Awakening a Generation !

Awakening a Generation…

"Do the words “nayee dagar naya safar mera…” from Rang de Basanti ring a bell in our ears ? Yes, they do. Loud and clear, as it could be the closest expression that describes the present state of Indian cricket. Indeed, they have embarked on a new journey of excellence the driving force behind it has been the Wall himself, Rahul Dravid.

As we have gathered here to celebrate the century of tests for the Indian skipper, his initial footings in International cricket deserve a mention. Playing his first Test match against England at Lords, considered to be the ‘Mecca of Cricket’ in 1996, Dravid went on to score 95 and since then looking back has never been a part of his dictionary. That was the starting point of a journey that would be most cherished by Indian cricket. His first century of 148 runs at Johannesburg in 1996-97 was a treat to watch for all cricket fans, and the bricks of an unbreakable Wall were laid. He has then gone on to score 21 Test centuries and in the process of doing so, is the only cricketer to score a hundred in every Test playing nation. His average of 58.16 is envied by many nations and his presence on our television sets is a strong reassurance of our hopes. This unfinished journey has a long way to go and going by his consistency and performances, it would to fair to say, that a place amongst the all-time greats is just a mile away.

My mind dates back to September-October 2005, when Indian cricket languished under a barrage of controversies and, it wouldn’t be wrong to say, that our cricket had hit an all time low. The country looked up to its crisis man, yet again to reignite and reinstate the spark that was needed to resurrect its present and reassure the future. As the transfer of the captain’s armband took place from Saurav Ganguly to Rahul Dravid, the country was gripped with a bright ray of hope and a bucket full of expectations and all he asked for patience for deliverance. The man promised, performed and delivered. A resounding 6-1 one-day series win over Sri Lanka, marked his arrival and ushered the Dravidian Era of Indian cricket.

The elements of leadership always existed within Rahul, but the timing of acquiring the mantle deserves credit. As the management gurus would put it, the traits of a leader have to be identified, nurtured and then must be handed over the responsibility. The identification stage was done way back in 1996, when he was leading the Board President’s XI side against the visiting South Africans at Kochi. The nurturing process began with his stint as Saurav’s deputy from 2000 and today, the process has reached its logical conclusion, with his appointment as Captain. He was given stop-gap opportunities and surely demonstrated his leadership capabilities in these few matches and being a part of the learning curve for him, it proved to be a successful arrangement for the team.

As a captain today, Rahul Dravid’s leadership is nothing short of inspirational. His leadership style is highly reflective of the team’s mindset of mixing aggression with a degree of control and cautiousness. As a leader, he comes across as a man with a larger vision, in the form of the long-term future and success of Indian cricket and a focused mission that is the game on hand. Such exemplary definition of goals is what leads to initializing and continuing a process and he repeatedly talks of the commitment to the process of team-building, irrespective of the results at the end of the day.

Another important facet of his leadership is the way the individual goals are blended with the team goals. Yes indeed, individual goals are important, but channelising them in accordance with the team’s approach is what leads to a successful unit. His decision to declare the innings in 2004 with Sachin just 6 short of a personal score of 200, virtually shocked the nation, but when one reads into it, for Dravid an individual is just a mere part of the eleven, and has to bind within the framework of the team-strategies. Such tough decisions have surely played their part in taking Indian cricket forward.

To put it straight, Rahul’s influence on the dressing room is impeccable and enormous. The team has recognized and acknowledged the talent and shaping up the right attitude is what Rahul and Chappell have set out to do. There is a greater sense of belief within the team. Who could believe that India could chase totals of 270+ repeatedly to win matches, when a stigma of ‘chokers’ accompanied them just a while back ? A few years ago, with India reeling at 190 for 5, many fans would have written the team off, but now, the new approach and leadership has led to a greater steel and belief in their own individual abilities, and this is the one of the main reasons for the resurgence we are witnessing now. Another important area, that defines the dressing room climate is confidence. What Dravid brings to the dressing room is sheer confidence. Along with the runs from his bat, he adds confidence to the dressing room, as the symbol of hope and reassurance. Today, it is great to see the youngsters in our team like Sreesanth and Munaf Patel derive strength from this confidence and perform better. Desire is another factor that Dravid’s men thrive on. It is really heartening to see the a great amount of desire to perform, irrespective of the results. Rahul has played his part in creating these levels of desire among his players and the hunger has surely rubbed onto the results. And lastly, as a leader, it is important to empower the team. What we see today as Team India, is nothing but an extended family of individuals. There is a huge emphasis on team spirit and for shaping it up for the larger needs of the team, the credit goes to Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell.

Another notable dimension to Dravid’s leadership qualities, is the fact that he believes in leading from the front. One of the recent examples accentuate it – Putting the team’s interest in mind, Rahul Dravid decided to open the batting in Pakistan, sacrificing his usual No. 3 spot. It was a great example that was set by him and such instances of bravado and courage, rubbed off to the other members. His stature as a captain is surely respected by one and all. No wonder, at times when the boat is uncertain of the weather, it is the captain to whom the crew looks upto. His gradual progression as a captain, has surely succeeded in instilling some of his guiding principles on to the players like determination, discipline and dedication. His performances along with the consistency, have surely given the right sort of direction to the rest of the team members and more importantly, have translated into India’s performances in the recent past. These are some of the reasons why, Rahul Dravid is the man we look up to, when adversity stares us straight on our faces.

The sudden emergence of a new generation of Indian cricketers is surely a food for thought, and it would be fair to say that Rahul’s vision for the future has started bearing ripe fruits already. Opportunities are the key for any cricketer to express his talent and get noticed and it is indeed heartening to see this phenomenon happening under the leadership of Rahul Dravid. And what is more delightful than seeing these young bunch of talents making their mark by delivering to their captain’s needs ! The youth to an extent form an integral part of any cricketing side – mainly because of their approach to the game, the extra degree of exuberance they bring into the side along with the fresh legs and approaches of course. Rahul has done exceedingly well in tapping and nurturing talented players like MS Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, RP Singh and Munaf Patel by giving them the right platform to bring out their skills and talents. For now, it would surely be safe to say – A Generation Awakens !"