Batting methodologies represent the arts and the sciences. They have conscious and unconscious intents and a wholesome, valid interpretation too — one that decodes several overt and covert patterns for the individual, or team, as a whole.
For Rahul Dravid who made his Test debut for India, in England, twenty-seven years ago, the sequel was imminent. He was saddled, or perched, soon enough to drawing instant comparisons with the sublime solidity of Vijay Hazare and the tranquil, velvety artistry of Gundappa Viswanath. The rest is history — a saga like no other.
Dravid espoused his faith in continuity too — the ‘heritable’ element of cricket and also everything in life. Enormously. He was, doubtless, a giant of a batsman, one of the finest ever of all time — not just in the traditional game, which was initially his forte, or so his critics amplified, but also in one-day, and Twenty 20, cricket. He wielded the willow like a seasoned violinist on the stringed instrument.
There was also more to his peerless capabilities than what met the description of aptitude. He had a stately sense of melody in his batting mechanics a la Hazare and Viswanath, or Vishy, the man who he admires and, perhaps, worships.
Classical Narrative
Comparisons are odious, yes. But, let’s evaluate an impressive parallel for a change. Dravid’s capabilities were as much a part of the game’s folklore as the ‘wristy’ exploits of Vishy — the willow game’s most charming batsman, a stylist among stylists, and one of modern cricket’s own benchmarks, or veritable landmarks, in its journey through time. It’s a tale that you would, perforce, have often thought of — a similarity of the classical narrative against the racy, hackneyed tunes of the world we now live in. A world of open boundaries and high-tech imagery.
Vishy was to cricket what Vijay Amritraj was to Indian tennis — an amalgam of arithmetic magnetism, tuneful assurance, unruffled flow, poise, radiance, grace, and majestic mental flair. Vishy crystallised the pure classicism of the game. He was a natural innovator, a mercurial and majestic batsman. His footwork was balletic as that of a born dancer. He had all the qualities — and, more — which go to making a great batsman truly great. He also juxtaposed them with a great mix of application, dedication, hard work and discipline — not to speak of a will to learn at every possible opportunity.
While Hazare and Vishy had had that intangible spiritual tag that went along with their cricket mechanics, — their destiny was just as evident, thanks to their gifted batting skills. Vishy followed in the footsteps of Hazare and emerged a celebrated batsman — just like Dravid who filled in and fulfilled Vishy’s fond ‘wish.’
While Vishy’s sterling achievements, like Hazare and Dravid, in difficult situations were amazing, his ‘patented’ square cut and drive gave him a new status. It has not been excelled since. And, Dravid? He emerged, as already cited, as the worthy torchbearer of the ‘Vishy-arty’ enterprise, with his aesthetic blueprint and dignity personified that touched the sublime. To highlight an example, Dravid’s square drive was the real nectar of elevated batsman ship. It was a shot that attained nirvana as soon as it left his artful blade.
To delve into another element. Vishy was an instinctive player, a touch-and-go genius. Dravid, albeit an intuitive batsman, was a model of assurance. He gave you the feeling that he meant business — nothing else. He did not often give the bowler a plain chance, unlike Vishy, who always believed in taking ‘measured’ risks with the bowler and giving him a fair width to succeed. Not that Dravid was averse to experimenting in like manner. He was just as well adept. Maybe, he did it subtly — the difference being of degree.
There are other parallels too. Vishy and Dravid, all through their playing days, never exhibited that potential for the ‘kill,’ or the so-called killer-instinct — the top-of-the-draw cult element in modern sport. All they did was to simply and palpably demystify the whole idea in its face and emerge as victors in thought and deed. They demonstrated that cricket is a mental game — what with that ‘got-to-keep-a-cool-head’ structure of assortment — a game that is played between your two ears.
Intellectual Convention
In so doing, Dravid signed himself up into the classical school of batsman ship — a synthesis that has all ways of knowing as a powerful base. One that calls for the fundamental unity of all knowledge with the need to search for every particle underlying every facet of cricketing excellence too. Dravid’s batting was an intellectual convention — not a much-hyped celebrity assemblage — that had its roots in the pristine concept of harmony, including its elevation from the unpretentious to the insightful, and from the thoughtful to the composite. As Sir Geoff Boycott, master of traditional technique, highlighted Dravid’s decisive footwork — back, or forward — and, great sense of balance as the two big reasons for his success in England, articulated to noted cricket writer, Ayaz Memon:
He’s [Dravid] got an uncluttered mind and clear movements. I haven’t seen too many batsmen who can manage their innings better in different conditions.
Dravid made 13,288 runs (36 centuries; 64 fifties; highest score 270) in 164 Test matches; average 52.31. He’s the first batsman to score Test centuries in all ten Test-playing countries and also hold the record for the most outfield catches in Test cricket (210). In 344 one-day internationals, Dravid scored 10,899 runs (12 centuries; 83 fifties; highest score 153), and was top scorer in the 1999 World Cup in England with 461.
Dravid’s art and science of batting was a revelation by itself — something that may not only be used with special reference, but something that also emphasises the transcendental equation between elegance and the divine. Like his glorious drives, or pulls, for instance — an almost indispensable part of either spectrum. Also, take into account Dravid’s monumental ‘focused’ concentration — not to speak of relaxation, or better still, the magical power and grace of the swing of the willow. Or, his supreme control with the bat while executing a great shot. Dravid’s batsman ship was poetic too — of wisdom that enchanted the heart.
It was a song that crooned in his mind — to enchant every cricket enthusiast’s heart. Most importantly, it was something that nestled itself in the silhouette of divinity.
This was his stamp — the hallmark of a champion. He was, and is, quintessentially, D(r)avid, the Goliath.
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