Dravid reflects on knock that shaped career

Former skipper relishes Lords return

As fate would have it, the right-hander got the chance to play in the second Test at Lord’s with Sanjay Manjrekar ruled out because of an injury and, as the cliché goes, he hasn’t looked back since.

It was here that the legend of Dravid was born, and for someone who has a great sense of history and tradition, it all couldn’t have started at a better place. 

The former India captain batted at No 7, scored 95, forged crucial partnerships with the tail and helped India dominate the Test. Over the years, the stylish right-hander has played better knocks and even earned the nickname The Wall, but the innings on debut holds a special place in his heart.

“Obviously, it meant a lot to me,” remarked Dravid, recalling his debut at the venue. The 38-year-old, who almost certainly will not return to the venue again as an active player after the opening Test on Thursday, disclosed that he was a touch lucky to get to play but knew the opportunity wouldn’t come knocking again.

“I had played five years of first-class cricket and had scored lots of runs in domestic cricket to break into the Indian squad. I got an opportunity to come here on a tour to England, and I had some good fortune to be even able to play some cricket,” he explained.

“At the start of the series, I wouldn’t have given myself good odds to play in Tests, given the kind of team we had. There were a few injuries and I was lucky to get an opportunity. I knew it would probably the only one, otherwise you had to go back to domestic cricket and start the cycle all over again of scoring runs.”

Having reached that level the hard way, Dravid obviously wasn’t going to throw it all away that easily. “In India, everyone scores lots of runs in domestic cricket and it’s very tough to break in. I had waited for five years and I knew the importance and significance of it (the chance). It was great for me and it meant so much for me,” he pointed out.

At that point in time, Dravid revealed, his only comforting factor was he had earned some breathing space. “I never expected it (the debut innings) to lead to anything and never expected to be here fifteen years later talking about it. But I remember the day, I was 50 not out overnight and I was walking around the ground with (Javagal) Srinath, and I knew this was a very significant innings, it had given me some breathing space. I knew it had allowed me to play a few more Tests, score a few more runs and establish myself in the side. It gave me a lot of confidence scoring 90 here and doing the same thing in Trent Bridge,” he observed.

After 153 Tests and over 12,000 runs, there is little that Dravid has to prove to himself or to anybody else but considering that he won’t be part of an Indian side when it tours this country next time around, he would certainly will be looking to leave a lasting impression on a turf ‘very special’.

A century, which incidentally will be 100th combined Test ton between Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Dravid himself, would be an apt way to cement the romance with Lord’s.