Dravid thuje salaam

By John Cheeran
Rahul Dravid is not born to make centuries.
Indian skipper is just there to score runs in crisis.
He is there to stand tall when others abandon their responsibilities.
So what if Dravid missed his 23rd Test century; by the time he departed scoring 95 India had come with in the striking distance of the England’s first innings total.
Skipper’s sheer grit elicited similar response from the lower order batsmen. Irfan Pathan showed again why we are right to call him as the emerging all-rounder of the side with a glowing knock of 52.
Dravid, during his innings of 95, has demonstrated what Test match batting under pressure is all about.
Had Dravid gone early on Sunday morning, the script would have been tweaked decisively in favour of England. He ensured that India did not fold up without a fight.
It is a fact that Dravid did not hurry his innings.
There comes a time when you need to wait, play straight, eschew extravagant strokes. Dravid believes, quite rightly so, the more you stay at the wicket, runs come in search of you and bowlers tend to stray in their line. All this is basic cricket stuff.
But getting your basics right shall help you in crisis, when the situation gets tough.
The patience that Dravid has displayed in the both innings of Nagpur Test and in the first innings at Mohali should be a lesson to any student of the game.
Through his innings Dravid justified the decision to leave out the sixth batsman from the side. With one batsman less, India gained first innings lead over England.
In Nagpur, with six specialist batsmen around, India conceded 70-run lead in the first innings.
So it is not the number that matters, but your grit and application to the task at hand.