Rahul Dravid, The Wall of India, retires from cricket. An Ode

Rahul Dravid waves his bat one last time in an ODI match & receives a standing ovation

Rahul Dravid, the Wall of India who has stood the test of time for more than 15 years, saved India's grace more times than I can count & won matches for India  when all hope was lost, is playing his last One Day International cricket match right now against England at Cardiff.

As he got out, clean bowled at 69, each & every player of England team came to bid him adieu & the crowd rose to a ground-shattering applaud, for today a legend retires, a batsman like whom none have been & none shall be.

We all know how great a player Rahul Dravid is, probably the most respected Indian Cricket Player of this era alongwith Sachin Tendulkar


Here's what Cricinfo has to say about Rahul Dravid

"Rahul Dravid is probably one of the last classical Test match batsmen. His progress into the national side may have been steady and methodical rather than meteoric, but once there, Dravid established himself at the vanguard of a new, defiant generation that were no longer easybeats away from home. Armed with an orthodox technique drilled into him by Keki Tarapore, he became the cement that held the foundations firm while the flair players expressed themselves. Yet, for a man quickly stereotyped as one-paced and one-dimensional, he too could stroke the ball around when the mood struck him"

He requires no stats to prove himself, yet on this day, look at the magnificent figures this legend made in his 15 years of play (courtesy : Cricinfo)

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	157	273	32	12775	270	53.00	30090	42.45	35	60	1602	19	207	0
ODIs	343	317	40	10820	153	39.06	15205	71.16	12	82	946	42	196	14
T20Is	1	1	0	31	31	31.00	21	147.61	0	0	0	3	0	0
First-class	291	484	67	23281	270	55.82			67	114			350	1
List A	448	415	55	15202	153	42.22			21	111			233	17
Twenty20	69	62	6	1605	75*	28.66	1369	117.23	0	7	178	25	14	0

Every cricket fan in India & all over the world knows that an era has come to an end today. Our wishes are with Rahul for whatever endeavours in his future.

Wish you Good Luck Rahul!

UPDATE : Check out this photo that tells you everything you need to know about Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid, the Wall stands Tall

Update July 2, 2014 : I just found these WoW quotes on Rahul Dravid : http://www.storypick.com/10-iconic-quotes-rahul-dravid-show-true-gentleman/