A billion expectations weigh upon Rahul Dravid, announced Michael Atherton in his Sunday Telegraph article two weeks back. Dravid is quoted a saying, "What I find hardest is the absolute lack of proportion. It makes it very hard to build a team when two or three bad games provoke such an extreme reaction."
A few bad games and an exhaustive media trial, all it takes for real and manufactured (in time for the cameras) frenzy. With effigy-burning and stone-throwing doing the rounds, players become mujrims or culprits. A post-match cricket show on a news channel was called Match Ka Mujrim in which the culprits for failure were identified. What more provocation for 'fans' to go on the rampage?
What if even when you are winning, an error of judgement is dissected to death and made into a national calamity? Rahul Dravid's decision not to enforce the follow-on may have turned out to be a mistake, but how can you fault a captain for playing it safe when you have the series in the bag? If India had not lost those early wickets and instead scored at a frenetic pace, Dravid's decision would have been viewed differently. After all, there are occasions when Australia does not enforce a follow-on.
Lack of proportion, pressure, Greg Chappell, senior players who were on a different wavelength, Rahul Dravid's cup of woes was full. But it is to his credit, as Ian Chappell says, that he decided to sign off when he and his team was on a high, following a test series victory. Very few either choose to or are allowed to leave the hot seat on a high in Indian cricket. Gavaskar may have, but the likes of Wadekar, Kapil Dev, Azharuddin, Tendulkar and Ganguly all could not.
Let's forget Dravid the captain and welcome Dravid the batsman. And await future versions of a 148 (Headingley-2002), 233*(Adelaide-2003) or 270 (Rawalpindi-2004) - all before becoming captain
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