Bangalore bats for Dravid

The uppermost question in the minds of all cricket fans across the country is: Will India get the better of Pakistan in the upcoming series? But in Bangalore, the number one question seems to be: Why was local hero Rahul Dravid dropped? And the answer, almost unanimous, from former cricketers to ordinary fans, is a big thumbs down. The reason, many feel, is because of – what else – dirty old politics, the games the selectors play. Also, an overwhelming majority suspect that this is also part of a bigger purge coming in the way of the Big 3. Saurav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar better watch out, they say. The Wall is down today, tomorrow the opening pillars will come crashing down. All that’s needed for that to happen is a small crack in the opening, and it will then be déjà vu again.

With the kind of popular revulsion over Dravid getting the boot, Viru seems to have little sympathy among the fans in Bangalore. According to them, Virender Sehway seems to have got a relook because of politics, more than any reason or logic behind it. TWB asked the cricketing public: Should Dravid have been dropped, was Sehwag the right choice to replace him, was politics behind this decision, will Dravid make a comeback or choose to retire from ODIs, and will the Big 2 be the next victims? Over to the public:

Joseph Policarp, call center employee and “a 24/7 cricket-crazy fan”: Dropping a guy like Rahul Dravid simply makes no sense. After all, form is temporary, but class is permanent. You can’t expect a batsman to keep scoring runs 24/7 all through a long career spanning more than a decade. Only till yesterday, he was hailed as Mr Dependable, as the Wall of Indian Cricket. Overnight, he’s not needed! It smacks of politics, there can be no other reason for it. As for his replacement, it would have made better sense to drop Sehwag rather than take him, on the same yardstick of current form! Being the perfect gentleman that he is, Dravid might choose to make a quiet bow and retire from ODIs. If the same thinking continues, there is trouble ahead for Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar too, the other senior batsmen in the team. However, there is nothing wrong in giving a youthful look to the team per se. After all, sportsmen are not like film actors, who can go on and on, chasing trees and shedding tears on screen!

V.S. Vijayakumar, former India player and all-rounder: It was a totally wrong on the part of the selectors to drop Rahul Dravid, ignoring his fitness, ability, status and record. Having said that, I would not like to comment on the politics behind this decision, other than questioning its logic. But being the class player that he is, he will definitely make a comeback. Missing a few games is not the end of the world for a man who has successfully overcome many a crises. For all these years, he has been Mr Dependable and one can count on him even today to deliver the goods similarly. More importantly, the Indian team simply cannot afford to lose such an experienced and doughty campaigner.
In my opinion, the other seniors like Sachin and Ganguly still have a lot of cricket left in them. But the youngsters have upped the competition and are fighting hard to get into the team, which is a good thing overall for Indian cricket.

Rajesh Kamath, former Karnataka player, coach and selector: Dropping Dravid is not only a great blunder, it is also gross injustice to one of the best batsmen in the world. After committing an unpardonable blunder, the selectors have compounded their blunder by replacing Dravid with Sehwag, who is himself going through a bad patch!

Make no mistake, Dravid will make a terrific comeback. He is a tenacious cricketer, I have played with him many times and indeed, he is rock solid, more than just a ‘wall’.
The whole thing smacks of politics. The BCCI and Vengsarkar will rue their decision. Sadly, Indian cricket has become victim once again. Will Ganguly be the next target? The axe will fall on him next, and Sachin better watch out! But then their bats are mightier than the pens of the experts and can make them to eat their poisonous words.

Mark Livingston, former coach of St Joseph’s College: Definitely not Dravid! You can’t go by his performances in the last five innings and ignore his stupendously consistent performance before that. The Indian team may have a strong batting lineup, but all of them, while capable of scoring briskly, lack the ability to dig in, and play a long knock. If at all the selectors wanted to drop Dravid or looking to the future, they should have waited for a suitable replacement to come, before taking this tortuous decision. I think cricketers from the south have generally been victims of Board politics, and Dravid may be the latest victim. Going by his past track record, Dravid is sure to make a comeback and one hopes he does so, for the sake of Indian cricket. The lesson from this sad episode is clear: The seniors should buckle down and perform, or perish. There are a lot of talented youngsters knocking on the doors of Team India.

Latha Nair, cricket fan: In a way, it is good that Dravid has been dropped from the team. At least we will know now how good or bad the Indian team is without the Wall. Even a Wall ages, suffers from wear and tear, and cannot be for ever. Sehwag, with his match winning abilities, now gets another opportunity to prove himself. If he does well, the team will gain. If he does not, we will have to find someone else. The solution does not lie in hanging on to the same old pillar of the team.

As for whether Dravid’s sack was a political decision, what is surprising about it? Where there is money and influence, there is bound to be politics. And Indian cricket is flush with money and money power. In our own State, many talented Ranji players failed to make it to the national team, only because of politics or because they did not have the leverage, or did not know the right men at the right places.

Will Dravid comeback? Surely, he will, but I think after making a point with his bat, he will resign. Even the other seniors, Sachin and Ganguly, should make way for younger players, after next year.