The countdown for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 has begun. Less than 100 days remain before 10 nations (hopefully ten) compete against each other for the prestigious and coveted trophy.
The build up to the World Cup has also begun. There is intense discussion about team selections, squads, captains, coaches etc. But, here we shall discuss about the game itself, in its entirety.
Since the onset of this millennium, the game of cricket has undergone a lot of transformation. T20 cricket has come into existence, women's cricket has got recognition, DRS method has come into effect, the pink ball has begun being used for playing day-night test matches and many other changes have followed.
A few others have also made their entry into cricket, but these entries, unlike the ones given above are not celebrated. Match fixing, ball-tampering scandals, corruption charges, world politics and many others have impacted cricket to a large extent. Not that these never happened before 2000, but one has to agree that over the last decade or so, the game of cricket has come into the limelight moreso for the wrong reasons.
But, there are a few players, who stay away from all the turbulence, and perform their tasks very meticulously. These players have had to face difficult times, but they came out even stronger. Nearly every cricketer gives his best on the field, but one will surely agree that the hidden qualities within these players make them stand apart.
This list is actually a very long one. This particular blog, restricts itself to three players who won't be featuring (most probably; surprise calls aside) in the ICC World Cup 2019. But, their contribution to the game has been immense. So, here are three gems who deserve a lot of respect:-
1. Rahul Dravid-
He is 'The Wall' in the true sense. He protected the side's integrity for nearly two decades. Rahul Dravid, the test match player, is remembered for being a very cautious and vigilant player. In an interview with Vikram Sathaye, he mentioned that he often played 'boring innings'.
The fact is that his innings' were never boring. For a true cricket lover, his innings were a treat to the eyes. For instance, in the series against England in 2011, which was a forgettable one for India, he hit 3 amazing centuries. Watching him play James Anderson and Stuart Broad, two bowlers who were at their peak in those years, with such fearlessness was a spectacle.
The most admirable aspect of his game was his resilience. His strokes had a lot of elegance, but the timing was equally amazing. His situation-awareness was also remarkable, and he knew exactly what the situation demanded out of him.
But more importantly, he was dignified both on and off the field. Even though he did have his own share of controversies, he never allowed them to impact his game. He brought a sense of calm in the field, and gave space to players like Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh to freely play their strokes.
He never put himself in the forefront. He displayed that in his very first test match against England at Lords in 1996. Sourav Ganguly too was making his debut. Ganguly went on to score an amazing century, while Dravid fell agonisingly short of his milestone by 5 runs. However, the support he gave to Ganguly was amazing.
Five years later, Dravid had established himself as a solid top-order batsman. In the 2nd test match between India and Australia at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, he batted for nearly two days along with VVS Laxman; a partnership that not only won India the game, but also played a crucial role in lifting the morale of the team. That game is remembered for Laxman's 281 runs. But, Dravid's innings of 180 runs was equally sublime. Being a team-player, he often looked past individual achievements.
Ending up with an amazing average of 52.31 in tests and 39.17 in ODIs, Dravid established himself as one of the greatest ever cricketers India has produced.
His second innings as the coach of India-A and India under-19 teams just shows that he is a 'giver'. His experience is definitely rubbing on the shoulders of youngsters. Players like Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant have risen up the ranks under his tutelage. Dravid is a gentleman in its true sense.
2. AB De Villiers-
He can score runs on all parts of the ground; he can take wonderful catches at any position; he can take sensational catches as a wicket keeper; he can captain his team to victories overseas; he can smash his own team mate (Dale Steyn) for 24 runs in an over; but as he does all of this, he can win hearts.
'Mr 360'; someone who has added himself to the GOAT list over the last decade. He has been a great asset to the cricketing world, as he has given a new meaning to batting in the contemporary world.
What makes him stand out as a cricketer is his amazing all-round abilities. He started off as a wicket-keeper batsmen. But, once Quinton de Kock came into the fold, he had to field in various positions.
Over the last five years, it won't be wrong to say, that he has set new standards for fielding. He stands at backward point, gully, third man, long off and nearly every position that has ever existed. And he delivers.
His spectacular one-handed catch in IPL 2018 was one of the best catches you would ever get to see.
He finished his international career with an average over 50, both in ODIs as well as in Tests. Very few players achieve such great numbers.
His decision to retire from international cricket in 2018 surprised many, considering that he was deemed to play an important role in South Africa's quest of winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. But, we shall never forget his contribution towards cricket, and the legacy that he has left behind.
But what sets him apart is his character of giving his hundred per cent at all points of time. If we can imbibe even a part of this quality, we will definitely be able to move towards our targets with a lot of commitment.
3. Cheteshwar Pujara:-
When there is intense discussion about a visiting player in Australia, and how to counter his challenge, it actually is a testament to the greatness of that player.
In the 1990s, that player was Sachin Tendulkar, in the early 2000s, it was VVS Laxman; in 2014-15, it was Virat Kohli; and currently that player is none other than Cheteshwar Pujara.
Pujara is not someone who will try to hog the limelight. He will perform his duties with a lot of dignity and self-respect. Perhaps it is that very dignity that has made him rise up the ranks over the last few years. Currently, he along with Virat Kohli are the pillars of the Indian Cricket team.
Pujara has often been criticized for taking a lot of time to get going. After an upswing in 2012 and 2013, he had a rather poor run in 2014. After a string of low scores, he was ousted from the team towards the end of 2014. He got his chance once again in 2015, and smashed an unbeaten 150* against Sri Lanka at Galle. That was an innings of extreme character. Since then, he has cemented his place in the team as the Number 3 batsman.
Unfortunately, his limited-overs career never got going. But, he has more than compensated for that in the longer format. In 68 test matches, he has scored over 5000 runs, and has hit 18 centuries in the process. Not a trace of arrogance is seen on his face, inspite of such astounding achievements. 'Respect' is the word that comes to my mind, when I think of such players.
The adjective 'dependable' suits him best, because whenever the team finds itself in any sort of trouble, Pujara bails the team out to a respectable position. His exploits in the recently concluded series against Australia just showed how valuable he is to the team. Thus, he has rightfully earned a new name for himself-
The build up to the World Cup has also begun. There is intense discussion about team selections, squads, captains, coaches etc. But, here we shall discuss about the game itself, in its entirety.
Since the onset of this millennium, the game of cricket has undergone a lot of transformation. T20 cricket has come into existence, women's cricket has got recognition, DRS method has come into effect, the pink ball has begun being used for playing day-night test matches and many other changes have followed.
A few others have also made their entry into cricket, but these entries, unlike the ones given above are not celebrated. Match fixing, ball-tampering scandals, corruption charges, world politics and many others have impacted cricket to a large extent. Not that these never happened before 2000, but one has to agree that over the last decade or so, the game of cricket has come into the limelight moreso for the wrong reasons.
But, there are a few players, who stay away from all the turbulence, and perform their tasks very meticulously. These players have had to face difficult times, but they came out even stronger. Nearly every cricketer gives his best on the field, but one will surely agree that the hidden qualities within these players make them stand apart.
This list is actually a very long one. This particular blog, restricts itself to three players who won't be featuring (most probably; surprise calls aside) in the ICC World Cup 2019. But, their contribution to the game has been immense. So, here are three gems who deserve a lot of respect:-
1. Rahul Dravid-
 |
| Could bat for hours and hours together, without his concentration getting affected |
He is 'The Wall' in the true sense. He protected the side's integrity for nearly two decades. Rahul Dravid, the test match player, is remembered for being a very cautious and vigilant player. In an interview with Vikram Sathaye, he mentioned that he often played 'boring innings'.
The fact is that his innings' were never boring. For a true cricket lover, his innings were a treat to the eyes. For instance, in the series against England in 2011, which was a forgettable one for India, he hit 3 amazing centuries. Watching him play James Anderson and Stuart Broad, two bowlers who were at their peak in those years, with such fearlessness was a spectacle.
The most admirable aspect of his game was his resilience. His strokes had a lot of elegance, but the timing was equally amazing. His situation-awareness was also remarkable, and he knew exactly what the situation demanded out of him.
But more importantly, he was dignified both on and off the field. Even though he did have his own share of controversies, he never allowed them to impact his game. He brought a sense of calm in the field, and gave space to players like Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh to freely play their strokes.
He never put himself in the forefront. He displayed that in his very first test match against England at Lords in 1996. Sourav Ganguly too was making his debut. Ganguly went on to score an amazing century, while Dravid fell agonisingly short of his milestone by 5 runs. However, the support he gave to Ganguly was amazing.
Five years later, Dravid had established himself as a solid top-order batsman. In the 2nd test match between India and Australia at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, he batted for nearly two days along with VVS Laxman; a partnership that not only won India the game, but also played a crucial role in lifting the morale of the team. That game is remembered for Laxman's 281 runs. But, Dravid's innings of 180 runs was equally sublime. Being a team-player, he often looked past individual achievements.
Ending up with an amazing average of 52.31 in tests and 39.17 in ODIs, Dravid established himself as one of the greatest ever cricketers India has produced.
His second innings as the coach of India-A and India under-19 teams just shows that he is a 'giver'. His experience is definitely rubbing on the shoulders of youngsters. Players like Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant have risen up the ranks under his tutelage. Dravid is a gentleman in its true sense.
2. AB De Villiers-
 |
| ABD- Commitment to the core |
He can score runs on all parts of the ground; he can take wonderful catches at any position; he can take sensational catches as a wicket keeper; he can captain his team to victories overseas; he can smash his own team mate (Dale Steyn) for 24 runs in an over; but as he does all of this, he can win hearts.
'Mr 360'; someone who has added himself to the GOAT list over the last decade. He has been a great asset to the cricketing world, as he has given a new meaning to batting in the contemporary world.
What makes him stand out as a cricketer is his amazing all-round abilities. He started off as a wicket-keeper batsmen. But, once Quinton de Kock came into the fold, he had to field in various positions.
Over the last five years, it won't be wrong to say, that he has set new standards for fielding. He stands at backward point, gully, third man, long off and nearly every position that has ever existed. And he delivers.
His spectacular one-handed catch in IPL 2018 was one of the best catches you would ever get to see.
He finished his international career with an average over 50, both in ODIs as well as in Tests. Very few players achieve such great numbers.
His decision to retire from international cricket in 2018 surprised many, considering that he was deemed to play an important role in South Africa's quest of winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. But, we shall never forget his contribution towards cricket, and the legacy that he has left behind.
But what sets him apart is his character of giving his hundred per cent at all points of time. If we can imbibe even a part of this quality, we will definitely be able to move towards our targets with a lot of commitment.
3. Cheteshwar Pujara:-
 |
| Dependable and humble |
When there is intense discussion about a visiting player in Australia, and how to counter his challenge, it actually is a testament to the greatness of that player.
In the 1990s, that player was Sachin Tendulkar, in the early 2000s, it was VVS Laxman; in 2014-15, it was Virat Kohli; and currently that player is none other than Cheteshwar Pujara.
Pujara is not someone who will try to hog the limelight. He will perform his duties with a lot of dignity and self-respect. Perhaps it is that very dignity that has made him rise up the ranks over the last few years. Currently, he along with Virat Kohli are the pillars of the Indian Cricket team.
Pujara has often been criticized for taking a lot of time to get going. After an upswing in 2012 and 2013, he had a rather poor run in 2014. After a string of low scores, he was ousted from the team towards the end of 2014. He got his chance once again in 2015, and smashed an unbeaten 150* against Sri Lanka at Galle. That was an innings of extreme character. Since then, he has cemented his place in the team as the Number 3 batsman.
Unfortunately, his limited-overs career never got going. But, he has more than compensated for that in the longer format. In 68 test matches, he has scored over 5000 runs, and has hit 18 centuries in the process. Not a trace of arrogance is seen on his face, inspite of such astounding achievements. 'Respect' is the word that comes to my mind, when I think of such players.
The adjective 'dependable' suits him best, because whenever the team finds itself in any sort of trouble, Pujara bails the team out to a respectable position. His exploits in the recently concluded series against Australia just showed how valuable he is to the team. Thus, he has rightfully earned a new name for himself-
Cheteshwar 'Dependable' Pujara.
Note- Pujara has just scored his first T20 hundred against Railways, thus proving that he can very much adapt to the challenges of the shortest format of the game.
All of us have the capability to perform well like these cricketers. But, our foremost aim should be to be good human beings, and remain humble. That is what we can imbibe from these wonderful players. Let us try and do so, and all our dreams shall be fulfilled in the process.
#TheDreamsFulfilled
(PART 2 COMING SOON)
Picture credits- Sportskeeda, India TV, Dekh News
Very well writtww!!
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