Let Dravid Be

Those who believe that Time has wings have possibly got it right -- just last month in Bangalore, Sourav Ganguly ended the first important press conference of the India-Australia series with a somewhat significant remark that began "just one more thing, lads". How distant that moment seems now! Ganguly has gone, and so has Anil Kumble.

In that time, the news of the Indian cricket board's Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) for the seniors, the existence of which is clearly the stuff of make-believe, has managed to anger the seniors -- andpressure them as well. That's something they don't deserve, not at the hands of people who've never played the game, who've been attracted to cricket not because ofthe love for it but because of the power it bestows on them.

Ganguly, in Bangalore, had made a disdainful dismissal of the so-called VRS. He was also the man who addressed the last press conference of the series, when he insisted that the seniors are "still good enough". "My time is up but people like Sachin, Rahul, Laxman are still fantastic," he said.

All except Dravid showed that in this series, intensifying pressure on him. The blogosphere is abuzz with speculation over his future, but the man himself is taking it easy.

Sources familiar with his views say that the former skipper remains positive, despite the difficult time against Australia. "I'm just taking a break for a while," Dravid himself said. "My mind is fine and positive."

That's a creditable achievement, given the numbers he's been making. He averages 30.09 this year; last year, the average was 35.64. Just two centuries in this time, and seven half-centuries, from 23 Tests, for an average of 32.51.

Yet, against Australia, Dravid looked good when he batted for a while -- in Bangalore and Mohali, for instance; but the manner of his dismissal, chasing balls wide of the stumps, or playing on, has been worrying. The Dravid of old, implacably resolute, used to make the bowlers sweat hard for his wicket. Now he seems to be uncharacteristically munificent.

Dravid has endured slumps before, most notably the one in 1999-2000 from which he emerged stronger than ever; his fans, and supporters of Indian cricket, hope for a similar resurgence. But the fear is that the man who turns 36 in two months may finally be nearing the end of the road, for the damages time causes the body are irreparable.

Yet, Dravid's game seems free of bodily faults -- the fault probably lies in the mind. His amazing mental strength, hardened by discipline, was his greatest talent. Is that on the wane?

Dravid says he remains resolute, so perhaps those willing to hang him instantly -- these ranks have been swelled by former supporters -- had perhaps wait a little.

Ganguly's end was brought forward by the selectors and the BCCI; all along he's insisted he's leaving in peace, but it's clear that he's not quite delighted with the way he's been forced out. He has insisted that he still had some good cricket left in him, but that he's willing to sacrifice two years of cricket for the way India forced Australia into submission.

It's become a season of goodbyes, and Ganguly and are Kumble gone. Ganguly earned himself a memorable valediction, not the summary sack that was on the cards after he was dropped from the Irani Trophy game.

Dravid must not be treated in the same manner -- he's done much in a lifetime's toil in the game, enough to earn the right of a desired final passage out of the game.
He still averages 56.62 outside India; he averages well over 68 in matches India have won. He gave up captaincy for the sake of his batting -- not a step with numerous precedents in Indian cricket. He must be allowed to choose the manner and time of his departure from the game.