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Monday, February 7, 2011

Why did he left the Captaincy?

Why did he left the Captaincy? 



Why did he left the Captaincy?From the time he announced it, Rahul Dravid's decision to step down as captain of the Indian cricket team seemed to be far deeper than the public reason he gave for it.

He may have told the BCCI chief Sharad Pawar that he wants to concentrate on his batting. But only those unaware of the dirty politics rampant in Indian cricket since time immemorial, will take Dravid at his word.
It is not difficult to see Dravid is not telling the truth for obvious reasons. Being a thorough gentleman, Dravid would probably never disclose the actual reasons for his abrupt decision, considering he had just led his team to a Test series win on English soil after 21 years.
A key member of Team India told rediff.com on condition of anonymity that Dravid was "feeling suffocated", not because of the weight of captaincy affecting his batting, but because "certain people from outside tended to dictate to him as to what he should do and what he shouldn't" as a captain.
"You could clearly see Dravid had been feeling some sort of indirect, mental pressure from the always powerful Mumbai lobby, which has again swung into action since Pawar has become the BCCI president," he added.

And one of those outsiders is chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengsarkar, who also hails from Mumbai.
It is no secret now that Vengsarkar was not happy with Dravid not batting at number three in the One-Day Internationals and sending others instead. Rather than advising the Indian captain in person, Vengsarkar expressed his displeasure and pointedly criticised him on this issue after the sixth One-Day International at Lord's, where India levelled the seven-match series 3-3.
"Why on earth should Vengsarkar criticise any of Dravid's decisions? It's none of his business. It's Dravid, and not he, who is the captain. Vengsarkar's job is only to select the team. People like Vengsarkar and others of his ilk weren't making Dravid's task easier. Such criticism was uncalled-for when India was trying to come back in the series," said the Indian player.
"I don't know if Vengsarkar has made any critical statement about whether Dravid should bat at No. 3 or at any other position. But if he really has, I think he shouldn't make such comments in public. Rather he should meet the players personally and tell them whatever he wants to say," a high profile BCCI official reluctantly said.

Another BCCI bigwig told rediff.com that he felt "sorry" for the way Dravid was "taken for granted" by a "particular section of the BCCI, including the chairman of selectors" despite his "best and successful efforts" to "rebuild" the team after the World Cup debacle.
"They gave him a specialist bowling coach, a specialist fielding coach, but not a full-time coach. Instead, they gave him a 73-year-old former player, a true blue Maharashtrian, as a manager, who couldn't remember even the names of the players properly. The team given to him was also not entirely of his choice. As always, they gave him Ajit Agarkar,an eternal blue-eyed boy of successive Indian selectors. Agarkar's lack of talent and performance is legendary and it was no exception on the England tour either," said the bigwig.
Earlier, Pawar did not show any interest in making Gundappa Viswanath, of all people, the coach of Team India when the master batsman expressed his desire to serve it. Instead he appointed Borde the manager. A still furious Erapalli Prasanna recently told this correspondent that Pawar questioned his ability to coach promising spinners in the country.
The BCCI chief said soon after Dravid handed him his resignation that he did not try to "persuade" him after he was "convinced" by what the outgoing Indian captain "explained" to him. So, instead of persuading him to continue to lead the country, Pawar decided to "respect" his decision to quit the captaincy. Indeed, inscrutable are the ways of the BCCI.

What lends further credence to the theory that the Mumbai lobby had been secretly working against Dravid is Sachin Tendulkar's comments on the England tour itself that he hadn't "enjoyed" his previous innings as the Indian captain. Tendulkar was reported to have made such remarks on Sky TV's serial Indian Pioneers in the middle of the Test series.
And within hours of Dravid tendering his resignation from the captaincy the BCCI has sounded out Tendulkar to take over the reins of Team India.
A man of quiet dignity, Dravid has always played the game and steered clear of controversies. He could withstand even a sustained attack from the media and former cricketers-turned-critics for having not enforced the follow-on on England in the third and final Test at The Oval and squandering a golden opportunity of winning the series 2-0; but certainly not the skilful political manoeuvrings the BCCI bossess are masters at.
Dravid has proved his leadership ability in his own humble way despite the limited resources at his command and the outside pressure he was invariably subjected to. However, a person of his temperament can neither stand all this nor continue any longer in such a scenario, especially when he has realised that captaincy has begun to affect his batting.
With the tough series coming up against the world champion Australia, first in India and later Down Under, Dravid has taken a wise decision to relinquish the captaincy on a winning note. His batting is far too important to Team India than his captaincy.

Dravid the nice guy


Dravid the nice guy

With Rahul Dravid appointed captain for the next two series it looks as though Sourav Ganguly, the so-called "Prince of Calcutta", has made way for one of the game's nice guys.
Ganguly helped turn India from under-achievers into a competitive outfit, but Dravid's appointment suggests a new style of leadership.
The haughty Ganguly appeared, from the outside at least, to be an autocratic leader, while former team-mates of Dravid expect his style to be markedly different.
"I expect he will make a very good captain and I'm not sure why it's taken so long (for him to become India captain)," David Fulton, who played alongside Dravid for Kent in 2000, told BBC Sport.
"People have their own opinions on Ganguly - I'm not Ganguly's biggest fan personally - but I think Rahul is much more of a team player.
Rahul has a real inner steel to him
Former team-mate David Fulton
"He's a gentleman. He's softly spoken, intelligent and very humble and he took a real interest in everybody in the Kent team. He's just a fantastic bloke."
Fulton's view on Dravid is echoed by current Scotland captain Craig Wright, who played Totesport League cricket with Dravid two years ago.
"He's one of the nicest people I've met in the game. He's a very loyal person and I wish him all the best. I think he'll do a great job," Wright told BBC Sport.
"I've never met Ganguly but Rahul is certainly a different character to how Ganguly comes across.
"Rahul is quite a relaxed character. I think he'll talk to people and perhaps be one of these captains who likes to lead by example.
"I think he'll be very much focused on the team approach."
But Dravid's easy-going nature can be deceptive - he is also resilient and brave.

Ganguly supporters are not impressed by the decision to axe him as captain
"I remember him playing Andy Caddick at Bath, when there was a bit of a ridge," said Fulton.
"Caddick was hitting all of us on the gloves and he batted and I think got 90.
"He was there for what seemed like hours, fending it off and battling, and he has that side to his game as well - it's not all wristy shots and effortless grace, he has a real inner steel to him as well."
You need more than just a winning smile to play a remarkable 91 Tests in a row, as Dravid has.
The 32-year-old has already led them as a stand-in captain with mixed results in five Tests and 17 ODIs, but he will be under enormous pressure as India's full-time captain.
The Times of India wrote: "Only two jobs are of any consequence in India. The prime minister's and the cricket captain's."
And in a country of a billion cricket crazy people there have already been signs of unrest, with angry fans in Ganguly's hometown of Calcutta burning an effigy of chief selector Kiran More.
What is not in doubt is Dravid's ability as a cricketer and his standing among his fellow players.
The cliche may have it that nice guys finish last, but don't bet against Dravid succeeding in probably the toughest job in the game.

Interview of Rahul Dravid after taking 200th catch

Here is the :interview of Rahul Dravid after taking 200th catch

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On becoming the first to take 200 catches
A nice feeling, definitely... Among other things, it shows that, over the years, I’ve played a part in somebody else’s success... That too is a nice feeling... Also shows that I’ve played in an era of great bowlers... Anil (Kumble), (Jawagal) Srinath, Harbhajan (Singh), Zaheer Khan... It’s because of the quality of the bowling that I’ve got opportunities as a fielder... Indeed, just goes to show that, in the last 14-15 years in particular, we’ve had a good attack.

Significance of 200 catches

Look, I’m not a great one for statistics and personal milestones. Of course, as I’ve said, it’s a nice feeling... I’ve always worked hard and I’ve put in the hours... Shows that if you put in the hours, then the rewards follow.

Bringing off a classic (Dale Steyn off Harbhajan) to reach 200

Such catches either stick or they don’t... You hope that they stick... Steyn’s did, fortunately... The many hours of practice helped.

His most memorable catch

There have been a few, Steyn’s certainly is one... The No.1 would have to be Mark Waugh’s, off Harbhajan, in the second innings at the Chepauk, in 2001.

Whether his record could be broken

I think so, yes... Ricky Ponting (178), Jacques Kallis (166), Mahela Jayawardene (165)... Any one of them could do one better, for that’s the way cricket goes.

Finally, having got past 12,000 runs in the first Test...

Again, I’m not an individual milestones person... But, yes, it feels nice... Winning matches and winning series gives more happiness, though

Rajasthan Royals : New team for Rahul Dravid



Not many of us would have thought of this, but it has happened today. Yes, Rahul Dravid will play for Rajasthan Royals in IPL season 4. He fetched a $500,000 bid.
At the end of 2nd day of auction, Royals have these players in their team:
*Shane Warne (retained)
*Shane Watson (retained)
*Ross Taylor
*Paul Collingwood
*Johan Botha
*Shaun Tait
* Pankaj Singh
Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore look very strong on paper compared to all other teams. They have managed to grab the big names and have perfect team balance.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Personal Records


One Dayers

  • Dravid is the 3rd Indian (6th in World) to score more than 10,000 ODI runs.
Partnership Records

  • The only batsman to have been involved in two ODI partnerships exceeding 300 runs.
  • First batsman to be involved in a 300 run partnership in a Cricket World Cup along with Sourav Ganguly in the 1999 World Cup match against Sri Lanka at Taunton.
  • Involved in all three highest 4th wicket partnerships against South Africa, two with Yuvraj Singh.
  • Involved in the highest partnership in the history of ODI cricket with a 331 run partnership along with Sachin Tendulkar vs New Zealand atHyderabad in 1999-2000.
  • Involved in highest 3rd wicket partnership in ODI history with Sachin Tendulkar - 237 runs against Kenya in 1999.
World Cup Records
  • He was the leading run scorer in the 1999 World Cup with 461 runs.
  • Has the 2nd highest score (145) by a wicketkeeper in a World Cup behind AC Gilchrist(149).
  • He was only the second wicketkeeper-batsman after Zimbabwean Dave Houghton to score an ODI hundred in the World Cup.
  • He was the second batsman after Mark Waugh to score back-to-back hundreds in the World Cup
Captaincy Records
  • He is tied with Sachin Tendulkar in fourth place for having captained India in the most victorious matches
Other Records
  • Has the record of not being dismissed on duck for 120 consecutive ODI matches
  • 3rd Highest number of fifties, after India's Sachin Tendulkar (93) and Pakistan's Inzamam-ul-Haq (83) at 82.

Dravid in World Cups

Dravid was top scorer in the the 7th World Cup(1999), scoring 461 runs. He is the only Indian to score two back to back centuries at the World Cup. He scored 110 vs Kenya and followed it with a masterly 145 against Sri Lanka in Taunton, in a match where he kept wickets. He was vice captain during 2003 World cup where India reached the final, serving his team in the dual capacity of a batsman and wicket keeper to accommodate an additional batsman, a move that paid huge dividends for India. Dravid was the captain during the 2007 cricket world cupin West Indies, where Indian cricket team had a dismal campaign.

Rahul Dravid While RCB




















Rahul Dravid When Young