Cricinfo - Blogs - Long Stop - Dravid's inspirational comeback

His fans can heave a sigh of relief. It has been torture watching this pillar of Indian cricket go through a phase when he couldn’t do anything right. But it has been inspiring to watch him get out of the slump using the same methods that have got him over 10,000 runs in Tests. The temptation to change your game is strongest when things are not going right, but Dravid had to bat like Dravid and rediscover his touch. Anything else would have lacked authenticity.

All of India seems to have been praying for him - not just his parents who, if newspaper reports are to be believed, visited a shrine in Mangalore to offer prayers. Soon after he completed his century, I got a phone call from a friend taking credit for the turnaround. “I didn’t move from my seat from the first ball he played till the last. I wore the same clothes, did everything in the same order over the two days,” he said in all seriousness. This is one of fandom’s oldest superstitions. By the same token, I am sure there were those who missed his century because they didn’t watch the first day’s play and so couldn’t watch the second day in case they brought their hero bad luck.

It is not true that only the media were on Dravid’s case; those who were most vicious in their criticism will point out that few batsmen have been given as many chances to come good as Dravid has. But 800-plus runs in the calendar year is not the worst batting performance in international cricket. Dravid was being judged by the standards he has set himself, and by that reckoning he fell short. More to the point, with every failure, he seemed to withdraw deeper into himself, and go to areas that he ought not to have revisited. The dark areas where failures, shortcomings and bad days in the office make their opposites seem like mirages.

Following the debacle in Sri Lanka, the so-called Fabulous Four have now reasserted themselves. Ganguly, Laxman and Tendulkar had already shaken off the horrors of that tour ... Dravid has finally got there, but what a heart-wrenching trip it has been!

I dont buy this century and its time to Dravid to RETIRE. I hope selectors dont keep him for another 14 tests to see his next century. What a JOKE??? Even sharma, kohli, pujara can score 800 runs in 26 innings he took.

Yes, what a relief for us Dravid fans! It was painful watching him struggle these last few months. I hope this is the start of a new run-filled period for him and India. Rahul, so many of us are rooting for you.Enjoy your game and give it 100%.

Dear Mr.Menon,
You should be ashamed of yourself for writing this article,should be also ashamed on all the preceeding articles you wrote about the wall crumbling.You personify what they call a "fickle" mind,not to mention arm chair critic.
The only thing in your favour,if that's what it can be termed,is that you are the first among the list of turncoats.The British media has been a lot more classy about this whole issue,hmmm...remember what the Brits did to traitors...your lucky they're not ruling us anymore.
Hope your nib crumbles.
cheers

Rahul Sharad Dravid is the best man in indian test team without him it will be boring to watch the match and most important thing dravid is pressured by the media and the fans it should be taken care .No one can suspect his skill,mental toughness,deteremination at any point of his career especially during odd time dravid is the one who uplifted the team in many situations than the champion player tendulkar,dravid cannot be replaced ofcourse there are people like cheteshwara pujara.......WALL WILL NEVER CRUMBLE OR FALL WORLD WILL DEFINATELY MISS DRAVID WHEN HE WILL LETOFF

Just because he has scored one century doesnt mean he has come out of his slump, to my mind he was always an average player and because we worship such average players we remain an average team... come on yaar, we have better players than dravid waiting in the wings... play them and we may become a good team

Nice article Sir. I for one was so thrilled to see him get his 26th century. As you have mentioned,I am in one of those groups that decided not to go for a streaming video link here in the US for the fear of jinxing the man!!!. In this age, its hard to believe to what extent people can go to see not just their favorite cricketer, but according to me a even inspirational and gretaer person.

You are spot on to pint that Dravid did nothing different to get back to the form he is known for but did it brick by brick as usual. Yes, 800 runs is not bad for a regular cricketer in a calendar year but then as Sachin put it in Chennai, we are talking about not just a good player but a "great" player in Dravid. And his humility showed up yet again during the Post match conference!!!

Dravid is an honest guy...he would never cheat with India or his fans....Please do not put pressure on him....let him play as he wants....and trust me when the time really comes Dravid would be the first person to say,"Hey! It's time for me to move out of this honored position" and say,"Goodbye" to the cricket.....Hats off to our cricketing hero who with full honesty and brave heart but without a word in retaliation fought his way back into the form.....good luck Dravid...

The great Rahul Dravid is back ! And how !!

I fully endorse your sentiments Mr.Menon. Dravid is one player who does not know how to market himslef depsite being a legend in modren day cricket.
At lest he has now effcetively silenced the two bit journalistic critics who cannot diffrentiate between cricket and Kabbadi!

I agree with mr menon...but the trust displayed by the present selection committe chairman has to be appreciated.. unlike the earlier who seemed to have some grudge against dravid.. one should salute srikkanth for making the comeback possible.. because he knew that dravid's talents are still reqd for team india.. and darvid did not disappoint him and also his own fans acroos the country.. let many more such hundreds flow from his willow.. long live dravid and long live indian cricket.

Its been a heart-bashing experience to watch Rahul go through such a slump, which has been unknown to him and all. it was generally pressumed that Rahul,unlike other players can't go through such a slump. but what we saw over the past few series has been painful, to the entire nation. this man has gifted India with some of its glorifying victories, both home and away. whether it be england in england or australia in australia, what seperated india with their opponents were the guts, determination, and skills from one of the finest no.3 batsman the history of cricket have seen. there was a time when Dravid could'nt have done anything wrong. but once he stepped down from captaincy, something seemed to be bothering him. whether it was the increasing demand of letting out the aged players or was it the guilty conscious of stepping down from the captaincy and leaving the team unattended,remains to be a question. but anyhow, he is back and he is back with a bang. hopefully it continues.

good to see dravid back in form with a century..
he is one of greats of indian cricket.

For an ardent fan of me it was a grat relief to see him going back to what he does regularly. The pillar of the Indian did stone wall the Engalnd. The value of his latest innigs surely will be known by the end of five days. Without him and Gambhir it would have been like Chennai and India would have ben doing catch up job. It needs a lot of character to come back from such a slump. I always believd that he should continue to play one day wherer Dravid could have rediscovered his form earlier than this.

RD rocks. Great to have him back.

In the late eighties and ninetees, when GR Viswanath, and Mohd Azheruddin were in the same league as was Dravid, one thought of carrying out a mercy killing. Because the nation loved them so much and could not bear their down fall. but, when Dravid had to meet the same situation, no indian would have thought of giving a mercy kill. Because, the entire nation love him to the core. even if he had not scored a century today, he would be taken in at No.3 come what may for a few more matches because of his contribution to indian cricket other than just thru batting alone.

Dravid is too honest a person that if he had believed he lost it he would have quit without a second thought...the fact that he didn't do that only meant this 100 was coming...so his come back was not really surprising and now I am praying he would hold on to couple of catches to set the record of taking highest number of catches in test cricket.

Its a deep relief for me to watch my man scoring those much needed runs.I never ever doubted that his ability,may be he might have last his prime.But Dravid without prime is simply equal to another cricketer on his prime...thats why he is still considered as a wall.Would love to see few more innings like this from his blades.Guess Srikanth seems to be a sensible person who knows the value of Dravid.Thanks Dravid for all your efforts to regain your form.

We call him RDX ..... Rahul Dravid Xplosive .....

....This guy is rock solid and as clam as rock .......hats off to his toil ....

This was certainly a fine innings from Dravid, but let's not get carried away. The problem with much of the media and fan following is that they are far too easily influenced by a single performance. Dravid has scored at an average of less than 30 runs per innings since the South African tour of 2006. He has been a miserably pale shadow of his former self for the past two years. I'm sorry, it's not only about Dravid's old standards, it's about standards per se. A Test No. 3 cannot continue be allowed to continue with an average of 28-29. Is there no one younger in India, according to you, who can do better? Also, what does this prolonged tolerance for Dravid's mediocre performances imply about the double standards applied when Ganguly was concerned? After all, Ganguly failed in only one series, and did well in home series against the world's two top sides. Don't be surprised if failure vs. Eng leads to calls for Laxman's head. Exactly who has made some cows more sacred than others?

Exceptional resilience by Dravid and equally patient backing given to him by Indian fans, baying for blood at smallest failure. I guess, it says something that Dravid is probably the only one who has enjoyed this sort of goodwill that has been missing sometimes even in Sachin's case. He had to come good, surely with the kind of prayers offered for him, some in the open and millions in silence. I hope this is not the beginning of the End, I hope he stands like the Rock of Gibraltar for another couple years at least... Ah I hope, he is back again as the "Mr Dependable"... what a loss Indian cricket has seen seeing its finest son being disgraced in its finest hour in cricket.

Yes its true that not many have been given as many chances as Dravid. But may its because most of them probably could not manage even at least 10000 runs.

Hi Suresh, thats so Kind of nice post form you.. i'm a great fan of dravid, i was following his career from his one day match and test match.. he is a gem, he's man with great character. but i really felt disappointed for past few days not because dravid dint get runs, not because media is criticizing him, not because people are scolding him, one and only reason is he was feeling low, thank god, he done a great job, let us wait and see can he breaks Mark waugh's record tomorrow itself without dropping one.. Dravid is back.. Kings should leave their Kingdom to next generation when they are in Fine form.. My King started , i expect good runs and his retirement soon.Thanks once again suresh

Dravid reteirates the adage,'form is temporary but class is permanent'.

Hey champ,jam,wall,rahul..,u have proved em wrong get going bhai...I m proud of u.Get going.Cheers

i have followed dravid throughout the years and i like his elegance timing technique and above all his modesty and ability to relativate i even saw him play once when he played for kent a gainst lancashire at cantenbury where we were on tour with a dutch side during a rain interfal i went to the indoorschool and watched him practice together with ganguly in the other net who was playing for the opposition at the time ! i wish him all the luck in the rest of his carreer ! hope this will help ! bye rene

Dravid is only the player to perform in test matches. He is only the wall of the indian cricket.

Well said, Mr. Menon, and what you have said represents the feelings and voices of millions of
Dravid's ardent fans including me...fans just not of his cricketing skills, but fans of his total package...a rare combination of skills, ingenuity, love for the game, the team and the country, humility and graciousness. Simply put, Dravid is a personification of Class and everything that is good & Godly in life. God bless him and his dear ones.

I was one of those who couldnt watch him reach 100. Also it was because of Gambhir. The last time I saw him bat he got out in his 60s. I hope the stars change soon; it sucks watching just the highlights and reading cricinfo. But all said and done, Dravid was wonderful. The flow after lunch was superb. I wish he had carried on and scored 150. Hopefully he will score runs in the second innings too!!

Always a Rahul fan!! I trust in you The Great Wall of India!!

What I am about to say might be sacrilege to many including Sambit Bal who said in an article few days back in Cricinfo that Dravid ranks behind Gavaskar and Tendulkar. I consider Dravid the greatest ever Test Batsman to have played for India. To me Greatness means results when it matters,scoring when the team is in crisis,playing selfless cricket and contributing to victories in tough and foreign conditions. No other Indian Batsman can stand near Dravid in any of these aspects. It is really heartening to see this Great player come out of a slump and not being unceremoniously dumped.I share Suresh's feelings of relief fully.

I agree. We all were waiting for that knock from Dravid, and I always felt that it was somewhere around the corner. Better late than never. He is a class apart and I guess that Indian cricket is relieved that our 'Wall' is back.

805 runs at 32 in 15 matches in the calander year AFTER this match. Before it less than 700 in 14 matches at less than 28. In the last 2 years 25 matches have yielded an average of 33. Take out Bangladesh and he didnt score a 100 in 2007 and the average is 31.
He should have been dropped long ago. Its not the past that matters or Botham would still be at number 6 for England.

Good for him. One of my favourite cricketers...

wow dravid is back thnk god was praying for him to so he could go to his 100.thanks for the 24th 100 sir.

Dravid is one the greatest Indian cricketer and he unfortunately has not got the credit for all the great innings he has played from 2000 to 2006. Should have seen his reaction after scoring a Century today, he was not over reacting just raised his bat and walked back to his crease. This shows what he should felt for all the criticism he has received from all the corners.Agreed that he has not been performing upto his standards in the last 2 years but who does not have lean patch even Tendulkar was under performing in 2003 and 2006 but he still has got chances and will always do. Dravid over the years has scored Centuries in all corner of the world, scored double century in Aus,Eng,Pak and Nzland. How many of the current players have scored double centuries overseas????? Its not far away when he will retire and again unfortunately he will not be remembered for his contribution to India cricket & all those 10000 runs which he has scored.

If anyone could do it, it had to be Rahul Dravid, the innings he played was not only crucial for him but for the team as well. Its strange how easily people wrote him off! It was refreshing, I have seen each ball that he played and believe me each carried a lesson. Even the 100 celebration had a mark of its own. The true Dravidian fan says: Dravid never needed to comeback, he was always there. It was just that he was not creating a Dravidian impact which we are so used to for the past decade

Everyone wanted Dravid to do well- people, press, former players. This shows what Dravid meant to Indian cricket. Yes, I followed a routine too. Not to look at Indian score card for 2 days and it worked!!. Dravid's contribution to Indian victories and success over last decade is second to none-probably, he ranks # 1. Even above Tendulkar. To judge Dravid over last 1 year is unfair. Even here, as Suresh Menon points out, it is a failure by his own standards. Lot of batsmen are considered a success if they score 800 runs in a calendar year. I have a feeling that this is a turn around for Dravid and wait for tons of runs in the next 3 years or so. One needs to give credit to Dhoni as well for sticking with Dravid at number 3. It needs a vision and Dhoni has it. This Indian team will go places. Get a 4th bowler (Sreeshanth?) back in place of Mishra and use Shewag and Yuvraj for the 5th bowler. Also, take note of Cheteshwar Pujara (next superstar), Rohit sharma, and Piyush Chawla back.

Yes; Rahul Dravid's much expected return to form has come in the form of well earned century. As every seasoned test player goes through a rough patch,Rahul Dravid is no exception;So is the saying goes, "Class is permanent but the form is temporary".His parents prayers and also of his fans' have been now answered; I do recall that the great G.R.Viswanath had lean period in his illustrious career and I had been told that during this lean period every time he visited Tirupati Temple and offered prayers to get back to form.

I missed the century too. Initially when I was watching Dravid struggled to get to 11. For some reason after lunch on day one I was watching the score on cricknfo and Dravid started. Batting well. Until he got his 100, I just followed the score in cricinfo though I had the live coverage. I shouted my lungs out when Dravid reached his 100. I wish I hadn't watched after that. Dravid would have made 200. Anyways, Dravid is relieved and so is INDIA.

there is no doubt in my mind that irrespective of what happens rahul is one of the greatest batsman india has ever produced no doubt. all this idea of him being slow is just apopular opinion without fact he has scored 270 and we won the match and scored 233 and we won so lets stope the debate. the man is a legend and does it without any showmanship

Rahul Dravid proved one thing to everyone throughout the past two days - beleive in yourself and you can acomplish anything. An innings of patience and good judgement proved this. He as to Sachin and Sourav have silenced their critics once again and that is what champions do.

Sachin and Rahul's temprement, however is one of the keys to their unformidable succes. They have gained the respect of opposition players by showing respect themselves and not falling into the "sledgeing" trap. This is on point every youngster should follow to keep the spirit of the game alive.

There is potential more good news: Dravid could become the highest catch taker during this test -he is only two behind Vaugh.

There is potentially more good news: Dravid could become the highest catch taker during this test -he is only two behind Vaugh.

The 'Fabulous Four' is still missing the best of them all! When will the Indians start thinking straight and call Ganguly back for one last lark? India without Ganguly is definitely less fun to watch, and let's not kid ourselves, Dhoni and Co. are standing on his shoulders.

I am thrilled to see Dravid rediscovering the golden touch. Some of us never had any doubts about his comeback, for true class never dies! The era of T20, swash buckling agro-hitting and fans' growing demands for instant gratification led to forecast premature demise of Dravid. His impeccable, do-not-rush me batting technique and proven penchant to shape long innings are gems to treasure. He should not jade his class by playing T20 circus. Any attempts to force-fit into McDonalds of cricket will cost Rahul dearly. He belongs to very best in Test arena that has been at the pinacle of game for one and half centuries and will remain so for eons to come. Due to colosal amount of 'express' cricket played these days, India will certainly generate enough 'utility' players but Dravids of game should not be sacrificed. With the latest century in Mohali, he is ready to embark scoring 30 plus Test ceturies to his credit. The Wall is just re-inforced! All the best to Rahul for continued success!

No doubt his class is permanent. He proved it as he scored another century against England. His batting average is still more than 50 and this is his 79th 50 or plus inning in his career, it means he is a consistent batsman. He has such a major slump in his career but still he has to prove himself as still his batting average is less than 40 from past two years. He scored more than 800 runs in this year with 27 innings means this year his performance is not up to mark. Every player has a problem in his career like Hayden who scored 20 centuries in 95 innings with batting average near to 60 that even at one occasion Steve Waugh said now we can compare Hayden with Bradman. Now his average is slightly more than 50 with 30 centuries in 180 innings. Now Kallis also has a problem as he scored 615 runs in 22 innings in this calender year. Inzamam did not score any test century in his last 23 innings. Lara scored only 15 centuries in his first 141 innings and then 19 centuries added in it.

i completely agree,myself being a hardcore fan of dravid am more than relieved,i was completely in a state of dismay by the proceedings over the last couple of years, but as dravid has said,after the knock,he needed as bit of luck,i strongly agree with him because it was more than anything his luck which has deserted him whenever he looked like regaining his form,be it controversial sydney test dismissal or three outrageous LBW decisions( by a system known as review,which was used only for that specific sri lanka series and he was the biggest victim),so when yesterday morning he got two bits of luck in the form of close LBW decision turned down and skier stuck nicely between the two diverging fielders,my heart immidiately prompted that this might be the occasion.i am thankfull to god he did that,because given the fact that indias next tour is more than three months away,he badly needed to deliver and it was the last chance before that,not only for him but also for me,THANKS RAHUL :)

yes absolutely true what you wrote infact teh pressure was enormous as this was the last chance for him to come good which he,along with everyone, knew.But just a thought should he announce retirement on this high(or comeback to be more precise)as I am not sure if he fails again even for brief period there wont be many backers and the precious opportunity for retiring gracefully would have already been lost.

Dravid's comeback is all the more special becuase he has done it the hard way - through sheer will power and character. Indian cricket lovers are fair weather fans and I guess that shows their character. Dravid's knowck in Australia, when everything around him was crumbling will always stand up in my mind. Go Rahul!

There is no substitute for class and temperament, and Rahul Dravid has those in abundance. Add to that his talent and we have a man who has won India more matches abroad than anyone else. Yes, it was a relief to see him back at his best. This however does not take away from the fact that he is 35 and there are youngsters like Rohit Sharma knocking at the doors. Ultimately though, he has earned the right to decide when he walks away into the sunset.

-- A realistic fan !

I like it the part where your brought the point of 800 plus runs and performance evaluation in case of Dravid. No body knows what he is going through. I am scientist and I know when experiment does not work and you start finding the reason for failure in that process you forget what you were looking from that experiment. Media is treating Dravid's case so badly that he is lost and confused what to do and not.

True, support from the captain and confidence he had in Dravid was tremendous. After 3ball 0 from Shewag, I just hoped Dravid crosses the 30 run mark (as Dhoni stated). Dravid did cross 30 and came up with a good century. Well done Dravid and great leadership Dhoni. Good luck with 2nd test match.

Mr.Wall,

My heartful congrats to you. what a wonderful innings from u. U take more balls to score this runs but when other batsman doesnt score more u scored 137 its amazing what a comeback innings from u. ur shot selections are great when compared to previous innings. U have to be in same form to lift india to No.1 place. u r great in test cricket . no one there to play best innings than u when they were in out of form. I dont think his batting is in out form. dravid has been mentally tortured by some persons and he totally out of match after he resigned his captiancy. anyway mr. wall back again. its happy to see indian batting order is 100% after dravid innings. all the very best to indian team for more victory and wonderful dravid, gambhir centuries.

Not true to comment that 'no batsman has had as many chances as Dravid'. Tendulkar, the imposter has had more chances than any Indian cricketer ever. Tndulkar is being kept in the forefront by cricket pundits like this author. More Tendulkar fails, more hero-worshipping he gets from the media, Ten fan club and crooked politicians(BCCI)

Dravid would never been forced to undergo the humiliation of those long walks back to the dressing room if India had a policy of rotation. The policy should be: three strikes and you go back to Ranji; your place is assured as you are too valuable to lose. Players can then play fearlessly and without the demon of non-selection preying on their minds. Players like Rahul and Laxman will become twice as good. Remember the phase where Laxman was afraid to take the run and get to the striker's end because he didn't want to get out and spoil his average?

I live in New Zealand and I really like your blog. Oh by the way, Sayantan Chakravarty, your former colleague at Indian Express, asked me to convey his regards.

I had a bet with one of my friend before the start of this match that Dravid would score a Century. I am one of his biggest fans waiting for this happen.

Dravid had nothing to prove. He has made the cricket world proud for more than a decade. It was sad that cricket lovers had to see a great batsman go through a lean and struggling phase. Now that he has made a century, the cricket will witness another 2-3 years of Dravid's dominance, which began in 2000.

Um, Peter, calling Tendulkar an "imposter" demonstrates your lack of reading skills. Go find some data off Google or Cricinfo for the stats this imposter has amassed in his career. Why was he given those chances? Because he kept proving himself worthy of it. He scored a century in the first test match just a week or so ago -- forgotten? Take a tally of who has scored the most runs for India in ODIs and test matches in 2007 and 2008, years when this imposter is "old". Try not to reveal your idiocy on a public forum so blatantly. 1 billion people, many of them educated and passionate followers of both stats and style of a player, cannot be less right than you are, huh?

On the number of chances given to come good, I think people are forgetting the chances offered to Sehwag and Tendulkar just a couple of years back. Dravid has taken only 7 matches to turn around. Someone mentioned that he is 35 and pl like Rohit Sharma are waiting, so? One can always take Yuvi out, i firmly believe that he dosent belong in Test arena. Hereonwards the less said about Dravid the better, he dosent need to prove anything to anyone. He is what he is, the Wall.

step back everyone,who've misjudged and doubted Rahul...his commitment to the game n his patriotism to the country is unquestionable,as is his mastery over the game.all these prayers,hopes,support is a testimony to how much everyone loves him..i'm proud to be a fan of a perfect gentleman in a gentleman's game,on n off the field that he is.may he glow,outshining everyone else....

This just delays the inevitable. This century will now allow him to get at least another 20 failures, some of which will be torturous to watch and will let down his team. It’s time for hard decisions to be made because its obvious Dravid is not going to retire

In all this hulloboo abt dravid - the legend's form slackness, dhoni and co deserve as much praise as the great man himself. even the staunchest of fans like me had started doubting his performance. why not when you have such a strong bench questions are to be asked from a player howsoever great he is in record matter.But what if the player who was given chance in place of dravid had he been dropped also faltered for 6-8 innings.hence insistence of dhoni and co to persist with dravid needs big aplause. HAIL Rahul Dravid - the Greatest of all .....

Rakesh Krishnan, I know you live in NZ or whatever. Do you have to publicize it? Three strikes and out; this isn't baseball homie! Nor is this a place for exchanging pleasantries!

Nice comeback by Dravid. I really appreciate his determination. I watched him play both the innings, he played with lot of concentration and tried not to make mistakes. I think he doesn't need to prove anything, and I agree to your statement that he set the standard's high for himself that's people except the Dravid to play like "The Wall" all the time. I am not sure why they didn't want to send him down the order and I really appreciate his commitment and determination to play at number three (altough it's his lucky number). All the best Dravid and I wish we win this match. I think his hundred masked Gambir's 179.

No one close to Dravid class in this era in test cricket.

I would like to reply tothe mail send by Peter.
for a spectator to comment on a sportsman is very easy. I played competetive football in school and university till I hanged my boots to be a sailor. It is very difficult to keep pace in sport if you are mentally not strong and like most sport you have max 10 yrs of Shelf life. But to continue for 19 years with the same passion, fitness and mental aspiration,you have to see it,feel it to beleive to what these guys are doing on the field.

My advice to you is even if you can do something more consitent in one year of your life in anything you you where you put in your passion, you mental strenght and your physical ability then you will know within your self how it it feels to be counted among MEN.

Rahul is fantastic. Just because he had a few bad innings dosent mean that he has lost his class. I knew always that he would come back and is going to stay for some more time. Best of luck Rahul.

There is a line which says "form is temporary but the class is permanent".Its true and yet one more time Mr. Consistence of cricket India has proved that with this gutsy and typical characteristically composed century.No doubt about that "The Wall" is back.I was reading the articles about him being not consistence as well as not the player he used to be and was wondering what else he has to prove ? But make no mistake he has proved yet again that he is still good enough to play for India.Its a pity for anyone who has played this much of cricket being and made this much of runs is getting criticized by those person who has not even played cricket at highest level and Mr Wall has given the answer the best way he can,let your bat talking Mr Consistent as you don't have to answer anyone!!!!!!!

We have to take the following statement of the article with a pinch of salt
" those who were most vicious in their criticism will point out that few batsmen have been given as many chances to come good as Dravid has ". We all know that there are many players in the current and past Indian team, who have been given as many chances as Dravid, if not more, to come good . I am not a cricket statistician, but i would be interested to know the results, if some body makes an analysis of this kind. But, I more than agree with Dravid's statement that millions of his fans like me wanted Dravid to come good not to prove any of his critics wrong, but we all honestly and sincerely believe that he has many more years of cricket left in him to serve indian cricket with the kind of cricket he has been producing for the past decade and half with distinction. our best wishes to Dravid. We enjoy your cricket. Keep it up.

Dravid,
I am from Bangalore and have been living in Atlanta,USA since 2000. I have been big fan of yours since your School days. I followed every success of your cricket career. I was one of the first who called your parents over phone when you got your first 50 and century in test cricket(within a minute)and congratulated.I still cherish your autograph I got at Bangalore airport.
If any doubted your form, they must have been either oblivious of cricket knowledge or plain jelous. You have continued and enhanced the great legacy of level headed Karnataka Cricketers like Prasanna,Chandra,Vishy, Kirmani,Brijesh,Srinath,V.Prasad and Kumble.May god give you strength to serve the national team.

I don't know why any one has to criticize Tendulkar to praise Dravid. Its mere waste to draw comparisions. Happy to see that Dravid is back.

It had to happen it was never in doubt.Only in India can a player of Dravid's caliber face such scrutiny over a few failed innings. I think it's time we just stop whining. Well played Rahul, good on ya!

THE WALL, MR. DEPENDABLE,
HE is very hard workling person. From the past one year he is not able to get hundread. But he get the support from his teemates and other persons. Finaly he got the hundred in the MOHALI TEST against Eng. That was the innins with lot of patience as he was under pressure and what a inning it was by DRAVID. One more thing HE and GAMBHIR had a partership of 314 runs. This was the 4th time when he shared the 300 + partenership and highest by any INHDIAN. I congratulate him for this knock that will actualy help him to gain his confidence. ALLTHE VERY BEST 4 FUTURE

Well done dravid we are proud of you

What a comeback!! We all knew Dravid was capable. But with all the appreciations that is coming Dravid's way, we shouldn't forget the support he got from the immediate decision-makers of the team - the captain, the coach & the selection committee. I think this would not have happened if Dhoni going by all that was said in the media, would have dropped him down the order. There's nothing more comforting than when others are more confident than you about your abilities. Dravid has been the pillar for many of our test truimphs, especially the ones abroad. There were many of us who thought that Dravid and Gambhir were taking too much time to score. But how humbling was the experience when the others managed a highest partnership of 40 between themselves at lesser run rate than them!!! And if India wins this test - wow that will really end Dravid's year well and he deserves it. So congrats to Dravid as well as the captain, the chairman & the members of the selection committee & the coach.

It is painful to watch Dravid bat these days, in fact he has never been a flamboyant batsman. David is one of the best test batsmen India has ever produced. We have already seen best of Dravid & now India can do better without Dravid. If not for records, Dravid should call it quits from test cricket & give chance to any deserving candidate. Same is true for Tendulkar in one dayers. Now India can do better without Tendulkar in one dayers. If not for records, Sachin should quit one dayers and should concentrate on test cricket. With the likes of Sehwag, Laxman, Sachin, Dhoni, and Yuvraj in the test team, we can surely try some other batsman for Dravid. Though Dravid got a 100+ in this test, the way he batted did not allow other batsman to settle down and play their game and it could have a negative effect on this match if England does well in the first innings. Dravid, if u get to read this, retire from test cricket, and Sachin, retire from one dayers coz that is the best way forward.

Back with a Bang...! it was very tough going for every jammy fan for an year or so and that phase finally has terminated.'The Wall'has shown what it means 2 be his fan. Bravo jammy bravo...!

No better time or state of match or pitch or weather conditions for Dravid to come good finally. That he had the company of the in-form and another great batsman in the making, Gautam Gambhir was a also an important factor in this comeback. Tendulkar's statement earlier on Dravid's greatness was enough to show that this Indian Team and dressing room, more than anyone else, needing Dravid's continued company. We also should thank the ex-chairman and the current for backing Dravid in his darker days. All along, we have noticed that BCCI, Selection Committee, the skipper and the team, who matter the most, wished and supported for Dravid's well doing. I salute this one of the greatest servants of Indian Cricket and wish many more such centuries in difficult batting conditions that he has been known for..

Some Peter calls Tendulkar an imposter. Lets see, 1000 runs again in test cricket in an year again, instrumental in winning the finals at the ODI series in Australia, century in second innings to win the Chennai test!!! Well if he is an imposter, I will put all the money to get 11 such imposters in the Indian team. I would anyday believe Yuvraj Singh saying that it was his dream to be part of a partnership with Tendulkar to win a test match than any Peter. He has been a joy to watch all these years and still continues to entertain us. Mr.tendulkar, continue imposting :)

It is very strange that people in our country criticise our best sportspersons and ask them to retire and then start feeling their absence. When to retire is the right of the player to decide. If he is not getting selected that is a different matter. Many certain defeats were stalled by Rahul at No 3. It is not fair to comment that because there are other cricketers with talent the existing players should retire.

Dravid scored 53 and 38 in sydney this year till bucknor got his wicket. he followed it with 93 in perth which was the highest individual score in the game (india won the match). He also scored 100 vs. sa in chennai(albeit on a flat pitch). so he had a spell of only 10 bad matches this year.A certain indian great batsman with initials SRT went through a period of 10 tests with just 387 runs at 23.8 average & only 2 fifties between(and including) matches vs. srilanka,ahmedabad,2005 and vs. sa,johannesburg,2007. After scoring century vs. srilanka in 2005, SRT had to wait for 3 years till he scored a ton against test nation except bangladesh(vs. aus in 2008) so if we could allow one great(SRT) such long time, there was no reason why another great should be denied the same. And for those asking for retirement on basis of age, lara, mcgrath, inzy are recent examples of those who have played till they are 37. Thankfully, the selection committee and dhoni have shown faith in Dravid.(contd)

(contd)Further india needs to look at australia and learn a lesson from their mistake. Australia lost 3 greats mcgrath, warne and gilchrist in a short time and have struggled since then. While india has done well at home after ganguly and kumble's retirement, playing away is a different cup of tea! Note how harbhajan and yuvraj struggled in australia recently. Further, newzealand tour is next up and it is the only place india has not won since 2000. Dravid is the highest scorer overall in all away wins for india (1871 runs at 77.95). So until Yuvraj or somebody else proves that he is ready for shouldering the responsibility, india needs Dravid ie atleast for the next 1 to 1&1/2 year.

As the jam himself, I was surprised to see the amount of genuine fanbase he has over this low-run phase.The popularity of dravid is understood only now and his value to the side will be understood only when we play AUS or England 3 years later. Till that time, let us enjoy this self-critical,unassuming,humble and handsome gentleman for he makes every indian proud on and off the field. I really thought he was done in by hard luck for the last 2 years, an unplayable ball or a marginal or totally wrong lbw decision added to his (our) misery. Wish we all have a glorius 2009!

The great Rahul Dravid is back.... And how !!

Keep going Rahul........

Well, first of all i need to congratulate Mr. Raul for his come back. We has a people have to learn some thing to learn from him, No matter what people say about you, you need to concentrate on your self belief and capability. He is not only a player but a great ambassador for cricket and a first off all a good hearted person.

I wish him all the best for his future!!

It is great that Dravid has silenced the critics (who don't understand the game) with his bat! The interesting thing is that while international cricketers, both ex- and current like Botham, Engineer, Srinath, SRT, Dhoni, etc., have never doubted Dravid's ability, so called "reporters" like Anand Vasu, Bobbili Vijay Kumar and Kadambari Murali used his last few innings to write him off in their respective columns. Just like the Hindustan Times did with Yuvraj Singh after his Ranji duck.

These writers should focus on reporting on the day's play accurately for those readers who missed out watching the game live, rather than try to act knowledgeable about the game. Just because they write for a publication that has millions of readership they shouldn't try to act God.

And a final word - we Indians should learn to respect and value our greats rather than revile them.

If not for Sachin, not many of us would have thought twice before rating Rahul Dravid the best batsman India has produced since Sunil Gavaskar. And yet we have no patience even for the very best of our cricketers. Ironical because we waste no time in putting all kinds of people on a pedestal just after a couple of performances and hail them as the next Sachin or Dravid or whatever.

I had been supporting dravid for years now...and i am an ardent fan of his(i lik how he carries himself more den his cricket)....evertime he fails (in d last few matches)my friends used to tease me that its the end of dravid.....whwnwve he fails they call me and tease me...i was waiting for the day he scores a century to call dem bak...luckily to my belief i got one.He's a gr8 player and a true gentleman the game had ever produced,happy to see the wall back.

well it was just a matter of time before rahul got among the runs and i am glad that people with sense run the game at the top.

I have been a fan of Rahul Dravid eversince he started his career at Lords along with Sourav Ganguli.He is the best player in any condition of the pitch and has the rare honour of being nick named as THE WALL.A treat to watch when he is on a song.He is a complete team man and has batted at almost all the positions in the interest of the team.Hars off to such a rare cricketer and I am lucky to have seen his entire career and his contributions to Indian Cricket.Long Live Rahul and his cricketing instincts.I prey Almighty to bless me to see lot more good innings from Rahul in my lifetime.Indian Cricket is best served as long as Rahul Dravid is around.I wish him all success and hope that he will come up with many more good knocks for us before he hangs his boots which should be totally his decision and should never be imposed.

If somebody can actually say enough is enough to Indian captiancy he knows when to hang his boots as well.He is a very important man for the New zealand and England tour.We have to plan our batting succession very carefully.Allow Yuvi to find his place.He should be a good no:5 whenever VVS or RD leaves.If Dravid leaves first VVS could be the no 3 with Yuvi at no5 and Dhoni at no 6.Hopefully we will unearth our all rounder by that time.It is almost 15 years since Kapil's retirement.Or should have M.Vijay as the no 3 /Chetheswar Poojara as no 6.if VVS goes first probably can have Rohith Sharma as no 5 for his eventual promotion to no 4

Genuine congratulations to Rahul Dravid. I've followed his progress from Eng tour of 96. So glad you've managed to get another century.

However objectively-speaking, time is not on his side now....let's see how he's fare in the next 4-5 innings to see if he's really back. At this age you can't afford to give players x chances, when a new player could be using those chances to get used to Test cricket. I'd rather 10 runs from a new player, than 30 runs from a Senior.

We can not say that dravid is back in form just because of one century.We have to see how he performs in next series but we have to wait for two months since pakistan tour has been canceled.I hope he will practice in ranji ,and prove he is still wall of indian cricket team.

Rahul Dravid played like a broken wall.
so i think his 100 does not keep any matter in
that match.His 100 gave him a relief so please rahul give relief to indian team by announce of your retirement. your retirement will give you and indian team a great relief. so rahul plz think about my request and announce your retirement before BCCI selection committee would force for your retirement. otherwise all thing depend on u if you want to retire in good manner so this is the best time for you otherwise we will see when BCCI force for your retirement like SC Ganguly
SO plz think............

'The Wall' needs to be more consistent.

Now-a-days, whenever I see him coming to bat, it reminds me about the slogan of Barclays ATM - Hole in the Wall.

I have been watching cricket for 23 years now and he is the only Indian to score a century in both innings of a Test match, which he achieved against the Kiwis at their backyard. So there is no question that he deserves to be a part of Indian contingent for New Zealand.

I dont think Dravid has regained, I mean you start off the article with a remark dripping with scorn at English bowling & then heave praise on .What are you trying to say? He did score a century, but in most un-demanding circumstances[he couldnt help it though]& in most sedate way [that doesnt matter]. What matters is what happend to his touch in second innings of same match? i guess he made a single-digit score! And i am not even talking about his contribution [or lack of] in previous test @ Chennai.The problem is that Dravid doesnt have a good replacement yet & moreover there is no really challenging series coming up as far bowling is concerned [does ANY team apart from AUS & RSA & to an extent IND itself have a potent attack anyway?] so we wont be seeing Dravid hanging his boots this year maybe. Its not that i am complaining & askin him to retire. He's done great job for India;no one else could give us that 233. And whoever said he was an average player should be left to rot & die!

I don't think a player of dravid's rank should be dropped from the team.Its just a matter of time when finds his old touch .He is famous by the name of "The Wall of india",which he has proved time and again.Whenever team india is under difficult situation dravid is there on duty.We can't forget his contribution to indian cricket and his capability to adapt and play under any situation and in any number be it no. 3 or lower the order.His memorable partnership with VVS laxman in the Kolkata test against Aussies can't be forgotten.He was the lone player in the indian team who was amongst runs when indian team was on tour to NewZealand way back in 2002.So it would be good for the young indian team to use his experience and talent so that he can pass on the experience to the next generation of cricketers.
Hope that dravid continues making runs for india and for himself.

Suresh,
what you have written is perfect.There are people who will say Kohlis,sharmas will score 800 runs when they are at their best .But the difference is Dravid can score those runs even when he is not at his peaks.why the same sharma is not able to cement his palce in the ODIs.once sharma said that the young blood will be able to replace the GANGULYS ,DRAVIDS..and where is he now??? Guys please dont judge a player with the perfomance in the ODIs & T20s.If those results reflect the quality, the Yuvrajs & Dhonis would have made runs in England ,Australia,WI & New Zealand which is very unlikey and am sure they will not be able to do unless there is a useless bowling attack and a flat pitch is provided,, not the headingly ,perth,Kingston ,Durban,Joburg or a harare in that matter... These Dhonis ,Yuvrajs,sharmas can score runs in Chennai,Ahemadabad,Delhi,Hyderabad,Clomobo,Lahore,Dhaka and all Indian venues .. dont get fooled by those stats when you compare test cricket which is the REAL

No one is required to buy a Rahul Dravid & VVS Laxman centuries coz which is capable of winning matches for India .. the 25 & 15 centuries scored by those Team palyes are winning (TEST)matches for India more than those who make 50 hundreds..stats prove that ,time will prove that and History will say that.. The great T20 & ODI die hards will never be able to see the beautiful side of real cricket which is TEST cricket..Form is temporary but class is permanent.Time will prove how many runs the Sharmas ,yuvrajs & Dhonis can make in test cricket as the way dravids,Laxmans,Jayawardanes,Sangakkaras,Kallis & sarwans does ( without slogging..)