Should Rahul Dravid retire after the England tour

Time for Rahul Dravid to quit?

I have rarely heard the answer to the question who is your favorite cricketer as Rahul Dravid. But I am one of the few who would say that. As an early teenager it was probably the common first name which made me like him. Growing up I loved his technique, style of batting and the always calm face. A glorious 1999 and a good 2003 world cup, prolific form in test matches and some added responsibility behind the stumps – all this proved that the player I liked the most is a true champion. 10,000+ runs in both the formats is not a small thing.

2007 world cup is surely a blot in his career. And it looks like T-20 too is not really helping him. Well that is why I suggest its time he retired from cricket. Test cricket has always been his forte. He made his name at Lord’s and so the best way to end his career too would be England.

1. Age: – At 38 very few people have managed to keep the focus and fitness which Test cricket demands. His average which was once 57+ is now in mid 52. The big monuments which all of us are so used to seeing him make often is not visible as often as we would like. The selectors too would have taken note of this.

2. Transition: – England would be right place to introduce a permanent long term prospect in the squad. Since the conditions favor fast bowlers, it would be an ideal place to test a green horn.

3. The Indian Trio: – Sachin and Dravid are both 38 and Laxman is 36. All the three retiring in quick succession would make the Indian middle order not even thin but transparent. Dravid is the oldest and has been the most inconsistent of the 3. (Purely in relative terms)

4. Gentleman-ship: – Dravid has always been a gentleman throughout his career. So his fan’s would expect him to bow out respectfully rather than being dropped out of the team and end forcibly retired.

5. IPL mismatch: – Predominantly his style of batting is not suitable for IPL. Yes he has showed us being technically correct will always fetch runs. But take for instance the IPL auction; none of the teams were really interested. $500,000 valuation for Rahul Dravid shows how much the teams want him. Kallis, a player of similar style, was bought for more than double his price.

I sincerely hope he retires by choice rather than by force. This is the humble wish of an ardent Rahul Dravid fan.