Rahul Dravid faces his ultimate test

[King]

In Rahul Dravid, India are captained by a man who has avoided the glitz and glamour of Bombay and Bollywood in favour of a harder won but ultimately longer lasting kind of adulation, writes Mike Atherton. More... Rahul Dravid faces his ultimate test By Mike Atherton, Sunday Telegraph Last Updated: 1:40am BST 15/07/2007 If cricket teams adopt the characteristics of their leaders, then India's understated arrival on these shores was entirely in keeping. Ireland first, then Scotland for the inappropriately named Future and Friendship Cups is not exactly the kind of red-carpet treatment India's team of superstars have come to expect.

But in Rahul Dravid, India are captained by a man who has, throughout his long and distinguished career, avoided the glitz and glamour of Bombay and Bollywood in favour of a harder won but ultimately, one suspects, longer lasting kind of adulation. In any assessment of the greatest batsmen of the last few years, Dravid must have strong claims alongside Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Inzamam-ul-Haq. That he can be considered in such company is a triumph in itself, so apparently humdrum is his game in comparison to the others. He doesn't have as many shots as Lara, the power of Tendulkar, the speed of footwork of Ponting or the languid ease of Inzamam, yet he has played as many significant (and I'm not talking statistically here) innings as any of them, all fashioned from a rigidly orthodox technique, a strong mind and an unbreakable spirit. As usual he comes as one part of a mouth-watering middle-order that includes Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. But this time around there are more question marks than usual against some of his colleagues. Tendulkar has been bedevilled by injuries to his elbow and shoulder, three of his last four Test hundreds have come against Bangladesh and, more than that, he looks a little careworn and slower at the crease. The sparkle has not yet left him for good, as shown yesterday with his century, but its dimming is unmistakable. He is vulnerable. Ganguly's return was remarkable considering the acrimony with which he departed during Greg Chappell's tenure as coach. But brave is the man who confronts Ganguly on home turf and, while Ganguly seems determined now to enjoy his Indian summer, Chappell is at home licking his wounds. Nevertheless, and despite the assertion by South Africa coach Mickey Arthur last week that Ganguly has stiffened the middle-order, the suspicion remains that he is past his best. Like Tendulkar, he has become something of a bottom-feeder, scoring recent Test hundreds against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Laxman has never scored a Test hundred against England, his average against them eight notches below his overall. Accordingly, English audiences have never been quite able to understand what all the fuss is about. They must hope it stays that way for at his best he is formidable. Although Dravid believes him to be "hungry" and ready to put past disappointments against England behind him, his play against the type of niggardly seamer he might expect to face here is not quite as certain as against spin. He remains a little too static and stiff-legged at the crease and vulnerable to the moving ball. Much, as ever, rests on Dravid. And what a record of achievement he brings with him. He averages over 70 against England in 12 matches (as opposed to 57 overall), increasing that to 87 in the half-dozen times he has played here. A liking for English conditions was confirmed during the 1999 World Cup in which he was, by a comfortable margin, top scorer. If he has played a better innings than he did in scoring 148 at Headingley in 2002 to help India win the match and square the series, I haven't seen it. I haven't seen many better at all. Headingley, too, in wretched batting conditions. But to watch Dravid is to watch a player who could have undergone coaching in Yorkshire circa 1960. It was Tendulkar, remember, who played for Yorkshire as an overseas player, but it is Dravid who plays as if he did, so far forward does he get, his head so low over the ball, his left elbow so high, acting as a perfect fulcrum for the stroke. His play doesn't have the elegance of Yorkshire's current best, Michael Vaughan, but somehow there is just a touch more steel. Occasionally Vaughan plays loosely, inviting the ball to pass; Dravid never does. So how might England look to bring that average against them down? Dravid's eagerness to get forward is part of his strength in England, but early on he can move across his crease and "block" himself off. A short-leg is a must and a short mid-wicket or two can help prevent him keeping the runs ticking over, the clip to leg (playing around his front pad) being his bread-and-butter stroke. I'd advocate bowling straighter at Dravid early on than other top-class players, as long as there is enough cover on the leg-side. If the pitch has pace then Dravid's eagerness to get forward can cause him problems with the rising ball fired into the ribs. Steve Harmison might have some joy, if he plays and if his radar is working, and if Vaughan attacks with a short leg and fine leg-gully. Equally, Ryan Sidebottom's ability to swing the ball back into the right-hander should ask some questions. Statistically, Dravid has enjoyed success against Chaminda Vaas, but Vaas is not a prodigious swinger of the new ball. Against all that, Matthew Hoggard has dismissed him five times, three times more than any other English bowler. Dravid's powers of concentration are magnificent. But since he treats every delivery as if it were his last, batting takes an enormous mental toll. If he doesn't quite make batting look like trench warfare (as someone once described my play), then he is not far short of it. How all this mental effort will sit with his captaincy, especially since India have decided against using the services of a coach, remains to be seen. With the exception of the admirable Anil Kumble, India's other senior players give the impression of being a little too self-absorbed to help relieve Dravid's burden. Success here would strike a blow for those of us who believe that too much emphasis is placed on the modern coach, but a captain cannot do it all alone and Dravid will need help. It was rumoured during the World Cup in the Caribbean that some Indian players had incentive clauses written into their sponsorship contracts based not on how many runs were scored but on the length of time spent at the crease - not exactly a good thing if quick runs are needed. Nobody I spoke to could imagine that Dravid would have been a culprit, so selfless does he appear. Somehow, he has always seemed the acceptable face of Indian cricket, prepared even to don the wicket-keeping gloves occasionally should conditions dictate. He has given much to the Indian team, but I suspect that this England tour might be his biggest challenge yet. Given his team's modest preparation, the lack of backroom support, the potential for clashing egos and a team whose core is ageing, a successful tour would be a triumph to rank alongside any innings he has ever played.

[King]

I agree this is the most challenging tour for Rahul Dravid. The pressure on him to perform as a player and as captain is enormous. Coming off from a disastrous world cup campaign the fans will accept nothing less than a win in the series. For that to happen Rahul Dravid has to perform even better than ever before. Just at the right time Tendulkar is showing some form and that is great news. Ganguly also has had some decent success of late and Laxman also has something to prove on this tour. It surely is a make or break tour for the seniors. Look no further than the quartlet of Rahul, Tendulkar, Laxman and Ganguly to perform when the chips are down. Each one of them have proved they can be the best when in a crisis. The question of course is can they collectively put together an back to the wall effort on this tour consistently? Only the time can tell I suppose. I'm not going to make any prediction. If I was a punter I would stay away from making any kind of prediction.