Dravid shows his class

By K. C. Vijaya Kumar

BANGALORE, MARCH 26. Critics froze his scoring rate. Shane Warne smirked while advise and barbs etched worrylines. The last few months were not easy for Rahul Dravid. And he did react. A century at Eden Gardens topped with a bat pointing towards the television box.

It was good news for India. His 376 run fifth-wicket partnership with V. V. S. Laxman gifted us with Test cricket's most gripping script. The Aussies paused. But Dravid is in no mood to relent.

His bat has apparently shed its dour cocoon. It was there for all to see in the Pepsi Series first one-dayer at Bangalore. Dravid's 80 in 84 balls triggered the first cracks in the Aussie pedestal and helped India chart a 60-run victory.

It was a day when stereotypes did the vanishing act. Sachin Tendulkar and V. V. S. Laxman's dismissals were expected to choke the Indians. However the Indians thrived as Dravid held the reins and egged Virender Sehwag and Vijay Dahiya to play positive.

The trio's efforts lent a statistical sheen as India posted 315. It was its highest total against the Aussies in one- dayers. The previous best being the 309 for five at Kochi in 1998.

The defining moment was tangible when Shane Warne tossed up. In a jiffy his smile was lost in a frown. Dravid had just skipped down the pitch and smacked him for four.

The script had changed, the bunny was sporting fangs and the leg- spinning wizard baulked under a dry Indian summer.

``He is a good bowler and he is bound to have his success,'' Dravid had said earlier when the Shane Warne bogey was raised.Obviously that diffidence is on the wane.

He had a start that left Lord's with damp eyes. A debut century at cricket's hallowed turf was within reach when Rahul snicked and walked.

That 1996 magic lost its aura somewhere as technique became his cumbersome shadow. A lukewarm series in Australia did more damage and a shell seemed to synchronise with his bat.

``They just keep bowling at the zone around off-stump. You get set, score 30 odd runs and still there is no bad ball. And you get out,'' he said after the frustration Down Under.

Doubts were supposed to steer clear off Rahul Dravid. Ad campaigns had painted him as `The Wall'. But in sports where potential needs to shake hands with luck, the odd crack is inevitable. Dravid had to make his good technique yield runs while sceptics were busy asking `will he go the Sanjay Manjrekar way?'

The present has a sunrise hue and Dravid has firmed his stance. A 180 at Calcutta, the skip-and-smack-Shane Warne approach and a smile that rests easy are signs of a man at ease with himself.

And reality and celluloid seem to have merged. In his latest television commercial, Dravid says, ``the match will not start without me.'' Yes, `The Wall' has got a new banner - `class is permanent'.

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