The legacy of Dravid

Rahul Dravid bowed out of professional cricket with the same dignity with which he played the game. It was ironical that in a team led by a cricketer of Dravid’s unimpeachable integrity, some of his Rajasthan Royals teammates were caught cheating in collusion with bookmakers. The experience may have shaken him but he came through it with the same unflappable temperament which marked his batting. A team man to the core, he was at his competitive best to the very end, leading a team of aspiring but far from champion material as individuals. Throughout his international career, which ran from 1996 to the day he retired last year, Dravid contributed to the team, making the whole greater than the sum of individual talents. The legacy he leaves behind is his total dedication to the game, which the next generation could try and emulate if they are to attain levels of consistent performance greater even than their technique and skills would allow. Gracious to his very last game as a T20 professional of the modern era, Dravid stressed he was no moral crusader but simply an honest pro who was always willing to contribute to his team. It was appropriate the Champions League final was also special for Sachin Tendulkar, the longest serving of Indian and international cricketers, who has now retired from T20 cricket but will play on in Tests. Between the two of them, they have amassed so many records but their worth to the game is far more than all those runs put together. They have been adornments to cricket.