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- Rahul Dravid’s retirement speech: Full Text
- Legends of the game and other greats speak about Rahul Dravid
- Rahul Dravid retires from International Cricket
| Rahul Dravid’s retirement speech: Full Text Posted: 09 Mar 2012 12:18 AM PST
No dream is ever chased alone. As I look back, as one does at such a time, I have many people to thank for supporting me, teaching me and believing in me. My junior coaches in Bangalore and at various junior national camps inculcated in me a powerful love of the game which has always stayed with me.
My coaches at the international level have added to my craft and helped shape my personality. They pushed me and challenged me to keep getting better. The physios and trainers worked hard to keep me fit — not an easy job — and allowed me to play late into my 30s. The selectors who rarely receive any credit in India had, on occasions, more confidence in me than I had in myself and I am grateful for that. The various captains I played under offered me guidance and inspired me. The media has been kind to me, and I have respect for their craft. The KSCA and BCCI have provided me a platform and the facilities to play the game. But most of all, I have to thank the teams I played with. I know what I am going to miss the most is being part of a unit. The joy of bonding together and striving to achieve a goal is what made cricket special for me. I was lucky in my early years to play for a Karnataka team which was trying to forge itself into a strong side and they were years of fun and learning. In the Indian team, I was fortunate to be part of a wonderful era when India played some of its finest cricket at home and abroad. Many of my teammates have become legends, not just in India but in the wider cricketing world. I admired them, learnt from them and I leave the game with wonderful memories and strong friendships. It is a great gift to have. A career in sport is almost impossible to manage without the support, guidance, and reassurance of family and friends. During tough times — and there have been many — they are the ones we go to. I found strength and encouragement from my parents (Sharad and Pushpa ) and brother (Vijay) and they created around me a positive environment which was essential to my success. My wife, Vijeeta, has been a remarkable partner in my journey. She has made sacrifices in her own career and has almost been a single parent bringing up our children alone as I travelled abroad to play. Whenever challenges appeared, she was always there, as sounding board, as ally and as guide. Being away from my family became harder and harder through the years and I look forward now to spending time at home and doing the simple things, like just taking my sons (Samit and Anvay) to school. Finally, I would like to thank the Indian cricket fan, both here and across the world. The game is lucky to have you and I have been lucky to play before you. To represent India, and thus to represent you, has been a privilege and one which I have always taken seriously. My approach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity, and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride.  |
| Legends of the game and other greats speak about Rahul Dravid Posted: 09 Mar 2012 12:13 AM PST
Ian Chappell: Team in trouble? Whom do you turn to? Rahul Dravid! Allan Border: It does not get better than what Rahul Dravid did in this Test (the 2003 Test at Adelaide where he scored 233 and 72*). His batting was outstanding. Everyone has already exhausted superlatives so I would not bother myself with any additional praise but you could be sure my admiration for him has grown tremendously. Shane Warne: Rahul is as good as anyone in the world.
Steve Waugh: He’s a pretty good role model for kids. He’s pretty steady in what he does and he does things the right way, and he’s very dedicated. He has a great technique and a great temperament. Chris Gayle - Dravid could play attacking cricket like me but I could never play like him. Brett Lee - If you can’t get along with Dravid, you are struggling in life. Matthew Hayden: All this going around is not aggression; if you want to see aggression on cricket field, look into Rahul Dravid's eyes. Peter O' Toole, legendary Hollywood actor: Everyone praises Sachin Tendulkar. He may be a genius in his own right, but in my book, Rahul Dravid is the artist. Dravid's defence tactics, his strokes, his cuts, his grace are truly amazing. I'd like to meet the chap sometime and take my hat off to him. Mahesh Bhupathi: He deserves his success as he has worked hard for it. He is one of the most down to earth and disciplined professionals I've met. Sachin Tendulkar: He (Dravid) is a perfect role model for youngsters. He has set a great example for all of us to follow. We are all trying to follow that path. Sourav Ganguly: He’s a champion at everything. I really admire him. I am very impressed with the way he approaches life. Virender Sehwag: To me Rahul Dravid is the perfect cricketer. His technique is so good that he can be at ease on any sort of wicket and in any sort of conditions. His temperament and discipline allow him to adapt to different situations without discomfort. Yuvraj Singh: It’s a great contribution by any player to Indian cricket. Looking at Rahul’s career and the way he’d started off is tremendous. He’s showed tremendous commitment and discipline. The way he sets an example on the field for all the boys (is admirable). It’s a great feeling to share the dressing room with him. Suresh Raina: Rahul Dravid is my idol. I have been following him for the past 10 years. Got my ODI and Test cap from Rahul Dravid, a true honour to finally make my Test debut. It's a dream come true. Kapil Dev: He is truly the mainstay of the Indian batting. He is the best batsman of India in this era undoubtedly. Sunil Gavaskar: He brings serenity to the crease that is so good for the nerves in the dressing room. He also helps ease the tension away by the way he plays. He then proceeds to make the fastest of bowlers look easy to bat against. His economy of movement and the preciseness of his footwork gets him into position quickly, and so, the bowlers look quite clueless. The fastest of deliveries is played as if it’s done every day and with minimum fuss. Ravi Shastri: There are only four batsmen who are great to me Sunny, Vishwanath, Sachin and now Rahul. Navjot Sidhu: Rahul Dravid is a player who would walk on broken glass if his team asks him to. Greg Chappell: Dravid is quiet, soft-spoken and a wonderful human being, but he does have a tough edge and is a strong personality. John Wright: He is one of the guys who works extra time over his fitness levels and look at his scores this season. Sourav and I have been really lucky that Rahul (Dravid) has been tremendously loyal to both of us. Andrew Flintoff: His nickname is ‘The Wall’. He does take some getting past, doesn’t he? He is a great example of how to play. And the tempo of his innings, he doesn’t change at all. He loves batting and goes on and on…We have to persevere and get past the big bat of his. Christopher Martin-Jenkins: If a Martian were to land on earth now and be told that the best batsman in the world was playing in this match, he would think it was Rahul Dravid and not Sachin Tendulkar. © PTI  |
| Rahul Dravid retires from International Cricket Posted: 09 Mar 2012 12:03 AM PST
The 39-year-old Dravid, a former India captain, became the first of the three ageing greats of Indian cricket, besides Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, to retire in the aftermath of India’s disastrous Test tour of Australia. “I would like to announce my retirement from international and domestic first-class cricket. It is 16 years since I played my first Test match for India and today I feel it is an time to move on. Once I was like every other boy in India, with a dream of playing for my country. Yet I could never have imagined a journey so long and so fulfilling,” Dravid said at a press conference here.
“No dream is ever chased alone. As I look back, I have many people to thank for teaching me and belieiving in me. My junior coaches in Bangalore and at various junior national camps inculcated in me a powerful love of the game which has always stayed with me,” said Dravid who was flanked BCCI President N Srinivasan and former captain Anil Kumble. “My coaches at the international level have added to my craft and helped shape my personality. The physios and trainers worked hard to keep me fit — not an easy job — and allowed me to play late into my 30s. “The selectors, who rarely receive any credit in India, occasionally had more confidence in me than I had in myself and I am grateful for that. The various captains I played under offered me guidance and inspired me. Most of all i have to thank the teams i played with.” “In the Indian team, I was fortunate to be part of a wonderful era when India played some of its finest cricket at home and abroad. Many of my teammates have become legends, not just in India but in the wider cricketing world. I admired them, learnt from them and I leave the game with wonderful memories and strong friendships. It is a great gift to have.” Characteristic to his simple but dignified approach to his cricket, David said he had tried to uphold the spirit of the game. “My appoach to cricket has been reasonably simple: it was about giving everything to the team, it was about playing with dignity and it was about upholding the spirit of the game. I hope I have done some of that. I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying. It is why I leave with sadness but also with pride.” He also thanked the cricket fans for their support during his long career. “Finally I would like to thank the Indian cricket fan, both here and across the world. The game is lucky to have you and I have been lucky to play before you. To represent India, and thus to represent you, has been a privilege and one which I have always taken seriously,” he said. Dravid had a disastrous tour of Australia where he scored only 194 runs in eight innings at an average of 24.25. Even more disappointing was that Dravid, known for his solid technique, was bowled in six out of the eight innings. There was intense speculation about Dravid’s future following the Australian tour and his decision to hang his boots will now turn focus on another batting great VVS Laxman who too had a disappointing tour. Dravid had already announced his retirement from ODI cricket in England last year after been surprisingly recalled in the ODI team due to his stupendous performance during the Test series against England in which he scored three centuries. Nicknamed ‘The Wall’ for his dour defence, the always thoughtful-looking Dravid walked into international cricket sunset after making his debut in June 1996 though he will lead the Jaipur-based Rajasthan Royals side in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League. Dravid ended his Test career with 13,288 runs — behind only Tendulkar (15,470 in 188 Tests) — in 164 matches, with 36 hundreds and 63 half centuries at an average of 52.31, the 270 against Pakistan being his highest score. Initially considered a liability in the one-day arena, he re-invented his game over the years to meet the demands of the shorter format which he played from April 1996 to September 2011. He scored 10,889 runs from 344 ODIs with 12 centuries and 83 half centuries at an average of 39.16. Under his captaincy between October 2005 and September 2007, India won Test series in the West Indies as well as England but had a disastrous World Cup in 2007 when they were knocked out in the first round of the tournament. He captained India in 25 Tests and 79 ODIs. Dravid’s captaincy coincided with Greg Chappell’s controversial tenure as India coach, but that did not affect his performance with the bat, as he garnered 1736 runs at 44.51. Never a natural athlete, Dravid’s immense levels of concentration also came in handy as he also holds the world record of highest Test catches — 210 — mostly at the slip cordon. He overtook Mark Waugh to become the most successful slip catcher in history. In addition to this, he has 196 catches in ODIs. Asked how long he took to reach his decision to retire, Dravid said, “For a year now after each and every series I have assessed … when I came back from Australia I wanted to take the emotion out of it and look at it dispassionately. I have spoken to Sachin and to my team-mates and all of them were supportive. Dravid denied that his poor form in Australia had been factor in his retirement decision. “I would like to believe irrespective of how the Australian series had gone, I would have assessed a lot of things and come to the same conclusion. “I dont think I based this decision on on series, it’s a culmination of a lot of things. These decisions are based on a lot of things.” “It was an honour and a privilege to play with the galaxy of cricketers I played with … fortunate to play in an era which was pretty successful in Indian cricket, for me to be sharing a dressing room with them was an honour.” On the high and lows in his long career, David said, “When you play for 16 years, you will face highs and lows. There have been many disappointments and great highs. There is a huge sense of satisfaction that I have always given it my best shot. I have left no stone unturned in trying to become the best cricketer I can become. Absolutely no regrets.” Dravid said he thought it was right time for him to call it quits so that younger players take Indian cricket forward. “I felt it was the right time for me to move on, for a next generation of cricketers to play and take the team forward …a lot of these decisions just come to you in different ways …I just felt the time was right. I needed to move on.” He said he has no regrets though it was a difficult decision to call it quits. “Yes and no. It’s all I’ve known, from that point of view it was a difficult decision. but I knew deep down the time was right. I was very happy and comfortable in what I had achieved and what I had done,” he said. © PTI  |
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