Book Review

Rahul Dravid -- A Biography

Vedam Jaishankar

UBS Publishers' Distributors Pvt Ltd
Pages: 168
Price: Rs 200

IN 2001, a rampaging Australian cricket team, which had steamrolled to a record 16 Test wins in succession, was well on its way to achieving unquestioned supremacy. After a humiliating loss inflicted on the home team in the opening match at Bombay, the Aussies were in control of the second Test at Calcutta. The Indians were following on 274 runs behind.

In the second innings, they were 115 for 3. Nobody gave them a ghost of a chance.

In walked a man widely reckoned as a decent enough Test match cricketer, but who hadn't yet established his stamp on the game.

Under the circumstances, it needed a miracle to salvage the match for India.
Years later, the series would be seen as one of the greatest of all time, for India went on to win it 2-1, from a near-hopeless position. And Rahul Dravid was one of those whose exploits on those two days effected one of the great turnarounds in Test history.

With such an interesting character as the subject of a biography, one would assume that the book itself would be a page-turner. Unfortunately, it disappoints.

The book traces the Dravid story back four generations to a Brahmin priest who travelled from Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu to Gwalior. The Brahmin was employed by the Peshwas as a high priest. The residents, perhaps uncomfortable with his name, referred to him as "Dravidian", which was shortened to "Dravid".

We learn that Rahul was a serious-minded boy, who grew up with old-time values. He was respectful to his teachers and elders, was bright in his studies, and juggled his time well, between school and cricket training.

His father had been a batsman for his university, at a time when conventional cricketing shots were considered the only way to play the game. We thus learn of the influences that went into making Dravid the sound technician he is. In an age when Test cricket has gone out of favour, and an aggressive, unconventional brand of the game has asserted itself, Dravid reminds one of an era gone by, the era of the classical cricketing shot, played in white flannels, and by those who equated sportsmanship with cricketing virtue.

The book briefs us on his rise up the ranks, through his school days, Ranji Trophy, and India 'A' side. A couple of incidents in the Ranji Trophy matches demonstrate his passion for the game and dislike of anybody who treats it lightly. He loudly abuses his childhood friend, Fazal Khaleel, who has thrown away his wicket in a Ranji match, even after constant warnings.

The book doesn't follow a strict chronological order. Instead, each chapter is devoted to a facet of Dravid's cricketing personality and stages in his career: his school and college days, Ranji Trophy, his struggle to make it to the National team, and so forth. At least two chapters are devoted to his wicket-keeping.

Indeed, Dravid's ability with the gloves makes him the utility man of Indian cricket. He has shuttled up and down the order -- in the early part of his career at least, bowled occasionally, and has kept wickets competently. This, apart from the fact that he is a brilliant slip fielder, makes him Indian cricket's most valuable property.

The other chapters deal with captaincy, match preparation, overseas record, one-day performance, and his English County season. The author, Vedam Jaishankar (formerly sports editor of The Indian Express, Bangalore) is at pains to convince the reader that Dravid is one of India's most accomplished players, and despite his contribution, has been unfairly treated by the selectors and cricketing establishment.

Jaishankar makes constant allusions to "sections in the media" who have "planted stories" about Dravid's unsuitability to one-day cricket. He accuses a commentator who "probably believed that Rahul edged him out of the Indian team" (obviously Sanjay Manjrekar), of taking digs at Dravid's slow batting.

Jaishankar has therefore concentrated almost entirely on performance. He gives us a lot of evidence to support his claim that Dravid is one of the greats; but as a biography, he could have given us more than just his feats on the ground.

The big omission is the near-total absence of Karnataka's other internationals, such as Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Sunil Joshi and Venkatesh Prasad (all good friends of Dravid), in the narrative. At one time, eight Karnataka players, including Dravid, were in the Indian team! Surely, the interplay between these characters would have made for fascinating reading. Kumble, Srinath, Joshi and Prasad shared their careers for a long time with Dravid. They had all simultaneously risen up the ranks. What did that mean to Dravid and Karnataka cricket? What happened in the dressing room? What happened on the numerous tours? The book doesn't give us a clue.

The other significant omission is the match-fixing scandal, the biggest crisis in Indian cricket history. Dravid was very much part of the team then, but Jaishankar doesn't tell us what he thought of it or how it affected him. The incident is not even mentioned.

Also missing are psychological insights. The book gives us a good view from the outside, in terms of Dravid "clobbering" the bowlers, or "smashing" a hundred. But what was going on in his mind when he faced great bowlers such as Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Allan Donald?

The book, in essence, is a uni-dimensional work of a multi-dimensional personality. The chapters on his boyhood and teens contain a lot of detail, but one suspects that the author succumbed to the deadline from then on.

(Dev S Sukumar)