Sir Bradman Oration is a heavy weight yearly event in Cricket Austalia`s calendar but, this year it added weight to India`s cricket calendar too, as for the first time in its ten year history an Indian was honored to deliver the oration. Emphasis was on selecting an erudite player of enormous skill and talent who has played cricket with great humility, Rahul Dravid made for the ideal choice, an ideal ambassador of the game who has always played and promoted the game in positive light.

Speaking about Sir Bradman`s contribution to cricket and pressing over India-Australia amity during war days, Dravid had set aside the acrimony that surfaced during 2008 India`s tour to Australia between the two nations, sending a clear message of peace, for cricket as he said is more about "possibility, hope, & opportunities" .

Dravid recounted, "Before they played the first Test match against each other, Indians and Australians fought wars together, on the same side. In Gallipoli, where, along with the thousands of Australians, over 1300 Indians also lost their lives. In World War II, there were Indian and Australian soldiers in El Alamein, North Africa, in the Syria-Lebanon campaign, in Burma, in the battle for Singapore. Before we were competitors, Indians and Australians were comrades."

"If both teams look back to their last 2007-08 series in Australia, they will know that they should have done things a little differently in the Sydney Test. But I think both sides have moved on from there; we've played each other twice in India already and relations between the two teams are much better than they have been as far as I can remember."

Every time they met, they shared a different relationship but, the aforementioned line reflects his ability to look beyond the bitter patches and treasure those that brings together the teams and strengthens the game.

The speech touched every vital aspect, most of which were contentious, with such tranquility and genius of dissolving everything with a bon mot. Subtle witty quips in general and on himself and his team mates made the oration absorbing and invigorating.

"As a player, as a proud and privileged member of the Indian cricket team, I want to say that, this one-dimensional, often clichéd image relentlessly repeated is not what Indian cricket is really all about?.I cannot take all of you into the towns and villages our players come from, and introduce you to their families, teachers, coaches, mentors and team-mates who made them international cricketers. I cannot take all of you here to India to show you the belief, struggle, effort and sacrifice from hundreds of people that runs through our game...Most foreign captains, I think, would baulk at the idea. But, when I led India, I enjoyed it, I marveled at the range of difference and the ability of people from so many different backgrounds to share a dressing room, to accept, accommodate and respect that difference. In a world growing more insular, that is a precious quality to acquire, because it stays for life and helps you understand people better, understand the significance of the other" said Dravid.

Taking pride in being an Indian to defending the country against its image of "power & money", Dravid lived up to what was expected out his speech.

In an anecdote that he recalled from his under-19 days, when in a match the two players who shared the crease spoke language alien to both and yet the two went on to manage a partnership of 100 runs, overstepping the barrier of "recognized" language, for what glued them together was the language of cricket, Dravid stated that cricket is a binding force and reiterated the same sentiment when he quipped saying- "Thanks to the IPL, Indians and Australians have even shared dressing rooms. Shane Watson's involvement in Rajasthan, Mike Hussey's role with Chennai to mention a few, are greatly appreciated back home. And even Shane Warne likes India now. I really enjoyed playing alongside him at Rajasthan last season and can confidently report to you that he is not eating imported baked beans anymore." 

His stand on the three formats of the game was a strong one, calling for corrections in the way series` are designed, and slammed fixtures which neglected Tests, calling for immediate action so that stadiums don`t go near to empty.  

Picking up one best excerpt from what he said is difficult but, what appealed me most in his speech was the line- "Disrespecting fans is disrespecting the game. The fans have stood by our game through everything." In expressing his gratitude towards fans, thanking them for their role in making the game possible & for making the players what they are today, he was more than just modest. And his subsequent appeal to all the players to give up a "little personal space" and "personal comfort" for this game, added a fine touch to all that was said, echoing loud the games` superiority over players, thus asking his fellow players to take up the responsibility of protecting the game. While, the lines, "In every cricketer there lies a competitor who hates losing, and yes, winning matters. But it is not the only thing that matters when you play cricket. How it is played is as important for every member of every team because every game we play leaves a footprint in cricket's history.", was incredibly outstanding and filled me with awe for his expression had everything to do with cricket and nothing else. Yes, doubtlessly, he lived up to his class of a "gentleman".

When last year I heard Kumara Sangakara`s speech, delivered at MCC, Lord`s, I felt that nothing could be so profound and powerful than his words. But, after hearing Rahul Dravid, I could not agree more with Arun Venugopal, a columnist with "The Hindu", who has so aptly described the two speeches writing- "When Sangakara spoke truth to power, it was rightly hailed as one of the most courageous speeches in the history of the game. Dravid`s account of cricket`s ebbs and flows, on the other hand, was a delightful marriage of romance and reality." And he also drew a common link which was the essence of these two speeches, delivered by both No.3 batsmen, and said so  precisely, "Certainly, Sangakara and Dravid are not lacking in finesse and social grace, but what is more significant is how they choose to approach the game they love so much- with old-school honesty and conviction."

Just as Sangakara is for Sri Lanka, Misbahul Haq for Pakistan, Rahul Dravid is for India, a messiah of Indian Cricket and a great ambassador of game who can inspire not only with his batting but, also with his erudition and veracity. Rajasthan Royals is lucky to have him as its captain. He`s quite the rara avis.

 

Halla boll!!

Mandakini