E-Paper
Dravid heading towards greatness
Is he an artist or artisan? The jury, out for years, has not been able to reach a verdict on Dravid.
Is he an artist or an artisan? The jury, out for years, has not been able to reach a verdict on Rahul Dravid.
The problem is that his batting has shades of both.
The 32-year-old Dravid, who reclaimed his place as the world's top-ranked batsman with a century in each innings during India's 195-run victory against Pakistan in the second Test in kolkata, is not bothered either way.
He just knows he is in the zone.
Dravid has been on a superb run since taking over as India's top batsman from Sachin Tendulkar two years ago.
With an average of 58.45 — the best for any number three batsman in history barring Don Bradman — he is heading inexorably towards greatness.
Critics who once said he did not capture the imagination or inspire emotion like Tendulkar or West Indian Brian Lara because of his more defensive approach have started to reconsider.
Dravid's 110 and 135 in Kolkata made him only the second Indian batsman, after Sunil Gavaskar, to score two hundreds in a Test more than once. He was named man of the match in the Test, which ended on Sunday.
It is not just the volume of runs he has scored — 2,540 in his last 25 matches at an astonishing 74.70 — but the context in which he gets them that has made his stock rise suddenly.
Dravid is at his best when the chips are down, his most memorable knocks coming invariably in adverse circumstances or when India are pushing for victory.
