If there is, at any point of time, a national debate on the subject of selecting the best batsman Indian cricket has ever produced, I don't think there would be a great debate. Because statistics and memories of people together will tell that it is Sachin Tendulkar. The Master himself, is one of the greatest cricketers of all times and is also considered as the greatest One Day cricketer ever. Now the question comes on who will succeed Tendulkar on that list of India's greatest batsmen. Arguably, it would be Rahul Dravid, surpassing the great Sunil Gavaskar, for Dravid is the Great Wall of India, widely considered as the greatest Number 3 batsman India ever had. But this fact creates a major doubt in this writer, which he guess can be answered only by the Selectors of the BCCI - Where is the Wall ?It can only be considered ridiculous that such a great batsman has been overlooked for selection in the ODIs against such a strong opponent like Pakistan. Of course its true that India has won the series against Pakistan and we all are happy about it as well, but still the omission of the great Rahul Dravid from the team is a sad fact. But of course the other side is that this omission has given Rahul the great opportunity to fight back and slam a ton and a double ton in the domestic circuit. He again gave evidence on why he is called the Wall. He was not taken aback by his omission from the national team, instead he fought back with valor and proved a point or two.
There is no doubt this great cricketer, one of the greatest sons of the country, will bounce back and make his impact felt on the international arena once again, for he is a man of class, temperament and enormous abilities. It is only a right decision by the selectors to include Rahul Dravid in national team for the test series against Pakistan and I am sure that he will also figure in the test team against Australia down under. The bouncier tracks of Australia demands batsmen of right technique and right temperament which Rahul Dravid has in plenty. His overseas record is also something that is worth mentioning - he is one batsman whose overseas record in test matches is better than the record in the home matches.
Some times the BCCI selectors make such bizarre decisions that we feel that they are rather insane and inane than being sensible and prudent. Otherwise what reason on this earth do these people have to drop the great Rahul Dravid from the National side. Yet, now they have made the right decision by selecting him for the test matches against Pakistan and thus sense has prevailed again. Lets hope that Rahul Dravid can once again show his mettle as a great Test Batsman and there by prove his real worth to the selectors in the micro level and to the world in a macro level.
