Alas, poor Dravid

[Victory]

@Giant

Sachin is a more complete batsman than Dravid, IMO. But I like Dravid better because of his innate decency, and a sense of perspective that I have not seen from even Sachin when it comes to gracefully handling both defeat and victory. With Dravid, there is never a hint of gloating after victory and always praise for the other team after a defeat. Am also impressed by how he has managed to retain his dignity in the quote-a-minute circus that is the modern day Indian media. Probably part of the reason why he doesnt get the same ratings as others. An article I read recently had a really apt description of Dravid that I’ll cut&paste here:

Dravid is the least obtrusive of players, he demands little mind space. He wears his passion on one sleeve, his intelligence on the other. It is a rare combination that evokes awe rather than love, admiration more than conviviality. He is the intelligent man’s guide to what a sportsman ought to be – modest, dependable, well educated, with the gift of grace under pressure and a perspective that is adult. Dravid’s coolness makes him less than cool, his sobriety works against his being the kind of public hero that Ganguly is in Kolkata, Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Jharkhand or Tendulkar everywhere.

Link to the whole article:

Tehelka - India’s Independent Weekly News Magazine

Dravid is a class act. Like every player he has his limitations, but in test cricket he is the best in his generation.

There was one incident (Prank) in which a beautiful girl (I think one of the miss india participants) got an appointment to meet him in a room fixed with hidden cameras, she then suddenly proposes to him and starts falling all over him and he was so dignified in telling her to move away and the way he handled himself was great. I think if it was any other neo cricketers like Sreesanth, Shoaib , they would have made a mincemeat of her.