Yes, it happened exactly 10 years ago. No Indian captain had ever declared with the superstar batsman on 194 and I bet very few would in future. Heres my take on the move that divided Indian fans into two. When Dravid showed his mettle It was March 29th 04 when it all happened in Multan. Midway through the final session of Day 2, a stand in captain named Rahul Dravid declared, as you do when youre 675 for 5. What Indian captains dont tend to do, however, is declare when a certain Sachin Tendulkar is on 194 not out. That decision showed Indian cricket was finally becoming professional. For too long has the subcontinent regarded cricket as an individual sport. No wonder, the interests of the team have always been subservient to the pursuit of individual glory and meaningless records. Dravids move was a belated gesture towards the idea of Team India - a symbol of benign nationalism. Cricket, lets not forget, carries the aspirations of a country perpetually lacking in self-esteem. Ours has always been a nation that is full of talent but one which lacks discipline and method.Against this cultural template, Dravids decision to declare when Sachin was six short of a double hundred seems a remarkable attempt to break new ground. A country short on confidence hungers for idols like Sachin, but blind idol worship does little good to the development of the individual. Admittedly, India is a country where the group has historically exercised a stifling control over the individual. But in cricket, as in other non-traditionalareas, we seem to be embracing the other extreme. An extreme form of individualism, which has no conception of the larger good. Dravid wanted less time in the field, but got caught a bit betwixt and between. At tea he told the batsmen he wanted 15 or 16 overs at the Pakistanis, and after tea a couple of messages went out. As I sat there watching the innings grind on, it crossed my mind that Tendulkar needed to get a move on. the then coach Jhon Wright revealed in his book John Wrights Indian Summers.Wrightcontinued, A final message went out saying they had one more over.Then Yuvraj got run out going for a quick single and Dravid called them in. Sachin Tendulkar did not take the field that evening,claiming a sprained ankle. The matter became a full-fledged sensation when Tendulkar told a press conference he was disappointed not to get his double century. To make matter worse, Sourav Ganguly tried to blame Dravid for the decision,when he should have been the natural spokesman for Team India (In the first innings of the previous test in Sydney Ganguly himself decided to bat on and on, 39 minutes into the third day and in the second innings,Gangulydeclared after Dravid was hit by a Brett Lee bouncer as Dravid remained unbeaten on 91). Tendulkar is a wonderful cricketer and team man but his statements,on the other hand, reveal a deplorable lack of team spirit and discipline.A person of his experience should have known that the declaration was likely since the fall of a wicket would reduce the tempo of scoring. As it is,it was Yuvraj Singh who had kept up the scoring rate (In the last 14 overs of the innings,India added 79 runs and Tendulkar made just 29 of them).Tendulkarshould reflect on Rodney Marsh’s equanimity when his captain Bill Lawry declared when he was on 92 and about to become the first wicket-keeper to score a test hundred or on Mark Taylor’s declaration when he could have broken the record of highest test innings by an Australian. Only an overwhelming desire to win can make us world-beaters; sadly, the Tendulkars fall short on this criteria.. The captain who put the Country ahead of an Individual.. Patriotism matters everything.. Players play for their motherland not for themselves.. And that is why Dravid is known as the Gentleman nd Sachin is considered as GOD.. And these two r the living legends..! :like:
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 04:21:50 +0000
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