A twice seen tale

Rahul Dravid happens to be my favourite cricketer. As you watch him bat, you get the feeling that you are watching a master perfect his extraordinary craft. There is nothing hurried or disjointed about his strokeplay.Calm, measured and Serene, these are the words that spring to mind when you watch Dravid play. There are no oblique angles or rough edges in a Dravid masterpiece, just a beautiful, smooth perfect creation. The purity of his strokes is matched only by his continence in waiting for the perfect ball to execute them to. His batting is an exercise in chastity, letting ball after ball go like a bride casting aside suitors until the perfect groom comes along. Then the coyness disappears and the ball meets its destiny with the bat guiding it to the boundary. Nothing quenches like the fulfillment of a long waited wish and a good Dravid innings always leaves you feeling satiated.

The yin to Dravid's yang is Sehwag.Daring, adventurous and even reckless, he is the perfect antithesis of Dravid.If Dravid is continence personified, then Sehwag adheres to the Saint Augustine school of thought.” Give me chastity and continence, but not yet." seems to be more in line with his belief system. He comes at you relentlessly .There can be no stalemate when he bats, Either the bowler or the batsman will emerge as the victor and it takes a brave man to bet against Sehwag.He crushes you with the savagery of his batting .But, he also delights you with the delicacy of his strokeplay.To see him play the uppercut or to watch him caress the straight drive gives a new meaning to the word "touch”. They seem so different,Dravid and Sehwag that the mere thought of a team guided by such diverge personalities seems absurd. But beyond these superficialities, you sense an underlying sense of purpose, a belief in their abilities and a shared disdain for personal glory and records at the altar of team goals which seems to unite them.

While Dravid seeks to mold this team in his image, it should not be forgotten that this is a twice -born team. The first seeds were sown by Ganguly who cleaned up the drudge that was passed on to him from the Azharudhin era. Players like Mongia were cast aside and fresh blood was infused to liven up the team. He instilled a sense of pride and belief in our players unlike any other captain in recent memory. He fought the Australians to a stand still and during his tenure, we have had the better of the exchanges with the Aussies.The success of Laxman and Harbhajan in the test arena and Yuvraj,Kaif and Zaheer in the ODI's are a testament of his abilities in recognizing and nurturing talent. For the better part of four years, he presided over a united and successful team. He has had the best team of senior players an Indian captain could have hoped for,Dravid,Kumble,Tendulkar and Srinath have always backed him and none were covetous of his captaincy allowing him the freedom to reshape the team into a winning unit.

But a weakening of his batting prowess along with his penchant for skipping the necessary fitness regimen has led to his downfall. Also ,with age he seems to have lost that ruthless edge .He refused to drop the likes of the underperforming harbhajan,yuvraj and laxman like he did a still useful Robin Singh back in 2001.This along with his woeful batting form and his disagreements with chapell did nothing for his case.

This team is undergoing a metamorphosis with Dravid at the helm. New ideas are being implemented in the One dayers with a flexible batting line-up being at the very heart of the team’s philosophy. New players are introduced, and new tactics implemented. But the Test format will most likely follow the paths of old. Wicket taking bowlers and batsmen who can bat for sustained periods have always been the foundations of a successful test team and any drastic changes here do not seem forthcoming. We might see more attacking lines from our bowlers and some innovative field placements during the tests.Zaheer,Kumble and Laxman will most likely make a comeback ,but they will have to alter their thought processes slightly to be more in tune with the new philosophy.Dravid certainly has the necessary weapons to ensure continued success. How he utilizes them will define how his captaincy will be remembered.