RAHUL DRAVID :TIMELESS WONDER

Perhaps one of the greatest batsman the game of cricket has ever seen.Thorough gentlemen as most of his peers described him as.Dravid always played the game in the way it should have been played the fair way.Dravid  who was born in Indore but later moved to Bangalore,Karnataka.His father worked in the company that used to make jams which earned him the nickname "Jammy".A genuinely nice guy rare to be found in modern day cricket.

Dravid made his Ranji Trophy debut in February 1991 against Maharashtra at Pune.He had the privelege of playing alongside legends like Anil Kumble & Javagal Srinath in his playing days for Karnataka.He also had the privilege of playing alongside Kumble & Srinath while he represented India.He made his test debut for the Indian team along with Sourav Ganguly at Lord's Cricket Ground against England in June 1996.His ODI debut was against Sri Lanka in Singapore in the Singer Cup.Dravid narrowly missed out on a century on a century on debut when he played his first test  for India at the "Mecca of Cricket,Lord's".Dravid batted for more than 6 hours & scored 95 valuable runs.Batting  at no.3 position was what Dravid liked & he made that of his own.Many people had rubbished him solely as a test player but to his critics surprise Rahul Dravid went on to  score over 10000 ODI runs & represented India in over 300 one day matches.Infact Rahul Dravid was the highest run getter of the 1999 Cricket World Cup held in England.His strokeplay,his shots,his elegance,his class & most importantly keeping calm under pressure  were his traits which made him a  legend.Dravid  also known as "the Wall" a term described  for his rock solid defence,his sound technique & his ability to play long & sound innings.Looking at his talent & sheer determination he was made the vice captain during Ganguly's captaincy.Dravid played a total of 344 One Day Internationals & 164 test matches for India.He scored 10,899 ODI runs at an average of nearly 40.Then in his arena,that is test cricket he scored 13,288 runs at a more than impressive average of 52.31 with 4 man of the series awards & 11 man of the match awards his highest test score being 270 against Pakistan at Rawalpindi.That was a monumental innings.It is difficult to measure Dravid's  contribution to Indian Cricket.He has given it all in a career spanning almost 16 years.He was always the silent guardian for the Indian Cricket Team..He was never really credited enough as much as he deserved to be for his credentials which frankly he didn't care.His critics & the media often wrote of him as the man who lived in Tendulkar's shadow which franklly wasn't true.Yes Tendulkar is one of the greatest batsman ever to play the game but so has been  Dravid.His contribution are immeasurable.Rahul Dravid has  been a match winner for India in not only tests but also odi's.He was also the captain of the Indian Cricket Team that won away test series in England & West Indies.It was during his captaincy that India made the record for most successive run chases.He was sound,he was classy,yes he was Rahul Dravid.It is unfair to comapre Tendulkar & Dravid.It's a fact that Rahul Dravid has always been an impact player.He has saved & won more matches for India than anybody probably has.Yes his critics might argue that Tendulkar had to cope up with a lot of pressure but so did Dravid.He was never really given his due like Tendulkar was.Not trying to take anything away from Tendulkar he is surely the game's finest but in my mind Rahul Dravid is up there with him.In the ranks of the game greats Sir Don Bradman,Sir Viv Richards,Sunil Gavaskar,Sachin Tendulkar,Jacques Kallis,Allan Border,Ricky Ponting,Steve Waugh,Brian Lara.His timing,his placement,his cover drive were all marvellous.He was incredible in his defence against the fast bowlers.When it mattered he didn't hesitate to hit the boundaries and sixes as well.He was also the wicket keeper for India for many years.Many people might not be aware but Rahul Dravid has scored the second fastest 50 for India in ODI.He has been the best player of the hook & pull shot for India.He holds the world record for most number of catches in test cricket @ 210.He has been one of the most prolific run scorers in matches for India overseas as well as at home.He has 5 double centuries in tests.He has scored 36 test hundreds with 63 half centuries.He has heralded the chase for India & has won & saved matches for India on numerous occasion.In December 2011 Rahul Dravid became the first Non-Australian Cricketer to address the  Bradman Oration in Canberra.Dravid along with Glen McGrath were honoured at the seventh Bradman function in Sydney,a rare accomplishment for an Indian.His famous knock of 233 in the first innings & valiant 72 not out in the second innings for India at Adeilade was perhaps one of his best ever, as it helped India to win a test in Australia after nearly 23 years.Dravid scored 602 runs in the four match series.He & Tendulkar share the record of the highest partnership in ODI cricket.They scored 376 runs against the Kiwis at Hyderabad,it was also tha match whereby he recorded his highets ODI score of 153.Rahul Dravid has broken various records over the years but he has always kept the Indian Flag flying high.One of his astounding accomplishments include the 2011 test series against England in their own backyard.The entire Indian Team struggled,India even lost the test series 4-0 but Rahul Dravid was always the last man standing for India .He scored 461 runs at an average of 76.83 with 3 hundreds.He accounted for over 26% of India's runs in the series & was named the man of the series. Dravid was a player always respected by the opposition the most .He was widely admired for his play in  the series that marked India losing 4 tests in a row.It is regarded as one of his greatest performances ever & the finest  by any batsman till date.He retirerd form all forms of cricket in March 2012.It has been a privelege to see Dravid bat.His class, his valour, his simple approach has won the hearts of many including his critics.He was also awarded the Padma Shri,the Padma Bhushan as well as the Arjuna Award.One of the game's greats & a through gentleman.

KOBE INJURED

This has to be the most devastating day for the lives of the laker nation & the lakers fan,The Black Mamba himself,Kobe Bryant injured.What started as a season fullfilled with expectations & championship hopes from the lakers finally came to an end probably.Forget winning the championship, the lakers without Kobe even if manage to qualify for the playoffs won't make it deep through the post season.Kobe has always given his heart out for the lakers.He takes pride in playing,he takes pride nd winning for this organistaion.Kobe Bryant who was the 13th overall pick in the  1996 NBA Draft by Charlotte Hornets was later traded to the Los Angelos Lakers where the "Black Mamba"as he is fondly called has spent 17 seasons winning 5 championship rings & breaking various records and winning many accolades.Endless criticism hasn't deterred the man yet.

The 2012-13 season was expected to start on a high note with the Lakers making trade for All Stars Dwight Howard & Steve Nash.But it didnt happen.The Lakers struggled despite a more than impressive roster.Kobe Bryant fought valiantly all season long, did all that he could to keep the lakers in the playoff hunt & even guaranteed back in February that he will make sure the lakers make the playoffs.The numbers that he has been putting up of late have awestruck the entire basketball universe.At 35 years of age Kobe is averaging almost 38.6 minutues per game,27.3 points per game & career high in assists @ 6 dims per game.He has given fans the privelage of some of the greatest performances ever in the history of the game.It is impossible to name which was his best but he truly gave his heart & soul.His grit,competitivness & strive to be the best are some his qualitites that even his detractors can't deny.The game hasn't seen a player with the kind of toughness & motiavtion,also the will power to succeed & excel at the top level like Bryant has.Back in December 2012 he became the youngest player ever to reach 30000 regular season points.Whoa mind boggling stat this is.Scoring as per his will during  crunch time like he did this season aganist so many teams.His performance against Portland a couple of days back was historic 47 points he had on the night to go along with 8 rebounds,5 assists,3 steals,4 blocks playing the entire match without a break.On Saturday of course in tha make or break game against  the Golden  State Warriors he was doing one simple thing."Kobe being Kobe".Twice he got badly injured but he came back with the hope to see lakers winning & keeping their playoff hopes alive.The Lakers managed to win the game but lost a warrior to a career threatening injury.Kobe might have tore his Achilles Tendon an injury which has halted the career of many successful sportsmen.His fans could see it Kobe was so disappointed could almost sense that he was shattered like many of us to see him limping of the court.Sad day for the basketball fraternity.Kobe is himself frustated & he has already stated that this is his worst injury till date.We lost a chance to see Bryant in the playoffs where he is more than amazing.Like his million of fans who idolise him he too is my idol & i sincerely pray that he gets well soon.His career isn't in jeopardy.The level of disappointment felt by Bryant alone cannot be described.Just when it seemed near just when he thought the lakers could control their destiny the unfortunate event of Bryant being severly injured happened.This won't stop Kobe.He in my mind is my hero & one of the greatest ever to play the game of basketball.Hope some kind of miracle surfaces & we get a chance to see Bryant back in the playoffs if they manage to qualify.#respect4Kobe.

But i know Kobe will bounce back,he has always been a fighter, he never backs down.Hoping Kobe Bryant recovers well & soon enough