked back through stretching shadows and the golden light of a dipping sun. Having shaken off his annoyance at his dismissal, he raised his bat to all sections of Trent Bridge as he neared the gate. Then he disappeared up the steps into a pavilion that is 125 years old, with an honours board that will have his name up a second time. When Rahul Dravid leaves Nottingham, he will leave a part of his best self here.

  ESPNcricinfo senior editor Sharda Ugra covered India’s 2011 tour of England. This piece was first published on the site on July 30, 2011

  Of the 11 triple-century stands by Indians in Tests, Dravid has been involved in four, which is the highest. Tendulkar and Laxman have been involved in three each.

  [ 20 ]

  ‘There are no easy catches in the slips’

  INTERVIEW BY NAGRAJ GOLLAPUDI

  December 2010

  How deeply were you interested in slip fielding to begin with?

  I have never considered myself a natural slip fielder, but I worked hard on it, I practised it, and I have taken my fair share of them.

  Growing up, in my Under-15 days I used to be a wicketkeeper, and that carried on till I was 17. Then I started focusing on my batting and moved on. I got into the Ranji team quite early, and generally, as a youngster the first place you are put in is at bat-pad and short leg, so you had to work on your close-in fielding straightaway.

  GR Viswanath was the chairman of selectors in Karnataka back then and we did a lot of slip catching early in the morning. I started to really enjoy slip catching because it was very competitive. We had these competitive games with each other as Vishy sent catches our way. With a lot of younger kids coming into the team, we would try to outdo each other.

  Once I was in the Indian team, I was at silly point and short leg for about four years in the beginning. I started enjoying it by working on the reflexes and catching. Once I became a bit senior – if I could call it that – I moved to the slips. It was a natural progression.

  How did you figure out which was the best spot for you in the slip cordon?

  When John Wright came in [as coach] he was very keen that we get specialist fielding positions and stick to one position. I identified first slip as a good one for myself.

  Mark Waugh believed that slip catching comes naturally, that you can’t be taught by coaches. What do you think are the essentials of a good slip fielder?

  Firstly, you should enjoy it. You should want to be there. It is a position where you’ve got to concentrate the whole day, where you are always in the game.

  Then you’ve got to take a lot of catches. There is no substitute to taking a lot of a catches as a youngster if you want to do slip catching – you’ve got to catch, catch, catch. And more than doing the normal s
tuff, you have to vary your catching – you’ve got to take some catches with the tennis ball, you’ve got to take some closer, some further away.

  One of the important things I have found with slip catching is, you need to have relaxed hands. When an edge is coming towards you, the last thing you want to do is tighten up or freeze or snatch at the ball.

  What about the position – where and how you stand? Is there an ideal one?

  Bobby Simpson spent some time with us [the former Australia captain was a consultant to the Indian team during the 1999 World Cup]. He was coach of a team that had what I consider probably the best slip-fielding cordons ever. Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh were the best slippers I ever saw – they were incredible. He [Simpson] came in and altered the way I stood in the slips, in terms of positioning. That made a big difference to me. He got me to take the weight on my instep rather than standing flat-footed. What it does is, you can transfer weight and quickly move in any direction.

  Each one of us has a unique body position, so you have to work out what is comfortable for you. I know some who spread their feet a little more, some a little less, and they catch as well as anyone that I know. In the end, you’ve just got to catch.

  What about hand position? Is it always better to have your preferred hand taking the ball, with the other one wrapped around as a support?

  The fact that I never thought about it means I am not sure if I do all that. I just catch the ball. I do have big hands and that does help in slip catching. I don’t think you have time to think which hand should come on top; it just comes naturally.

  You mentioned practising with different kinds of ball. Can you tell us a little more about that?

  It gives your hand a different feeling, of a different object. Like, catching one day with a tennis ball, then another day with a slightly hard plasticine ball, then another day with a softer ball – you can even catch with a golf ball. It just makes it more interesting. If you continue taking catches in the regular fashion, it could get boring and repetitive, but if you can just vary it with different balls, with different angles, it could be more fun. It is all about fun.

  Do you watch the bat, the batsman or the bowler’s hand?

  I just focus on the ball. As soon as the bowler runs in and as soon as he hits the delivery stride, I switch on and start focusing on the ball in a relaxed fashion. As for reading the hand, if it is a spinner, like Anil [Kumble] or Harbhajan [Singh], you are reading their hands, you are watching their hands – what they are bowling.

  How different a challenge is it, standing to a spinner compared to a fast bowler?

  Not a massive difference. With the fast bowlers the ball comes at you a lot quicker but you are further away. With the spinners you don’t have that time to react because of the short distance. Then again, it doesn’t come at the same pace.

  How do you decide where to stand?

  From a spinner’s perspective, in India it was never easy for me to judge where to stand: how far forward, how far back. Because on Indian wickets the ball does not carry as much as abroad. That is true of slip fielding in general. I wouldn’t say only for spinners, even for a fast bowler that holds true. A lot of foreign players have pointed that out to me. In Australia and South Africa the bounce is quite consistent, quite even, and you can stand way back. But in India, since there is not much carry, the edges do not travel to you straight, so you get sort of tempted and dragged forward all the time. And it is very difficult to know exactly how far forward you need to go. So it is just a judgement thing, based on the wicket, the bounce, who is bowling, which spell they are bowling, the condition of the ball… So you’ve just got to keep varying. There is no perfect place to stand.

  What sort of pressure are you under as a slip fielder?

  As I said earlier, you must enjoy being a slip fielder. Everyone in the slips drops catches at times. You are putting yourself in a position where you are seen, but you must enjoy the fact that you want to be able to make a play. One of the great joys of being a slip fielder who takes a catch is that you are able to contribute to the bowler’s success. Yes, you are putting yourself in the firing line if you stuff it up, but you must want to be in that position to make a difference, and recognise that sometimes you might make mistakes. There are no easy catches in the slips. But as long as you have practised well and put in enough time, you are fine.

  What is the most challenging thing about standing in the slips in Test cricket?

  Concentration. At times you will get nothing the whole day, but suddenly in the 110th or 112th over of the match, a sharp chance comes along. You’ve got to be ready and alert to be able to react. So it is about the concentration, about doing it day in, day out, over after over, ball after ball.

  One thing that could help is having a set routine, a pattern where you know exactly what you are going to do each ball. That keeps you in that space to do that.

  You spoke of switching on. What about switching off between deliveries?

  It is very similar to batting. Slip catching does help your batting in terms of your routines. Between balls I talk to my co-slip fielders. You talk sometimes about the game situation, but lots of other times about various other topics, not cricket. That keeps you focused, keeps you relaxed. Like me and [VVS] Laxman talk about kids, house construction, plumbers, electricians, running errands. You cannot keep talking cricket the whole day – you have to switch off. But as soon as the bowler starts running in, you switch back on.

  Could you talk about your two best catches?

  In the 2001 Test series against Australia I caught Mark Waugh down the leg side. It was not a slip catch strictly – it was at backward short leg off Harbhajan in Chennai. It was a critical time in the match, during the third innings. It went down the leg side and flew to my right. I reacted instinctively and grabbed at it. The ball bounced off initially but I was able to hold on to it. It had come very quickly. We had practised for such a catch because we had recognised Mark Waugh was someone who played Harbhajan really well off his legs. And on a wicket that bounced a bit, we knew one or two edges might come and we should be in a position to catch them. The fact that it was a tight game, that Waugh was already 50-plus – in that context it was a huge catch and one I really cherish. Australia collapsed after that, so it was a good catch.

  The second one is once again against Australia, in Adelaide in the 2004 series: Damien Martyn against Sachin [Tendulkar], again the third innings. Sachin was spinning the ball a long way and Martyn drove at one and I stuck my right hand out and caught it. It was a reflexive catch, more instinctive. With such catches, a lot of the time, if you are able to stick your hand out, you have done well. It happens so quickly – sometimes they stick, sometimes they don’t. At times the ball just grazes your hand or pops out, but you have to put your hand in a position where you at least try.

  Against fast bowlers, the one that is memorable is catching Ricky Ponting off Ishant Sharma, at third slip in Perth [in 2008]. The ball was flying across me. There was a bit of extra bounce in the wicket and Ponting played at it, but I moved quickly to my right and reacted quickly to hold the catch.

  That’s what I was saying earlier – one of the advantages of standing in grounds like Perth is that you have distance, and because of the bounce you have a lot of time. I have always enjoyed standing in the slips in places like Australia and South Africa because the bounce is true. You know you can stand back. The ball carries. It comes quickly but at a nice height and at a comfortable pace.

  Who are the best slip fielders you saw?

  [Mohammad] Azharuddin and Laxman from India. Andrew Flintoff was superb for England. As for Australia, Taylor, Mark Waugh, Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting. Mahela Jayawardene has lovely hands and is good.

  What happens when you drop a catch. Do you let it affect you?

  At some level it does affect you. You are disapp
ointed about letting the bowler down because he has been putting in so much effort to create an opportunity after a lot of planning and thinking, and you have not been able to grab on to the chance. But you’ve got to quickly move on, because the worst thing you can do is to be lingering on it and not be in the right state of mind to grab another opportunity that comes along. With experience you learn to move on, accept it and try and get the next one.

  Do you remember all your catches?

  I can’t remember every one off hand, but if you show me the scorecard I will remember.

  Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo, where this interview was first published on December 28, 2010, when Dravid took his 200th catch in Test cricket

  Two Indians have effected 200-plus ODI dismissals as fielder or wicketkeeper. Dravid is one, with 210. Only MS Dhoni, with 252 dismissals, has more.

  The man

  He batted as a river runs, at an immemorial pace. You could tune in to an innings of his at any time and be unsure whether he had batted six hours or six minutes. He carried himself with the same easy dignity in success or failure, in India or abroad.

  Gideon Haigh, A sportsman of model

  decorum, page 145

  [ 21 ]

  Dignity, grace, conscience

 

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