Dravid’s double role gets him rave reviews

“Rahul Dravid has been a revelation,” gushed captain Ganguly. “He is beginning to look good enough to command his place as a specialist wicketkeeper in the side.” It is high praise from a man who is said to have coaxed his vice-captain to take over the additional role of a ’keeper besides the one of a dependable middle-order batsman. Ganguly may have another reason to go overboard on Dravid as the latter picked up a stunning catch of England’s Marcus Trescothick against his bowling in India’s opening match of the series at Lord’s on Saturday.

It was a measure of Dravid’s confidence that he was standing up to the wicket against Ganguly’s medium-pace bowling and smoothly intercepted an intended glide from Trescothick at a critical stage.

Dravid was helped in his wicketkeeping technique by former India stumper Kiran More who worked with the batsman before the England series. “Dravid has a very good eye-hand co-ordination,” said More. “Only, he has to learn to keep his knee bended all the time while collecting deliveries.”

According to More, once you straighten your knees your shoulders straighten up straightaway and it kind of locks you up in your reflexes, so essential for a last-second adjustment for a wicketkeeper.

Dravid has on and off kept for India and his outing against Sri Lanka was his 14th in his 173rd One-day International. The clamour for him to don the gloves in the one-dayers has only gained a decisive voice in recent times, beginning with the series against West Indies in the Caribbean recently.

“Indeed it was at Hyderabad (against Zimbabwe, earlier this year), where Dravid would have begun to keep wickets on a regular basis. But looking at the wicket, we decided against it,” Ganguly revealed.

And Ganguly must own up to taking quite a few liberties in terms of making choices on behalf of Dravid’s career in recent times. Ganguly has shifted Dravid’s batting order want only in recent times, even asking him to open in Tests, as latest as against South Africa last year, and to double up as a wicketkeeper.

(PTI)