The Wall

I feel that I have not spoken about my love of cricket adequately on this platform. It has been lost amongst the myriad depressing posts about all the great (insert eye-roll) sorrows in life. However, i feel it is important for you, my reader, to know that I unreservedly love the game, and I have since I was a teenager. 

Perhaps another time, I will discuss why I love this game, and exactly how I love it. Today, I want to bring attention to one of the great champions of the game, Rahul Dravid, who also happens to be my all time favourite cricketer. Normally, most people reserve that special spot for Sachin Tendulkar, and rightfully so. Tendulkar's genius is the kind that is seen once in a century, perhaps just once ever. However Dravid is the consummate cricketer in my opinion. He is thoughtful, classy, seasoned, and above all, he is a gentleman. On the field and off, he has shown his complete dedication to the team. All of these great qualities were on display in Australia on 14th December 2011, when he delivered the Don Bradman Oration. 

If you have time and are so inclined, please do go through the full text of the speech here. What struck me most, and what I would like to emphasize here is his belief that the core values of the game need to be retained going forward, and that it was vital that Test cricket not relegated to the sidelines in the coming years. While I enjoy the spectacle of the T-20 format, and actually actively love the ODI form of the game, my heart belongs to Test cricket, as I suspect the exemplary Rahul Dravid's does. It is the purest form of the game, where strategy is as important as technique. The long form of the game, Dravid claims, is the 'gold standard'. I agree.