An Open Letter to the Nation's Priceless Diamond - Rahul Dravid

To Shri Rahul Sharad Dravid,

Dream! How wonderful a phenomenon is this? It persuades us to see a gigantic tree in a sapling. It lures us to believe that a tiny droplet will form an ocean, it gives us a hope. That a small brick can turn into an extravagant palace and these dreams are the fingers which give a beautiful appearance to a shapeless piece of clay.

Every dream makes us strive harder towards an amazing future and every dream is a bigger source of motivation than anything else. Whilst everyone dreams, only a few tend to wake up from the blissful passage of these unrealistic events and entice themselves to turn them into reality. I’m so glad to say you’re one of them, after finally adding an ICC trophy to an illustrious, exalted, and unmatched legacy.

Let’s not talk about any of your contributions as a cricketer, we can keep talking about that for hours and still can’t get enough of them. But one thing I’d want to mention is the unfortunate absence of an ICC Trophy in your cabinet as a player. Surely, if ever there are any Gods controlling the world, they must’ve felt this Trophy didn’t deserve a Rahul Dravid.

The 2003 World Cup left an unforgettable scar. It was only intensified in the next edition in the Caribbean. By the time an indomitable Indian side clinched the biggest trophy in the cricketing universe in 2011, you had retired from the limited overs. Trophies eluded your flabbergasting International career, but you maintained hope for a brighter morning even after hanging up your boots.

Dawn of a New Era in Indian Cricket

Back in June 2015, BCCI appointed you as the U19 and India A coach. It was a decision which was received brilliantly by the fraternity and the fans. When a BCCI official said that Dravid had opted to mentor the youngsters over coaching the National side, the respect for you escalated so unfathomably high. Now we feel thankful that you prioritized this post over the coveted Head Coach post of the Senior National side.

You reverted in style as the U19 Indian side under the captaincy of Ishan Kishan reached the final, but fell agonizingly short of laying hands on the trophy. It wrecked a lot of hearts as many felt the moment has finally arrived when “The Wall” will have an ICC Accolade in his cabinet. That didn’t happen, but you managed to groom some fantastic individuals like Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, and Washington Sundar.

Despite having just six months to prepare for the 2016 U19 World Cup, the result you penetrated was tremendous. The research and scouting processes had begun almost immediately for the next edition and you picked up a pack of amazing talents to make them the future of Indian cricket. After 18-20 months of vigorous training and planning, 16 names were announced who will don the blue jersey for the 2018 U19 World Cup.

Rest, as they say, is history!

Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Manjot Kalra, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Porel, and of course, the skipper Prithvi Shaw, all these names became household within a span of two months. No one knows what you did to these individuals, but they managed to annihilate every U19 team that came their way and clinched the World Cup in the most ruthless, unmerciful and inexorable way.

People failed to understand if these guys were preparing for a place in the senior national side or the U19 side. These young teenagers were just too good in every aspect for the rest. When Harvik Desai thrashed a boundary towards cover-point and sealed a memorable win today against the Aussies, the cricketing world breathed a sigh of relief.

It was not because India’s knockout jinx in ICC events crippled to death, but the gentleman par excellence, the technician par brilliance and the epitome of wisdom finally won an ICC trophy. It might be more significant to win it as a player, but when Prithvi Shaw handed the trophy to him, a gentle inner voice echoed “The Trophy has finally reached the wall, where it belonged!”.

This might not be as significant as my narration suggests, but for all those youngsters laying stepping stones towards their goals, I proudly say that a legend named “Rahul Dravid” has finally accomplished his dream after years of patience, perseverance and relentless hard work. The lesson we learn from you is that there’s never an ending to a story unless you drop the pen. He never did so and here he is, proudly wearing the tag “Guru of a World Cup winning side”.

Thanking you,

Signed: Your Ardent Devotee