As an kid growing up in India, cricket was the sport you simply had to follow. It is a sport most parts of the world don’t know much about but back home, cricket is a religion of sorts. If you’ve ever been to the UK and gotten a feel of the passion people here have for football, then you’ll have an inkling about how Indians feel about cricket.
It’s been many years now since I stopped following cricket regularly. I still check in on the scores once in a while and I did of course watch the last 3 games leading to the world cup win in 2011 but that’s more or less it. I’ve moved on in a way. Football is all I have time for these days.
The wonderful thing about sport for me is that it throws up unparalleled drama, heroes, villains, victims, beneficiaries – you name it and sport has it. And amidst all this drama, you have some incredibly gifted human beings carry out their craft and make watching it worthwhile. You experience their passion, their pain, their joy and their love for what they do. Over time, you watch most of these men of genius wilt under the spotlight of the media and cave in under the tremendous pressure on their young shoulders. The typical sportsman – arrogant, too rich to care and not worth emulating.
Then again, you have exceptions every once in a while. You see men who don’t take their excellence for granted, who don’t forget that Lady Luck isn’t one for long term relationships, who remember that their power comes with great responsibility and who, at the end of the day, remember that what defines them is beyond what they do. It’s who they are.
They become heroes. Every sport has it’s share. Whether it’s Sampras, Federer and Nadal in tennis or Maldini, Xavi and Scholes in football, we are witness to some truly amazing men of character. And as I was growing up as kid back home watching cricket, I was fortunate to witness a crop of players who went on to become legends of the game.
Rahul Dravid was one of them.
The other fascinating thing about sporting legends who are worthy role models is that they are typically of two very distinct kinds. The first kind are the geniuses. These were born to play the game and they did. Of course, they worked really hard. But, as hard as it was for them, it was also easy. They inspire awe.
The second kind are the gritty ones. These are the ones who fought their way through. They persisted when most others quit. They grew up surrounded by those who had talents they knew they would never possess. But, they never gave up. They persisted. They played for their teams. They made it on grit. They were the fighters who tasted success thanks to pure strength of will. And they tend to be great role models, for they inspire hope.
Rahul Dravid belonged to the second kind. He didn’t just belong to the second kind. He was the second kind. Watching Rahul Dravid approach a game was like watching an intense statistician go about his work. You never doubted his focus. You never doubted his application or intelligence. You saw the anger on his face when his concentration slipped. You felt the tension when he was going through a bad spell. And you just hoped he wasn’t being too hard on himself. He was the sort of person who would not have been out of place in a boardroom or in a gathering of intellectuals. Dignified, focused, determined, gritty, classy – Rahul Dravid stood for all these things.
He decided to bow out in typical fashion – no fanfare, no last game tributes and the like. ‘I know this is the time.’ – he said in typical understatement. And with a typically dignified press conference, he bid farewell.
Accomplished writers have written great tributes. I couldn’t add much to what they’ve said even if I wanted to.
So, I’ll just say thank you. Thank you Rahul, for doing what great role models do – for giving the many of us who weren’t necessarily born with obvious god given talent the hope that with dedication, determination, persistence and hard work – we could make a difference.. just like you did.
It’s easy to forget that you are only 38. While you may have finished your journey as a sportsman, in many ways, you are just getting started.
Onwards and upwards then. I join many in wishing you well knowing fully well that you will be incredibly successful in whatever you choose to do thanks to everything you stand for.
Respect.
A Learning a Day 