One of the major reason why Indian team remained at top Test spot for about two years was the aggression in their batting right from the start. Both Viru and Gambhir have been happy to take on the opposition with their free-flowing stroke play followed by Tendulkar, who himself is a positive player. Influence of shorter version of the game has been evident from the way Indian batsmen have taken their Test Cricket in the past few years and that too, with immense success.
It was during last year when people started to question the role of Rahul Dravid in India's test side, primarily due to 3 reasons. 1) He was the odd one out in India's batting line up, being unable to score as much and as quickly as rest of his team-mates were doing consistently. 2) The growing age factor and the youngsters like Kohli and Pujara waiting for a place. 3) The defensive approach of Dravid which used to get outplayed by Sehwag's aggression.
People started to demand Dravid's retirement in an honorable way during 2010, claiming that his peak time was gone.
Rahul Dravid had just one answer to all the building pressure and criticism; to perform with a bat that has scored tons of thousands of runs in the past. When Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir were resting for different reasons after hectic World Cup and IPL, Dravid was getting himself prepared for the all important English summer by playing in the Caribbean. He played a vital role in a series win against the West Indies which included a well crafted Ton at Jamaica. It was enough to make his critics shut for the time being. A real slap on the face of critics however, has just come recently.
Rahul Dravid has scored 461 runs in 4 tests with 3 hundreds in England; A performance which declared him the Indian Man of the Series. This performance came at a time when all Indian batsmen were struggling to face the ferocious English attack. The likes of Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir, Laxman and Raina failed miserably without even managing a single three figure score between them. Dravid, on his own, passed that figure on 3 occasions which also include a bat carry. The greatness was shown by one of this all time best batsman when he came out to bat again as an opener in space of 10 minutes, after a follow-on was enforced on his team while he carried his bat in the first innings during the Oval Test. The critics must have received a clear message that form is temporary while the class is permanent. Dravid, indeed, is a Class act.
Dravid clearly mentioned in the post-match presentation ceremony that the reason behind his success in England was the confidence which he carried into the series by playing in Caribbean; which was an indirect indication why others coudn't perform well enough as he did. He also ruled out the possibility of this tour of England being his last by saying, 'One series at a Time'. Indian Team would surely need 'The Wall' in these conditions if India qualifies for the ICC Test Championship to be held in 2013. Let's see if the Great Wall can remain intact till the age of 40.
It was during last year when people started to question the role of Rahul Dravid in India's test side, primarily due to 3 reasons. 1) He was the odd one out in India's batting line up, being unable to score as much and as quickly as rest of his team-mates were doing consistently. 2) The growing age factor and the youngsters like Kohli and Pujara waiting for a place. 3) The defensive approach of Dravid which used to get outplayed by Sehwag's aggression.
People started to demand Dravid's retirement in an honorable way during 2010, claiming that his peak time was gone.
Rahul Dravid had just one answer to all the building pressure and criticism; to perform with a bat that has scored tons of thousands of runs in the past. When Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir were resting for different reasons after hectic World Cup and IPL, Dravid was getting himself prepared for the all important English summer by playing in the Caribbean. He played a vital role in a series win against the West Indies which included a well crafted Ton at Jamaica. It was enough to make his critics shut for the time being. A real slap on the face of critics however, has just come recently.
Rahul Dravid has scored 461 runs in 4 tests with 3 hundreds in England; A performance which declared him the Indian Man of the Series. This performance came at a time when all Indian batsmen were struggling to face the ferocious English attack. The likes of Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gambhir, Laxman and Raina failed miserably without even managing a single three figure score between them. Dravid, on his own, passed that figure on 3 occasions which also include a bat carry. The greatness was shown by one of this all time best batsman when he came out to bat again as an opener in space of 10 minutes, after a follow-on was enforced on his team while he carried his bat in the first innings during the Oval Test. The critics must have received a clear message that form is temporary while the class is permanent. Dravid, indeed, is a Class act.
Dravid clearly mentioned in the post-match presentation ceremony that the reason behind his success in England was the confidence which he carried into the series by playing in Caribbean; which was an indirect indication why others coudn't perform well enough as he did. He also ruled out the possibility of this tour of England being his last by saying, 'One series at a Time'. Indian Team would surely need 'The Wall' in these conditions if India qualifies for the ICC Test Championship to be held in 2013. Let's see if the Great Wall can remain intact till the age of 40.
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