The wonder of “The Wall”

Some batsmen have certain characteristics which define them. Tendulkar it is a touch of class with every stroke-particularly the cover drive. Kallis has a more bullish approach, a raw power which eminates with every hit, while Ponting is a tenacity akin to bloodymindedness which makes every stroke a sign that he will not be dominated.

While most opt for aggression, the one thing which you could say about Rahul Dravid is solidity. His game is not built for aggression, he hardly seems the sort who has an aggressive bone in his body. Even in his post-match interviews he comes across with the kind of non-confrontational, articulate air normally the preserve of politicians.

But for a man who plays a game which conjures up various metaphors about life and death, his game has always been about calmness and common sense, about survival before risk and almost always about total dedication to the cause.

Perhaps that is why I’ve always warmed to him. He’s never been flashy, not a showman or narcissist cravenly hogging the spotlight, he has always been the man for the lesser role, akin to that played by a straightman to a comedian.

Some batsmen go out seeking to make headlines, Dravid does anything but. While others in this Indian team, the Sehwags, the Tendulkars and the Laxmans, have flourished with greater style and to greater applause, Dravid’s role has always been about the greatest effort and the greatest effect for the team.

Hence why the news that filtered through about his latest century against New Zealand was so welcoming, not because of the runs that he scored but the confirmation that if anything “The Wall” as he is known was still intact, still capable of scaling heights which were once so easy.

For a man who makes every innings an effort, a struggle for survival, it can’t have been easy watching the very things you pride yourself on, solidity and doughty defence being so easily breached as he struggled scratchily for runs and any semblance of form.

But this innings, this century, was a throwback to those better days when even the finest could spend days on end driven to the point of despair in trying to penetrate his defences and provide a platform for another mighty Indian total.

More importantly though it was simply a riposte for all the critics, all those calling for his head, aiming to bring down the curtain on his long and distinguished career in favour of something new and exciting but unproven and untested.

Surely Dravid deserves better and will certainly get better as the critics have to wait a little while longer.

In truth, while India may not need him as much as they once did, it would surely be folly to discard him so quickly. Granted his age and recent form are against him, but the old maxim remains as true as ever: form is temporary, class is permanent.

In a team full of strokemakers, full of star names and attractive batsmen, Dravid’s role is often understated and devalued. As Frank Keating once described the great English batsmen Ken Barrington: he is “the solid trellis which allowed the Fancy Dans to parade their blooms”.

Dravid plays that role perfectly in this Indian side, opting for stoic defence to allow his partner to flourish at the other end as Dhoni did against the Indians.

In an era of Twenty20 cricket he is perhaps out of step with the needs of the modern generation, but then Dravid has always been an anachronism, a classical batsmen playing in a very modern world.

Perhaps that’s the brilliance of him. That in a cricketing world which values showmanship and image above all else, he has shown that age-old qualities can still thrive in the modern game.

That is his gift, the wonder of “The Wall” encapsulated. His values are ancient, but they are indisputably important in Test cricket-a game which remains remarkably unchanged despite all that has gone on around it-and something which India continue to value and rely upon.

It is this which makes him unique and important to this Indian team. While tougher challenges may lay ahead for him with South Africa around the corner, if anyone can deal with a challenge it is the man who will forever go down in cricketing folklore as Rahul Dravid, “The Wall”.

Test cricket: The role of the opener continues to evolve

Chris Gayle smashed 219* on the first day against Sri Lanka

Ask any author about the importance of a good opening and they’ll tell you it is crucial to any written work. It sets the tone, the pace and the spirit of the piece, and getting it right is vital, get it wrong and you’re off on the wrong foot immediately.

The importance of getting the opening right is also a vital part of a cricket innings; it sets the tone, dictates the pace and often determines whether the innings will sink or swim. For some the opening of an innings is an art of survival, a battle of pragmatism and practicality-particularly in England where the ball is liable to swing for longer.

But for others it is a chance to start off with a flyer, to immediately put pressure back on the bowler, the opposition and the captain, seizing the advantage from the off. In the past these examples were used brilliant by the very best in Test cricket, think the Haynes/Greenidge and Langer/Hayden partnerships.

However with the advent of Twenty20, the increasing exposure of Test players to limited overs cricket, the method of the opener has changed as more players are capable of hitting boundaries from the off. Whereas in the past only a few players would play an aggressive opener at the top of their order, now more teams are utilizing such players.

Brendan McCullum shows he can cut it at the top of the order

There were three brilliant examples of this in the past two days with the innings of Virender Sehwag, Brendan McCullum and Chris Gayle. In total the three of them hit 439 runs in 544 balls-a strike rate of 80.69 with 52 fours and 12 sixes-Gayle hitting six of them himself.

Gayle’s innings deserves special acclaim as it came at a time when he was under particular pressure due to losing the captaincy and also his failure to sign a WICB contract, but his was a special innings-the kind we know he is capable of-and he himself has sights on topping his triple century against South Africa next year.

But it was also a big moment for McCullum, who is seeking to prove himself at the top of the New Zealand batting order. Runs would have validated his position, but to do so in the manner which makes him so special is even better news.

Sehwag’s brilliance is simply treated as par for the course, a testament to both his consistency and his prolific appetite for runs. He is a unique and genuinely great player who combines brute strength with fantastic hand-eye co-ordination. What the likes of Gavaskar and Boycott would have made of opening this style is another matter.

The point is not to lavish praise on these talented individuals, all three are ranked among the finest hitters in the world and all had success as openers previously, albeit in McCullum’s case in limited overs form of the game.

But it is rather to mark the evolution of the role of the opening batsmen in Test cricket. Look around the international arena nowadays and almost every team starts with an opener capable of accelerating an innings.

Tamim Iqbal has shown no fear for Bangladesh

Nor is it just the larger teams, more dominant sides, as Bangladesh showed they too boast one in the sparkling talent of Tamim Iqbal who sent England’s attack to all parts both at home and abroad.

Gone are the days when mere survival was enough for an opener, now it is the era of attack as the best form of defence. It’s an evolution brought on by the limited overs game, but also by flat pitches, weaker bowling attacks and better and bigger bats.

All play their part, but ultimately it is also down to the personnel involved. Dashers like McCullum, Gayle and Sehwag have helped move the game on, seizing the advantage and capitalising on any opportunity.

As they’ve shown so brilliant, so hastily and so well, the role of the modern opener is far more than just build a platform for the middle order to thrive; it’s more a crash, bang wallop affair. How times sure have changed.

India v New Zealand: Jesse Ryder rides again

Hopefully John Bracewell had far kinder words for the New Zealand batsmen on a day when they helped wrestle the momentum of this match away from India.

Bracewell had claimed his batsmen had batted like “dickheads” in their recent 4-0 ODI series loss to Bangladesh, but they appeared men transformed by comparison today.

No more so than Jesse Ryder and Kane Williamson, who put on 194 runs for the fifth wicket, the second highest partnership in New Zealand’s history. More importantly they helped secure their side at a time when they were rocking following the quick dismissals of Brendan McCullum and Ross Taylor.

But for both players, their scores were crucial as in theory both had something to prove: Williamson on this, his first Test innings and Ryder on his first test in 14 months.

Jesse Ryder's third Test hundred was a memable one

And the absence has clearly helped galvanise him into potentially something greater. For those who have followed the peaks and troughs of his career they have always known that his talent is undoubted but the application has perhaps not always been there.

His live fast, bat fast method maybe entertaining and at times destructive, but it is hardly in keeping with what New Zealand have needed from a player who clearly boasts outrageous talent. At times he is a brilliant batsman, opening the batting in shorter forms, but in the longer form a place in the middle order, with freedom to play his shots is most suited.

What New Zealand have wanted is greater dedication, a commitment to keep his nose out of trouble and perhaps reapply himself more firmly to the team’s policy of hard work and 11o percent effort. The absence, caused by injury and indiscretion, has helped reassert these values. Should he stay out of trouble off-the-pitch and further apply himself then things ought to look up for both him and his team.

Here was a knock which showed him at his most enterprising, but also his most dogged and determined. He played within himself, but was also forceful, particularly against the spinners whom he would attack if necessary, as he showed by smiting Harbhajan Singh over long-on for six. But he also used skill,  playing the ball late and selecting his shots well.

But, unbefitting for a man known for big hits and fast scoring, he also showed he could play sedately and risk-free, in short like a true Test batsman, for most of the day.

He helped guide his younger partner through his innings as they combined to grind India into the ground on a slow and unthreatening pitch, and in the process brought up his third Test hundred-all of which have been scored against India.

The one blemish on his day was his dismissal, right before the close, when he was rapped on the pad by a ball from Sreesanth and was dismissed, just minutes after bringing up his hundred. It was a poor end to a brilliant day for the New Zealander.

Doubtless his team’s fans and management will hope this is a launch pad for better things for the big-hitting batsmen.

His talent is well-known, his record highly respectable, with a Test average near 50 and a reputation as one of the finest hitters in the world. He had spoken prior to the match about how he has cut out the alcohol, promised to change his ways and the way people perceive him. He appears trimmer, and has spoken about feeling fitter and more concentrated when he was batting.

A New Zealand batting line up with Ryder in is a more challenging proposition for Test teams especially alongside Brendan McCullum, Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, which augurs well after their disastrous tour of Bangladesh.

A word for Williamson, whose debut innings on a slow Asian wicket was perhaps the most assured since Alistair Cook was rushed into the England team in 2006.

Kane Williamson has shown impressive composure on debut

He was watchful, especially as he his renowned as a stroke-maker, determined and more importantly he got his timing and shot selection right, which are often difficult for batsmen, especially on debut and at a tender age of just 20.

It takes two batsmen to make a partnership, and though he played a junior role to Ryder, it was an important one. His moment may come tomorrow, with just 13 runs needed to bring up his maiden test hundred. It would be a wonderful moment for a young player enjoying something of a rapid rise through the ranks.

But today was about one man, and one man only. 14 months on from his last appearance, New Zealand’s fans will be delighted to see that Jesse Ryder is riding high again.