Chinks appear in The Wall

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IN cricketing terms, this is 1989 revisited. The Wall is coming down. More... Hope for frustrated bowlers as chinks appear in The Wall BY: WAYNE SMITH From: The Australian December 31, 2011 IN cricketing terms, this is 1989 revisited. The Wall is coming down. Not the Berlin Wall. However much rival bowlers might have felt aggrieved by the treatment they've received from Rahul Dravid over the past 15 years, it was nothing so oppressive as to warrant comparison to what happened on the communist side of the hideous barricade that divided Germany in half for four decades. But in a figurative sense, the sledgehammers are being taken to the once near-impenetrable defence built by the Indian batting great. So protective of his stumps has Dravid been throughout his 161-Test career that he has become known as The Wall. Lately, however, chinks are appearing in that barrier. The Wall has become, as colleague Peter Lalor tweeted this week, more of a picket fence. Of the 248 times Dravid has been dismissed in Test cricket, only on 51 occasions have his stumps been rearranged, a modest ratio of only 20 per cent. (Don Bradman, by comparison, was bowled in 33 per cent of his Test innings, 23 times out of 70.) But in six of his past 10 innings, Dravid has been bowled; seven if one cares to count Peter Siddle cleaning him up in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test with a delivery that on referral turned out to be a no-ball. If that is included, it means that all three Australian pacemen bowled him in the Melbourne Test, so it can't be argued one bowler was causing him particular grief. It is only the fourth time in his life that Dravid has been out bowled twice in the one Test and while such occurrences are statistically inescapable in a career lasting as long as his, never before have so many such dismissals been clustered together. But it is more than the fact that 20 per cent lately has morphed into 60 per cent; it's that his technique seems to have eroded. Once his defence was like a reverse black hole in space -- not even light could get through. Yet when James Pattinson nipped an off-cutter through him at the MCG on Thursday, the ball had as clean a passage through to the stumps as the Spirit of Tasmania entering Port Phillip Bay. None of this is to suggest there is anything terminal about what Dravid is going through. While all of his colleagues were flopping and failing in the recent series against England in England, Dravid was scoring centuries in three of the four Tests. And even during his recent run of being bowled, he still is averaging 59.6, with his first-innings 68 against Australia in Melbourne an inspiring lesson in batsmanship for any young cricketer. It's a rare occasion when Sachin Tendulkar does not utterly eclipse whoever he is batting with but that certainly was not the case when he and Dravid went stroke for stroke while sharing the highest partnership of the Melbourne Test on Tuesday. Still, there is now hope for bowlers where once there was little and cause for Dravid, who turns 38 in less than a fortnight, to muse over the ravages of time as he prepares for the second Test, starting on Tuesday at the SCG. He will not be the only Indian veteran delighted to put Melbourne behind him, however. V.V.S. Laxman, on departing the MCG for what almost certainly would be the last time on Thursday, could have been forgiven for removing his shoes and shaking every grain of dirt from them to ensure he took no trace of the ground with him. Incredibly, for a batsman who has thrived everywhere else in Australia, he has had an accursed run at the MCG, averaging only 14.25, a situation hardly helped by his scores of two and one in this last Test. Take the MCG out of the equation and he would average higher in Australia (64.66) than he does in his native India (51.60). And nowhere is he more at home than at the SCG, where he has scored three centuries in five innings, including his unforgettable 178 in a partnership of 353 with Tendulkar as India amassed the second-highest innings score ever at the ground in January 2004, 7(dec)-705. Certainly, India captain M.S. Dohni, who already is coming under fire at home for the conservative field placements that crucially allowed Australia's tailenders to make merry in both innings in Melbourne, will be hoping his two veterans come good in Sydney because there are other spot fires in his batting line-up that need extinguishing. Opener Gautam Gambhir has entirely lost his off stump and doesn't know where to find it, fencing at balls he should leave well alone to twice needlessly lose his wicket in Melbourne. He last scored a century when Ricky Ponting last did and we all know what pressure the former Australian captain was under before he shrugged it off by top-scoring for the match in Melbourne. Meanwhile, in the middle order India continues to struggle, three years on from his departure, to find a solid replacement for Sourav Ganguly. Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were tried and discarded. Now it is the turn of Virat Kohli. It is still early days for the 25-year-old, just five Tests into his career, but then Raina only lasted 15 before being dumped with an average just under 30. Kohli has managed only two scores of more than 30 in nine innings and, though at times he looked polished in Melbourne, one senses he needs to act soon to consolidate his place in the side. But he is hardly the only Indian batsman in that predicament. "We need to score more runs," Dohni conceded after the Boxing Day Test. "Otherwise, it would be very difficult for us to win. We need to apply ourselves a lot more. And if we do that I have no doubt that we would come back strongly."

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Dravid works on technique ahead of Sydney Test More.. Dravid works on technique ahead of Sydney Test Press Trust of India Sunday, 01 January 2012 Sydney: He is second highest run-maker in Test cricket but Indian batting veteran Rahul Dravid remains a student of the game and was seen fussing on his technique during the net session ahead of the second Test against Australia starting here on Tuesday. Dravid requested coach Duncan Fletcher to have a close look at him while fielding coach Trevor Penny did the throw-downs from a shorter distance at the nets. Thrice Dravid had his stumps rattled at the MCG which is quite unusual even though one of them turned out to be a no-ball. The issue which Dravid wanted to sort out was why his defensive strokes on the off-side were creating a gap between his bat and pad. From afar it appeared that Penny was suggesting Dravid wasn't leaning enough on to his drives while Fletcher wanted his body and shoulder alignment to move in one line while pressing forward. The visitors hit the ground by 0900 hrs this morning and went about their business with intensity. Opener Virender Sehwag though is never far from a wisecrack and when Fletcher came by the side of the net to look at his technique, the Delhi-dasher quipped: "What's this, I just can't see the ball." As a worried Fletcher came closer, Sehwag quipped "It's the hangover of last night." Fletcher quietly moved away from his corner. Sachin Tendulkar looked completely at ease and faced usual throwdowns from Raghu. This is the venue which he calls his second home and a fair number were willing to bet on his 100th century at the SCG. The tailenders also received quite a bit of attention in terms of batting practice. The Australian tailenders caused India grief at the MCG while there own weren't remarkable. Pace spearhead Zaheer Khan was one of the early ones to pad up at the nets. By the looks of it, Virat Kohli should remain in the eleven. The Delhi youngster was almost taking the cover off the ball with his shots. The two selectors, Narendra Hirwani and Mohinder Amarnath, also overviewed the camp. There was the usual promotion for the McGrath Foundation, a breast cancer support and education charity organisation, which is the passionate cause of Australian bowling legend Glen McGrath. The entire Australian team wore pink caps in support of the Foundation but interestingly, Indians too donned those pink caps as a gesture of support. By all accounts, the Indians had a quiet New Year's Eve last night though Tendulkar and a few other players, along with their wives, attended the harbour cruise. In the afternoon on Sunday, the two teams were scheduled to have a tea session with Australian Prime Minster Julian Gillard.

[Lord]

By the looks of it, Virat Kohli should remain in the eleven. The Delhi youngster was almost taking the cover off the ball with his shots.

:facepalm:

[Malcolm Merlyn]

Well done to the wall.such a hard worker. Sent from my GT-I9103 using Tapatalk

[bulbul]

Well done to the wall.such a hard worker. Sent from my GT-I9103 using Tapatalk

he reads ICF regulerly..

[Lord]

Hopefully Hes Working On His Catching Too

[gs]

I think the openers need to work on their techniques too, especially "poke"mon gambhir

[Cricketics]

Just a formality. He is going to score a 150 at Sydney.

[daryl1985]

Just a formality. He is going to score a 150 at Sydney.

[Dravid_TheWall]

Dravid is a very determined cricketer. He takes his game seriously. Him and VVS practised longest and hardest in nets during the england series. You could tell how seriously they were taking it, almost trying to replicate being in the middle.

[Needforspeed]

Sehwag doesn't seem to be taking his nets seriously. Anyway the whole team better pull themselves up..else its England all over again.

[gs]

England was the absolute nadir and I expected big changes after the debacle. It seems business as usual now though -- loss or no loss, the same players, team, attitude! :((

[Chandan]

Of the 248 times Dravid has been dismissed in Test cricket, only on 51 occasions have his stumps been rearranged, a modest ratio of only 20 per cent. (Don Bradman, by comparison, was bowled in 33 per cent of his Test innings, 23 times out of 70.) But in six of his past 10 innings, Dravid has been bowled; seven if one cares to count Peter Siddle cleaning him up in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test with a delivery that on referral turned out to be a no-ball. If that is included, it means that all three Australian pacemen bowled him in the Melbourne Test, so it can't be argued one bowler was causing him particular grief. It is only the fourth time in his life that Dravid has been out bowled twice in the one Test and while such occurrences are statistically inescapable in a career lasting as long as his, never before have so many such dismissals been clustered together. But it is more than the fact that 20 per cent lately has morphed into 60 per cent; it's that his technique seems to have eroded. Once his defence was like a reverse black hole in space -- not even light could get through. Yet when James Pattinson nipped an off-cutter through him at the MCG on Thursday, the ball had as clean a passage through to the stumps as the Spirit of Tasmania entering Port Phillip Bay.

Siddle, Pattinson and here at SCG even Hilfenhaus could find that gap wide enough to get to the stumps!! What exactly is the matter? Four times bowled in 4 innings? Dravid? It sounds astounding!! Has anyone been able to spot the flaw in the technique due to which this is happening? He isn't playing across the line either. Getting bowled while playing dead straight!! Amazing!!

[achilles]

WAYNE SMITH may be a fair critic but this is Rahul Dravid we are talking about here. He got bowled 4 times in 4 inngs? Must be a flaw and knowing Dravid, he will rectify it. Such is his commitment that even if he were found out 1 match prior to retirement, he'll give his 200% in the nets to iron it out. The Wall is no crumbling. It has been strong in England and will remain strong in Australia.

[Chandan]

What do you mean "will remain strong"? Half of his tour is gone and he has played just one inning of note till now which was a scratchy one too. The fluent Dravid of England is nowhere to be seen! And then this chink! But why am I discussing with you? I'm sorry!

[adi B]

By the looks of it, Virat Kohli should remain in the eleven. The Delhi youngster was almost taking the cover off the ball with his shots. :hysterical: which game were they watching?

[adi B]

gg

[ganeshran]

Cant believe Dravid is leaving such a big gap between bat and pad- it is highly uncharacteristic of him.

[Sachin=GOD]

That gap he is leaving is a bit of a problem but I'm sure he will sort it out.

[SachDan]

Like it or not, Dravid has lost his "touch" completely! For a batsman who possessed such a rock solid defense for most part of his career ( including those times when he couldn't buy a run) it would be quite embarrassing to see his stumps shattered on no less than four ocassions here.