It's Rahul Dravid all over again!

By John Cheeran
Again it has taken Rahul Dravid to redeem the Indian batting.
From 91 for six, India touched the 200 mark in the first innings of the Jamaica Test against the West Indies on the first day.
All credit should go to Dravid and Anil Kumble who now can claim to a place in the side as a No.5 in the batting order.
Dravid made 81 invaluable runs as all of his illustrious (!) batting partners fled from the wicket faced with some accurate bowling from Jerome Taylor and Collymore.
It beats me why on earth that flat track bully Virender Sehwag can't last more than two balls whenever there is something for fast bowlers.
It was a test of technique and character for any batsman, and Sehwag, Wasim Jaffer, VVS Laxman and Mohammad Kaif have failed it miserably.
It was the first day of the Test which promises to be the series decider. Rival bowlers were fresh, and wicket offered a bit of movement and bounce. Sowhat does Sehwag do, leave the stage as quickly as possible.
It was an insulting sight to behold, with India struggling at 91 for six, this irresponsible Indian vice-captain enjoying the comforts of the pavilion with a huge grin on his face.
In the last three Tests where India faced stiff resistance from fast bowlers Sehwag has fled from the wicket. In Karachi against Pakistan, in Mumbai against England and in Sabina Park in West Indies now, Sehwag's show has been pathetic.
In cricket more than the runs it matters when do they come. It would be interesting to listen to the comments made by captain Dravid after his gutsy innings at Sabina Park.
Let me quote him. "It was one of the most challenging innings I've played and very satisfying as well. In conditions like that, you've got to fight hard for runs," Dravid said.
"It was just a pity that I got out at the end of the day. When I look back on this one, it will give me a lot of satisfaction."
"It's probably a score which we can fight with, but we've got to bowl well. It's not a score we're happy with, there is no doubt about it, but it's a score to fight with," Dravid said.
"At 91 for six, we fought back well. We've got something on the board. It's just important how well we bowl now. If we bowl well and can restrict West Indies to a decent score, we have the advantage of batting third and forcing West Indies to chase a target."
The pitch offered more assistance than the surfaces used in the previous two Tests, offering the West Indies pacemen plenty of bounce, but Dravid said it was lacking in pace.
"It was a strange sort of wicket. Normally on wickets that seam, you can play a few shots because the ball comes on to the bat. But the ball just did not seem to come on to the bat in the morning. There was no real pace off the wicket," Dravid said.
What he left unsaid to the rest of the world was this. My batsmen failed me and India. They did not have the stomach for a war of attrition out there at the batting crease. Nothing has changed in Indian cricket. People shirk responsibilities assigned to them and always come up with scores that ensure their survival in the team.
Dravid, to his credit, did not linger on the failure of Indian top and middleorder batting. But that does not alter the reality.
Without Kumble's contribution India would have struggled to reach even 125. I shudder to think how the Indian batsmen, except Dravid, would have fared against the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Joel Garner.
God save us and (Rahul Dravid) from Sehwag and company!