Rahul Dravid

[G.I.Joe]

Dravid needs to be rested. He needs to earn his place in the side on merit of domestic performances, no two ways about it.. I'd like to see Pujara and Badrinath replace him and Yuvraj. Pujara is a run machine, and I don't see the sense in not playing him now when he's in the form of his life, and when there exists an opening in the team for him. It doesn't get much easier than this. Sehwag and Gambhir could open, Pujara at 3, Tendulkar and VVS at 4 and 5, Badri and Dhoni at 6 and 7 follows logically. Lets not even consider the likes of Jaffer and Chopra, please.

 

[Richard]

Well then Sehwag should have no business opening, even he doesn't think of himself as an opener and speaks wistfully about someday being part of the middle order.

No reason not to have Murali Vijay and Gambhir opening (if Vijay proves good enough) and Sehwag at three, of course.

BTW, this poll is the best in CW history.

 

[silentstriker]

No reason not to have Murali Vijay and Gambhir opening (if Vijay proves good enough) and Sehwag at three, of course.

BTW, this poll is the best in CW history.

Sehwag will never be moved down.

 

[pup11]

From where i look at things Dravid is still one of the best test match batsmen India has ever produced, he has had a glorious career and tbh through the length of his career once he cemented his place in the test side he never had much of slump in form ever, and this run of poor scores hence is really pretty much unlike Rahul Dravid, even in his worst state one would expect Dravid to grit it out and score some tough runs even if that meant he needed to play an ugly knock, but that doesn't seem to be happening he seems to getting out in the same way everytime, therefore one can't help get a feeling that the same determination, perfection and hunger for runs that one had come to expect from Dravid is no longer there, and if that's the case Dravid should call it quits ASAP rather than just dragging this on, but if he still feels he can play well and match his own set of high standards, then he should keep on going because despite his age and current form Dravid is one player India can always count on in even the direst of situations, now how long it takes for him to fix his game is another matter, because the time is running out for him, every failure is probably leading towards him being axed from the side and i would hate to see such a great servant of Indian and world cricket being pushed on his out.

 

[Arjun]

In case the Indian batting lineup needs to be trimmed to accommodate a fifth bowler, you need Rahul Dravid.

 

[Richard]

From where i look at things Dravid is still one of the best test match batsmen India has ever produced

These last 2 years alter nothing that Dravid is one of the greatest batsmen India has produced.

However, in these last 2 years, there's no way Dravid's play has been close to the best play by Indian batsmen.

 

[Precambrian]

It's been a freefall of late.

 

[Arjun]

The figures are stacked heavily against Dravid.

But do you drop him? That's a tough thing to do. Not long ago, some fans said that anyone who has a problem with Dravid should face Shoaib Akhtar without any protection. That, of course, was during his best days- actually, he was on top for most of the 2000s bar now. It may not apply these days (especially with the said bowler being out of action so often) but it deserves a thought.

He does, however, add a lot more to the lineup than merely runs. Even Yuvraj can score a few runs, as also the tail end. He added some sense of solidity in the middle. He's helped accomplish many impossible feats, be it chasing a big target on the last day or standing out on a minefield of a pitch. When pitches are wearing out, he's the one to stand out. When the target for the fourth innings was huge, he was one to bat for the team. When the bowling was on top, he was the one to face them. When a new batsman was making his debut or playing an occasional Test to fill in for a more established batsman, or when a fifth bowler made the team, the batting looked solid with him. This can't be expected from his replacement.

 

[adharcric]

The figures are stacked heavily against Dravid.

But do you drop him? That's a tough thing to do. Not long ago, some fans said that anyone who has a problem with Dravid should face Shoaib Akhtar without any protection. That, of course, was during his best days- actually, he was on top for most of the 2000s bar now. It may not apply these days (especially with the said bowler being out of action so often) but it deserves a thought.

He does, however, add a lot more to the lineup than merely runs. Even Yuvraj can score a few runs, as also the tail end. He added some sense of solidity in the middle. He's helped accomplish many impossible feats, be it chasing a big target on the last day or standing out on a minefield of a pitch. When pitches are wearing out, he's the one to stand out. When the target for the fourth innings was huge, he was one to bat for the team. When the bowling was on top, he was the one to face them. When a new batsman was making his debut or playing an occasional Test to fill in for a more established batsman, or when a fifth bowler made the team, the batting looked solid with him. This can't be expected from his replacement.

He was, he was, he was ... nobody doubts that Dravid has been phenomenal for India throughout much of his career but he hasn't done **** in a long time now and he's only stayed on this far because of the pedigree and class that he's established over the years. There comes a point when enough is enough, especially when you have promising replacements in the queue. Really hope things change dramatically between now and the end of this series.

 

[Shaggy Alfresco]

He added some sense of solidity in the middle. He's helped accomplish many impossible feats, be it chasing a big target on the last day or standing out on a minefield of a pitch. When pitches are wearing out, he's the one to stand out. When the target for the fourth innings was huge, he was one to bat for the team. When the bowling was on top, he was the one to face them. When a new batsman was making his debut or playing an occasional Test to fill in for a more established batsman, or when a fifth bowler made the team, the batting looked solid with him. This can't be expected from his replacement.

He added, he helped, he was, he was, he was. India need to win a test match tomorrow, not two years ago.

 

[Sanz]

He was, he was, he was ... nobody doubts that Dravid has been phenomenal for India throughout much of his career but he hasn't done **** in a long time now and he's only stayed on this far because of the pedigree and class that he's established over the years. There comes a point when enough is enough, especially when you have promising replacements in the queue. Really hope things change dramatically between now and the end of this series.

Indeed.

 

[Precambrian]

It seems Dravid show is not over yer.

BCCI awards A grade contract to Dravid

 

[krkode]

IMO Dravid makes a match-winning century in the next match and then retires. My prediction.

 

[neutralguy]

Dravid needs to be rested. He needs to earn his place in the side on merit of domestic performances, no two ways about it.. I'd like to see Pujara and Badrinath replace him and Yuvraj. Pujara is a run machine, and I don't see the sense in not playing him now when he's in the form of his life, and when there exists an opening in the team for him. It doesn't get much easier than this. Sehwag and Gambhir could open, Pujara at 3, Tendulkar and VVS at 4 and 5, Badri and Dhoni at 6 and 7 follows logically. Lets not even consider the likes of Jaffer and Chopra, please.

But the problem with the Dravid is that he seems to be doing ok or well, when he goes back to domestic cricket, but fails miserably when he comes back to international tests. I think Dravid simply has to reanalyze his faults calmly, take a break for 6 months, go on A team tour and then come back. It might take an year in this process, but certainly will help him.Playing one day cricket in A team tours might also help him to get some confidence going, if he fails in tests on those tours.

 

[Richard]

Precious few players, even those as good as Dravid, could come back into Test cricket - and succeed - at the age of 36.

 

[honestbharani]

Precious few players, even those as good as Dravid, could come back into Test cricket - and succeed - at the age of 36.

Ganguly did.. Dravid has much better basics than him.. It is all in the head, tbh. He just seems to have too many doubts in his mind about himself.. If Srikkanth indeed offered him a break, he should just take it and try and win the Ranji Trophy for Karnataka. When to retire is his decision, but right now, on form, he should be droppped.. No two ways about it. Not when you have the Badris, Vijays, Pujaras, Rohit Sharmas and Kaifs (lets not forget him) waiting in the wings.

 

[Precambrian]

Ganguly did.. Dravid has much better basics than him.. It is all in the head, tbh. He just seems to have too many doubts in his mind about himself.. If Srikkanth indeed offered him a break, he should just take it and try and win the Ranji Trophy for Karnataka. When to retire is his decision, but right now, on form, he should be droppped.. No two ways about it. Not when you have the Badris, Vijays, Pujaras, Rohit Sharmas and Kaifs (lets not forget him) waiting in the wings.

Ganguly was never given the luxury of being out of form and still being selected for two years.

And Ganguly made his comeback when 34, Dravid's 36.

 

[Matt79]

Basics only help to a point if your reflexes, eye, or concentration are starting to slip. That's why form slumps are Dravid's age tend to be final in all but exceptional cases.

 

[Richard]

Ganguly did.. Dravid has much better basics than him.. It is all in the head, tbh. He just seems to have too many doubts in his mind about himself.. If Srikkanth indeed offered him a break, he should just take it and try and win the Ranji Trophy for Karnataka. When to retire is his decision, but right now, on form, he should be droppped.. No two ways about it. Not when you have the Badris, Vijays, Pujaras, Rohit Sharmas and Kaifs (lets not forget him) waiting in the wings.

Ganguly was never given the luxury of being out of form and still being selected for two years.

And Ganguly made his comeback when 34, Dravid's 36.

Yeah, 34 and 36 mightn't seem like that much... but it's huge. I've always said 35 is a watershed age, often even for exceptional players.

Even to come back into a side and succeed at 34 was exceptionally unusual. I'm amazed Ganguly managed it. I'm delighted he got the chance and I'm delighted he took it, but I certainly wasn't expecting either and my thoughts on his recall were "this has got 'making it even worse' written all over it, and I so hope it doesn't happen that way".

That's entirely aside from the fact that say Badrinath or whoever comes in and performs... that's it. Once you've been dropped and someone else given a chance, if that person performs the place is theirs now.

 

[honestbharani]

Yeah, 34 and 36 mightn't seem like that much... but it's huge. I've always said 35 is a watershed age, often even for exceptional players.

Even to come back into a side and succeed at 34 was exceptionally unusual. I'm amazed Ganguly managed it.

That's entirely aside from the fact that say Badrinath or whoever comes in and performs... that's it. Once you've been dropped and someone else given a chance, if that person performs the place is theirs now.

you never know.. Someone else may falter..



See, I am not saying he WILL come back.. I am saying he CAN comeback. I understand and accept that those percentages are pretty miniscule but they do exist.


And anyways, I have been saying he should be dropped for a while now.. Since the Australian series, as a matter of fact. I even felt he should not have gone on the tour to Australia...