Published: Dec 10, 2016, 03:45 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 10, 2016, 03:45 PM (IST)
Former Indian captains Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid go back a long way. Both played together since the junior days; attending the Under-19 camps and playing age-group cricket together. Few years later in 1996, both made their Test debuts together at Lord’s in an impressive manner. While Ganguly scored a hundred in his maiden Test, Dravid missed it by a whisker when he was dismissed for 95. From there on, the two went on to play together for the Indian team for over a decade, scoring tons of runs and scaling Indian cricket to greater heights. Both got the opportunity to lead India; a task they accomplished with great distinction.
Both bid farewell to the game a few years back and have since taken different paths in their careers. While Ganguly has become an administrator; taking up important roles with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Dravid has become a mentor and taken the role of shaping up the future of Indian cricket, as he is coaching the Under-19 and ‘A’ teams for India. The diverse roles have ensured that the two old friends do not get time to catch up much these days.
In a recent chat with ESPNCricinfo, Ganguly dwelled on the matter, praising Dravid and saying he misses not being able to see more of his old friend these days. “Rahul [Dravid] between 2000 to 2005 was unbelievable. He’ll go to the West Indies, he’ll go to England, he’ll go to Australia, he’ll go to Pakistan.. the conditions tough, he’ll stand up.”
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Ganguly then went on to say he does not know where Dravid is hiding these days. “I don’t know where he is hiding these days. I have not seen him in a long time. He is too involved with the junior cricket. We miss him at the television but wherever he is, hopefully he is fine.” One of Indian cricket’s greatest servants then went on to make an interesting comment about the other. “There is a complaint that Rahul [Dravid] is not traceable. So wherever you are Rahul, just keep tweeting once in a while so that we know where you are. Facebook might do also. People will catch you.”
Well, not just Ganguly, but diehard Dravid fans also miss him on the television. In his brief stint as the cricket expert in the commentary box, Dravid was a revelation with his insightful comments on the game. Though people miss him, they would not complain since the man is busy shaping the Indian cricket by working with the junior teams and contributing towards creating the next Ganguly and Dravid of Indian cricket.
