TIME FOR DRAVID TO RETIRE?
The expectancy of a retirement from Rahul Dravid appears to have a lot of credibility behind it after a poor tour of Australia for him.
If he wants a few more series for the team, he is likely to be allowed them, such was the strength of his batting during 2011. However, so poor was his series against Australia that a proud man like Dravid may retire relatively near the top instead of being forced out.
The incredible trio of Dravid, Tendulkar and Laxman appear to be on their way out of the middle order, and fairly quickly. Laxman looks like the most likely to get the cull in the immediate future, but sadly for game of cricket, two of its stalwarts are due to depart the game fairly shortly.
Tendulkar still bats with a beautiful superiority, but in his hunt for his hundredth international century he has struggled to find form and post the big scores that are required if you are to bat at number 4 for India.
Perhaps for one of the game’s legends, Dravid would have been best advised to retire at the end of the series against England, where he came out with his head held high after a prolific series, but the signs were there that the batting line up definitely needed reinvigorated with fresh blood with an eye to the future. It might be time for him to hang up his kookaburra cricket bats.
His tendency to get bowled during the Tests against Australia made a mockery of his nickname ‘the wall’, and perhaps it is best for a man of Dravid’s stature to get to retire on his own accord. Whenever he does retire however, he will forever be remembered for his contribution to the Indian team and the colossal amount of runs he scored wearing the Indian jersey.