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Rahul Dravid retires from cricket : Tribute articles to Dravid


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'Dravid walked through obstacles, not around them' http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/current/story/559011.html

144101.2.jpg It was an evening filled with emotion in Mumbai - Rahul Dravid almost cried and VVS Laxman had moist eyes, while Anil Kumble, Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni sang praises of Dravid, one of the flagbearers of Indian cricket's golden generation. The occasion was Dravid's felicitation by the BCCI, following his recently announced retirement from international and first-class cricket. Two of the biggest men in Indian cricket, BCCI president N Srinivasan (unwell) and Sachin Tendulkar (reasons unknown) might have been absent, but the event, which took place on the plush lawns of a five-star hotel, was still very well attended. Many prominent former cricketers - including Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Wadekar, Bishan Bedi, Mohinder Amarnath and Dilip Vengsarkar - and the entire India squad that will play the one-off Twenty20 against South Africa, along with senior BCCI officials, were there. After a recorded message from Srinivasan played out, Kumble, Ganguly, Laxman and Dhoni walked up to the podium to pass on messages of thanks to Dravid. He was 'Jam' to his contemporary, Kumble, and 'Rahul bhai' to younger team-mate and captain Dhoni, who said Dravid was Indian cricket's man Friday. "He was someone who would walk through obstacles, not someone who would go around the obstacles," Dhoni said, summing up the character of Dravid who, all the speakers agreed, was always willing to give his all at all times. "He was someone who was ready to do anything and everything needed for the team: whether it came to opening the innings, wicketkeeping, or standing at slips or silly point, his answer was always 'yes'," Dhoni said. He also reserved special praise for Dravid's wicketkeeping skills, saying "some of the catches he took, may be a regular wicketkeeper would never have taken [them]". Dhoni said it was not only him, but all the younger players who were paying a tribute to Dravid through him. Dravid, he said, always prepared the same meticulous way, no matter who the opponent was. Ganguly, under whose captaincy Dravid played some of his best innings, said having Dravid as a deputy was a 'pillow of comfort'. He held Dravid and the then coach John Wright responsible for him finishing as one of the most successful India captains. "A lot of people talk about me being the captain, but behind the scenes lot of work was done by you [Dravid] and John, which made Indian cricket successful," Ganguly said. "To sum-up your career I can say only one word: outstanding, and I'm sure you must be a proud man today. The contribution you made to Indian cricket [was] not just the runs you scored, but [the fact that] you played in an era in which Indian cricket went from strength to strength." Kumble said one of Dravid's biggest strengths was his commitment to the task. "We shared a lot of evenings out. He knew what I hated, what I'd order he'd know what it was. When we were having discussions, we'd be lost in our own thoughts. He would probably be preparing [mentally] for the next day's batting, or analysing the day's play," Kumble said. "This is what his commitment and pride for the game was. This is something that'll be missed in the dressing room." Laxman, Dravid's best man on so many occasions including the historic Kolkata Test against Australia in 2001, said his forte was humility in the face of big accomplishments. "Even after so many achievements, he has always been level headed and for me that is his greatness," Laxman said in an emotional speech, during which he urged everyone present to stand up and give his friend, Rahul, an ovation. Dravid, who walked in with his family, wife, children, parents and brother included, listened intently to every speaker and did not forget to thank each of these four former team-mates when his turn to talk came around. He said it was the players' performance along with the support from the BCCI that had helped India move from being regarded as "second-class citizens" to "dictating terms" in international cricket. Before he said his final goodbye, Dravid told Dhoni and the rest of the India squad that he was certain that Indian cricket's legacy was now in safe hands. "I may not be playing for India anymore but to the present Indian team what I would like to say is: guys, I will watch with great interest what I think is an extremely exciting and really talented group of young cricketers," he said. "I hope Indian cricket will always be a strong force, both on the field and off the field. And I have no doubt that I would take great pleasure, with a cup of tea and a biscuit in my hand, in watching you guys achieve great things."
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Rahul Dravid Felicitation Speech Transcript 144103.2.jpghttp://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/current/story/559003.html

A transcript of Rahul Dravid's speech, made at the function organised by the BCCI to felicitate him in Mumbai on Tuesday. To the BCCI, former India players, members of the Indian cricket team, my various other colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. I'd made a pact with myself that I wouldn't cry at any of the functions over the last two or three weeks. I think that has been tested to the limit today. It has been nearly three weeks since I announced my retirement from international cricket and first-class cricket. It has really given me a chance over the last three weeks to sort of sit back and, in some ways, take it all in, and look back on what, for me, is a dream come true. At one time, I was like any other kid in the street, any other kid in India, with a love for this game and a desire to play for India. I feel so blessed that I have been able to live that dream for over 16 years. Obviously, like some of the other guys have mentioned, for the next couple of months [when the IPL will be on] it does not feel like I have retired in some ways. It is still time to stay fit - it is getting harder and harder, I'm not enjoying going to gym, but I am still being forced to, at least for the next two months. It is only in June that I will probably get time to be unemployed, and have a lot of time on my hands. As Anil [Kumble] and Sourav [Ganguly] have warned me, it probably gets busier. I am not sure doing what, but we'll just see... I have had a chance over the last three weeks to try and think about what playing for India meant to me. What was this dream? What has it given me? Playing for India gave me the opportunity to travel the world, to play on some of the greatest grounds in the world. In cities and countries that I had only heard of on the radio, listening to radio commentary with my father or waking up in the morning and picking up the newspaper to see what Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, GR Viswanath had done the next day. For me to have the opportunity to play on these great grounds, to play against some of these greatest of players - players that I had growing up looking up to, it was fantastic. Cricket has given me a lifetime of experiences. It has made me give joy to a lot of people by just playing a sport that I love. I have experienced some unbelievable victories and crushing defeats in my career as a first-class cricketer. What I have realised with it is everything does pass, and we can endure and we can survive. Playing for India humbled me. It made me appreciate how lucky I was to be able to do what I did for so long. When I look back on this long journey you recognise that you have been very fortunate, very lucky. You have had the support of so many people who have made this dream possible. I truly feel that I have been in some ways at the right place, at the right time. For me to be able to be standing here in front of some of my heroes, people whom I admire, people whom I respect, and to be able to talk to you all I think it has not been culmination of my efforts but the efforts of so many people who have gone into making this wonderful day possible. I'll probably miss out on a few people when I speak and I hope that they forgive me. But I would like to put on record and recognise so many people who were behind the scenes: groundsmen, scorers, umpires, people who organise a game. Wherever you go in India there are so many people who selflessly do honorary jobs to make this game possible for us, to set the stage for us. Without their contributions these hundreds would not have been possible, these memories would not have been possible. When I look back on the various coaches that I have had, right from the time of the late Keki Tarapore, who first taught me the basics of the game, to the many coaches through my time at Karnataka, through all the international coaches that I have had, I feel each of them has added to my game. Each of them helped me become a better cricketer, and a better person. For that I am thankful. When I stand here and I look at some of the senior players who have been kind enough to come for this occasion, I feel really lucky. As a young boy I dreamed of just being able to get an autograph out of them, just to be able to meet them. This sport has given me a chance to interact with some of them. I would like to thank all my senior cricketers, all my heroes, all my role models for inspiring me, for leaving behind a legacy that I was very conscious of, a legacy of Indian cricket that I was very aware of. It meant something to me, and of the life I wanted to lead. And something that I hope they will feel I have tried to take forward. The various teams and cricketers that I have played with at Karanataka and in India have been the highlight of my career and will also be some of my fondest memories. Without my various team-mates some of whom have spoken most eloquently and most touchingly of our time together. Thanks Anil, thanks Sourav, thanks Laxie [VVS Laxman] and thanks Mahi [MS Dhoni], your words have meant a lot to me. The memories we have shared as a team, and some of the victories and things we have achieved will be special and will remain special for me. I would like to believe that we took a great legacy of the Indian team forward. We have left a strong legacy for Mahi and his young team to take forward. I have no doubt that they will take it to even greater heights. Anil, I will miss your intensity. I will miss your desire. I have learned so much from watching you. I might not miss some of the vegetarian meals - without mushroom, without onions, without garlic. But there is a lot that I will miss. Sourav, ours was a great partnership. As you would expect with captains and vice-captains over a long period, it is a relationship like a husband and wife in some ways - it goes through its ups and downs. But I think we both agree that we came through with pretty much flying colours. There are some really good memories that we shared and there are some great moments that we can have a good laugh and a drink over, may be in the IPL. To Laxman, thanks for one the greatest days in my cricketing career. Without you Calcutta would never have been possible. I was privileged to be able to have watched one of the greatest innings played by an Indian cricketer ever from the other end. Thanks for your friendship. Thanks for your conversations, thanks for your company at second slip, where many a topic, including Ranji Trophy to why contractors and architects are not doing a good jobs, was discussed. Mahi, I think you can be really proud of what you have done with this Indian cricket team. To watch you lift the World Cup that day, it is almost a year to the day, was very special for me. Especially after what happened in 2007, to see a team and sea a group of boys go on to win the World Cup was indeed memorable. And to see something like watching Kapil Dev lift the World Cup as a ten-year-old that inspired me, to see a group of cricketers and a generation of cricketers that I had played with do it again in 2011 was special. I know that you have inspired a whole host of ten-year-olds by what you and your team did last year. There are challenges as you have noticed over the last bit of time, but I truly believe you have got the right temperament and right capability to take the legacy of Indian cricket forward. A lot of the names and lot of the people I mentioned are legends, and have great records in terms of statistics. Sometimes the people who achieve great things, of course they do through hardwork and sacrifice, but they are also very lucky. I have played with a lot of people who in the book of history of Indian cricket probably would not be considered great, at least statistically, but in my eyes everyone who played the game with me and played it with an intention to win, with a desire to win and gave it everything was a hero. And I learned so much from you. It was inspiring to watch people work so hard and struggle so much and sometimes not achieve what they want and come back and do it again and again. I would like to thank all my team-mates for your memories, your friendships. Nothing of this would have been possible without you. It is something which I would dearly miss. Being part of an Indian cricket dressing room is something I would definitely miss - just the camaraderie, just the banter, just that striving may be not the rap music. I would also like to place on record my thanks to the KSCA, which was my local state association where I grew up, for their support, their guidance. Also the various officials at the BCCI for the various times when they gave me the right kind of encouragement and support. It has been a fascinating journey for me to see where Indian cricket has gone from the time I started in 1996. I still remember when we went for tours in 1996, sometimes Indian cricketers were treated, if I may use the word, as second-class citizens. We were the team that got the first tour of the summer in England, we were the team that got sent to some of the smaller grounds. The officials in the BCCI have ensured in 15 years times that we are the big boys of international cricket, that we dictate the terms. A lot of that has happened because of the performance of the players, but also because of the work that has been done by various officials, various office bearers with the BCCI during my time. Over the last few weeks, I have also been really touched by the reaction to my decision to retire. All that I have read and listened to has really humbled me. It has humbled me not because a lot has been written and said, which in this day and age with so much media and publicity is bound to happen, but what really touched me was the care, the attention and the thought that people have put into writing some of the really nice things they have said about me. People have not gone about it casually. In fact, there are various qualities and virtues [of mine] that I have only discovered in the last few weeks, listening to people. I am not going to complain about that. It has been really touching. Thank you. I may not be playing for India anymore but to the present Indian team what I would like to say is: guys, I will watch with great interest what I think is an extremely exciting and really talented group of young cricketers. I hope Indian cricket will always be a strong force, both on the field and off the field. And I have no doubt that I would take great pleasure, with a cup of tea and a biscuit in my hand, in watching you guys achieve great things. Thank you very much.
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Rahul Dravid and the uneaten ice-cream All my life, I've had things done for me. Now, I'm looking forward to having the time to do things for others - Rahul Dravid By Prem Panicker Yahoo! Cricket Sat 7 Apr, 2012 140972320-jpg_055718.jpg Ever since Rahul Dravid announced his exit from cricket in the quiet, unfussy way that characterized his performance on it, public debate has swirled around the question of retirement. Who should, who shouldn't? To go when glory is ablaze, or to fade almost imperceptibly into one's personal twilight? And who decides when - the sportsman himself, or the paying public who no longer finds the player delivering 'value' for money on whatever idiosyncratic scale they chose to use? "I agree - there is a broad division between those who say the player should decide, and those who say the public decides," says Rahul Dravid, speaking on phone from Jaipur after a morning training session with his Rajasthan Royals mates. "The thing is, we use those two broad categories to fit all kinds - but my personal view is that there are as many different ways to look at this as there are sportsmen. Ian Chappell answered this question by saying, 'I just knew'. Like, one day the penny just dropped and that was it. Maybe that is how it was for him, but I never did have a personal 'penny-drop' moment, I never had that one moment of epiphany where it all came together." The way he describes it, the 'moment' was more a procession of thoughts layering one on top of the other over time, till they fused, almost imperceptibly, into the 'decision'. "I was reading some of the stuff that was written after I announced my retirement - people pointed to a dropped catch or a moment with the bat, and said that must have been when he decided. But I can honestly say it was never like that, it was never this one thing that triggered the decision." "It's a combination of so many things, really - it is about where I am as a person, where I am as a player, where Indian cricket is today and where it is going, and what I see as my role in that onward journey or whether I see a role for myself at all...it is about so many different things. It is about listening to your inner voices - throughout your playing life your body is telling you things, your mind is telling you things, and you listen and you process all of that. And it is not like I sat down one day with a check list of questions and thought about them and at the end I had my answer - these and similar questions occurred to me over the past several months, years; and the answers come in incremental stages, sometimes even sub-consciously." It was while flying back from Australia, he says, that he 'decided' it was time to go - but it was not a decision directly connected to any particular incident on that tour, but a crystallizing of the many thoughts that had marinated in his analytical mind over a protracted period. "I told myself I wouldn't make an emotional decision," he recalls, of the period between the decision and the announcement. "There was a calmness about being at home, being with my family, and that calmness helped me think it all through to the point where I felt comfortable with the decision, the point where I knew I wasn't deciding something in haste that I would look back on with regret later. And when I was sure, I acted on it." It's been a month, almost, since he 'acted on it' - time enough to develop regrets, to contemplate a future devoid of something that, for sixteen long years, he did as naturally as he drew breath. "Yeah, look, I know that when India plays its next Test match I'll be sitting in front of a TV watching, and some part of me will miss it; some part of me will want to be in the middle of it all. And I think that is true for all of us, not just sportsmen - it's kind of like if you spent a lifetime doing a particular job and one day you stopped, you will wake up the next day wanting the excitement, the rush, that made you do it for all those years, right? But will I miss it so bad that I will want to reverse my decision, want to go back and do it all over again? I don't think so. "I think it's kind of like college - you know how we talk of all the fun we used to have, and what a good time it was, all of that. Does that mean that given the chance, you want to go back and relive that life? Do you really, seriously, want to go back and do all those exams all over again? Obviously not - you've grown, become a different person, right? Same difference." DRAVID speaks, as he always has, in the measured cadences that are his trademark. He never seems to need to pause for thought when faced with a question - the thoughts are there, nascent, waiting for the right cue for articulation. And nowhere is this trait more apparent than in his unscripted exchanges. This chat was one such - he had just finished his morning training stint and returned to his room for a breather when I called with no advance notice. And something he said in course of our chat took me back to another exchange I witnessed, back in November of last year, when pre-eminent sports writer Rohit Brijnath engaged him and Abhinav Bindra in conversation. "Practice," Rahul had said then, "is all about the pursuit of excellence without the stress of competition - and it is those moments, when you are hitting a ball just because you can, that brings you back to the joy of sport and reminds you of why you took it up in the first place." Dravid and Bindra on the sporting psyche It is perhaps a mark of the man that he speaks of practice with the lilt, the enthusiasm, other players reserve to discuss their on-field highs. A necessary chore for most, practice is for Dravid an experience both exalting and meditative at the same time - an opportunity to challenge himself, to put a burnish on ability, to perfect his responses to the questions that will be asked of him on the cricket field. 142515870-jpg_055930.jpg Does he find that same joy in practice today, now that his pursuit of excellence has no practical application? "The thing is," he responds, "that even as I retired, the IPL was on the horizon, it was on my mind. I'm a pro - I know not everyone considers the IPL as serious cricket, but I still want to do my best, so yeah, my practice sessions here are as intense as they used to be. I'm working on things, trying out shots, practicing some shots that, when I am sure about them, I'll want to take into the game. But after that? After the IPL is over? I don't know. While I like practice, the discipline of it all, it is still a search for a perfection that only finds expression in actual competition - so without that competition, without having to strap on pads and helmet and go out there and face the best, will I practice with the same intensity? I don't know - I don't think so..." So what next? If not practice, what can occupy his mind, his time? If not the meditative experience of practice and the adrenalin rush of competition, what remains for someone who has, for all his adult life, lived to compete? "Fitness," he says, struck by a thought, "is a good way to look at it. All my life, as long as I can remember, fitness has always been top of mind - the training, the gym work, the road work, the food I eat and the foods I like but don't eat; I could almost say fitness, the need to stay match fit, has ruled my life. Now that the compulsion does not exist, it's different - obviously, I still want to be fit, but more from a health point of view. So I guess I'll still train, but not as often; I'll still hit the weights but not as hard; I'll still run, but not as long. Fitness won't be an obsession any more, it won't be a necessity, merely a choice - and if I find myself reaching for that second helping of ice cream, I'll give in and indulge." "I'd like that kind of balance in my life," he muses. "All these years, I have had to make sacrifices; they've been forced on me - though I'll add here that I don't think of anything I did for cricket as a 'sacrifice'; the game has given me too much, far more than I had ever dreamt of, to think that way. But the fact remains that my life has been about giving something up in order to achieve something else." "Put it this way - there's always been an imbalance in my life, and now I see a chance to make up for that, to get some balance back, some time to spend on the important things in my life that I never had time before. "All my life, I've had things done for me. Now, I'm looking forward to having the time to do things for others."
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