MAN OF THE MATCH

Parvathy Gopalakrishnan

Handsome, adorable and winning is Rahul Dravid. ``I love the contest,’’ is his catch word. Competition brings forth the best in an athlete – and not just in an athlete, but in entrepreneurs, entertainers, media persons, academics and even politicians.

Once again, at Kingston’s Sabina Park, he proved himself to be the most tantalizing batsman, flawless at batting and flawless in fielding. With his willow, he silenced his critics, sending them to hibernation!

Balanced and in perfect command, he played cautiously avoiding the pitfalls of the pitch, and showing no signs jet-lag in spite of the long journey. In fact, he bounced with vigour, much like a cricket ball bound for a boundary, to win `Man of the Match’ title.

Srinath’s comment that Rahul Dravid can go a year without training and still score runs against top-class bowling in Test cricket aptly sums up the player.

Nicknamed "Jammy" because of his endorsement of Kissan jam and `The Wall’ because he proved formidable for the combating team, Dravid is the second best batsman, after the god of Cricket, Sachin, and the third international player to have scored more than 12,000 runs in Test cricket.

(Parvathy Gopalakrishnan is Business Correspondent for Salon International and Images Business of Beauty)