Rahul Dravid played his last competitive cricket match during the final of the Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2013, for the Rajasthan Royals against the Mumbai Indians

Rahul Dravid played his last competitive cricket match during the final of the Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2013, for the Rajasthan Royals against the Mumbai Indians.

 He was called the gentlemen's Rahul Dravid played his last competitive cricket match during the final of the Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2013, for the Rajasthan Royals against the Mumbai Indians.. Whoever branded cricket the gentleman's game decades past should be inflicted with foreseen someone like him gracing the sport in the prospect. He was called “The Wall” pro his robust, rock-solid, and near-impregnable defence while batting. He was called the personification of the spirit of the game pro his unblemished character. He was called the grammar of cricket pro being the living incarnation of the sport's coaching blue-collar, with all the physics and the geometry of the art of batting exact to the tee. He was a traditionalist.

He was by no means predestined pro Twenty20 cricket, or second cricket as it was called, due to its popcorn entertainment genre and the swing-and-slog stylishness of batting with the intention of was vital from it, which was far apart from his orthodoxy. He was understood to be inflicted with voted for his prime and his calculate as he went through a prolonged slump linking 2006 and 2009, well on the ill-treat feature of 30. It was the era of the Chris Gayles and the AB de Villiers, who were the tablet phones to his transistor. He was dropped from the limited-overs team as India got closer to their family World Cup, but survived through the years in the longer format due to the reputation he had impressed since his introduction in 1996 of being the spine of the Indian batting. He was the safety lattice.

He was by no means predestined pro Twenty20 cricket, and the detail was highlighted as he disastrous miserably in the initially three seasons of the household have fun with the intention of is the Indian Premier League (IPL), everywhere he was the ‘icon player’ pro his family team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He would shortly be dumped pro the Gayles and the de Villiers, but found shelter in the homely Moneyball contract with the intention of is the Rajasthan Royals. Meanwhile, he was the lone survivor rooted to the ground as England went on storm in their own backyard in 2011 and brought the planet champions loud to the ground. He helped save his team whatever visage he may possibly, by plundering 461 runs in four Tests by age 38. He even made his T20 International introduction all through the tour, scoring 31 from 21 balls, counting three sixes. He was an adapter.

For the Rajasthan Royals, he took ended the captaincy from a further legend of the game, Shane Warne. He took his calculate to settle in with the extra contract and his extra team, and increasingly selected up on his scoring. From lone fifty in 2011, he went lone better the following time, and by 2013 he had scored four half-centuries by the top of the order and led the Royals — a team relentlessly missing in star power — to the semi-finals of the IPL. This, with the team was by the centre of the biggest spot-fixing scandal to secure Indian cricket everywhere a digit of their players, counting the title-holder, were accused and called up pro questioning by the control. But he ensured with the intention of the team maintained its focus and stirred yet to be. He was the guiding light.

At 39, he had retired from international and First-Class cricket in ahead of schedule 2012 on his own treaty, with failing with the bat on a tour of Australia, very than courteously being publicized the entrance. He slipped away from the Indian dressing opportunity quietly lacking a fuss, dabbled in commentary pro a while and continued to mess about pro the Royals pro a further time. Finally, with a competitive before a live audience career spanning more than two decades, he resolute to call it quits from all forms of the game with the incident-packed 2013 season. He was a reliable man.

He was the cynosure of all... Well, almost, since it was furthermore the continue T20 game of lone of his long-time buddies from the Indian team, who was a larger inhabitant icon and heartthrob. He didn't mind it by all, as had been the justification right through his career. He did not be inflicted with the fairytale finish with the intention of his fans craved pro, having a middle-of-the-road game with the bat, although he did principal his team to the final. Equally if it was a on paper script, he was up hostile to India's favourite son in the summit clash. The God of Indian cricket against The hedge of Indian cricket, they called it. He brushed it all way.

He scored lone run in the final, even as his team lost to the superstars, proving with the intention of fairy tales exist single in story books. He was blamed by hardly any pro having occur in to bat too in the dead of night, by No 8, to help his team's cause, who were up hostile to a huge whole of 202. He took whatever evaluation he copped in his step, like he had made his full career. While the opposition team celebrated their win and lifted the "God" on their shoulders pro the victory lick up, he sombrely slipped away with the handshakes, by no means to be seen on the cricket meadow again. He got the applause from the crowd, but nothing compared to his counterpart. He did not mind it. He was thumbs down God. He was thumbs down Sachin Tendulkar. He was Rahul Dravid.