Rahul Dravid has been referred to as a ‘former cricketer’ after the Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians CLT20 final which concluded.
‘The Wall’ of Team India, who gave his life for Indian team for most part of his career, and later as skipper of Rajasthan Royals, shared his T20 farewell with Sachin Tendulkar. Unlike Tendulkar though, Dravid is ready to move on from cricket, saying that remaining only in the IPL for a couple of years was a way of experiencing the other side of life — while coming back to the game for the Royals.
Dravid after being dismissed for one last time. BCCI “Even though I quit international cricket, I had it in the back of my mind that there is the IPL. Yes I didn’t train enough if compared to when I was an Indian cricketer, but you knew that you had to perform as a cricketer (because of the IPL). IPL was a way of experiencing a different routine outside of cricket and now I’m ready to move on,” he told in an excusive interview.
Dravid was given a guard of honour at the start of the match and at the end of his innings and even though he doesn’t like too much fuss about an occasion, he is grateful for all the respect and love he received during his time with the Royals. “I was touched, extremely grateful for everything cricket has given me. I’m grateful to the team for getting me this far and into the final… couldn’t have asked for anything more. Dravid also mentioned the happiness of going back to grounds with the IPL team where he played so much international cricket. He also acknowledged the fact that sharing the final moments of his career with Sachin Tendulkar was quite something. “Both me and Sachin were trying to win a game of cricket but at the background yes, there was an occasion to it and it was nice to share a moment with Sachin, with whom I’ve shared so much.”
Dravid said that winning the CLT20 would have been a fairytale finish, but at the same time Rajasthan had a lot to be happy about — where they have come as a team and what they have achieved.
Dravid’s most endearing legacy in T20 will remain the faith he showed in players who, in his words, have otherwise been ‘undervalued’ or ‘underutilised’, but he maintains that Rajasthan Royals is not a place where anyone can make a name — there is a prerequisite and it’s called ‘skill’. “Skill is the only criteria. We’re not doing any charity here. If they have the skill, then you’ll get a chance. Dravid added that he was looking forward to spending time at home and doing some media work, while also contemplating working with young cricketers.
Its a fact that Sachin and Dravid, sharing the same match as their last match, a bit overshadowed the glorious event for Dravid. The man who gave his life for cricket but never received that much glory and fame as Sachin Tendulkar or Sourav Ganguly. The best Test player of Team India has retired from T20 cricket as well.
We adore you for what you gave to our country!
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