The two will be walking out again tomorrow for India, as they have done so creditably, and so often, for the nation and their team before. This time it probably will be the toughest situation they have ever encountered - at the fag end of their glorious careers, light fading from their partnership, an injured Laxman, a new tyke on the block who is yet another from the genre of indecipherable bowling, snapping and biting at their wickets, an old wily veteran bowler of the same genre taking potshots at them in tandem, and a match to save yet again...to transform on its head like many times before...perhaps the most difficult ask of their careers under the circumstances.
Let us look back at what Laxman - Dravid has been all about.
1) Highest Overall Partnership Runs by a Pair
Lax-Drav stand at a creditable 20th in the all-time list with 3252 runs between them at a high average of 56.06 at the moment.
Please note that Dravid figures thrice in the top 21 partnerships with his best partnership being with Sachin at the third position overall in the history of the game.
A cursory look at the top 21 suggests that Dravid is the only one to figure thrice with creditable twice by many players. Could be wrong, but that was a quick look only with dodgy eyesight. Maybe you can spot another.
2) In the list of Most Hundreds by a Pair -
Dravid - Laxman occupy a creditable 11th position in the overall, all-time list at the moment. They have 11 centuries between them and 8 fifties.
In this list also, Dravid-Sachin are joint first with Hayden-Ponting in terms of centuries. They have fewer fifties between them. Also, Dravid again figures at the 15th spot with Saurav Ganguly, with 10 centuries between them. That's thice again for him at the top levels.
3) The Indian Partnership list is liberally littered with Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman at the high end of the value chain.
4) Laxman with Dravid and Dravid with Laxman reveals that their last big partnership was just six test matches ago - 175 at Sydney in 2008 which pretty much means we are around the due date for their next big one, as per their partnership chart. The two are due - both according to law of averages and as per the pattern observed in their partnership charts.
5) In the Highest Partnerships for All Wickets list for all time, Rahul Dravid figures with Sehwag at 12th (410 vs Pakistan), and with Laxman at 21st (376 vs Australia).
6) Their partnership records with everyone is as follows - Rahul Dravid with partner and VVS Laxman with partner.
There is no doubt that these two are partnership men. They work well in partnerships, with others and even better when together.
They forge strong partnerships and tend to create plenty of high value within it.
They have stood firm in high adversity...most of their partnerships have been in such situations, but as said earlier, this arguably must be the toughest assignment of them all, and in the dusk of their careers.
If they flicker and burn brightly in the gathering gloom tomorrow, even if it is for one last firefly lifetime again, we, their lovers and critics, will have something about them to keep reliving as the night ultimately descends on their partnership. We will have something yet again to toast the two by.
They have 30 runs for the road between them already by tonight...tomorrow's another day, another chance for the partnership to gather some more credit.
Victoria-Minerva has a mantra which works! It goes something like this -
"Dravid needs to stay and score,
India needs to win,
Laxman needs to stay and score,
India needs to win"
Now that's what we are going to do tomorrow. Later in the evening we will turn up at VM's doorstep to congratulate her.
And oh, there's this we all forgot about - Dravid purrs ahead of Gavaskar. That is an omen, I tell you, he's motoring along with a purpose and a new motivation now. Where's Lara huh?
16 comments:
Guess you got over your gloomy mood eh!
Looks like I did :) But I didn't want to jinx them with this article, but guess I have already. But what if...? It's too good to imagine!
Enjoyed the drift, the details, the links, the journey. delicious stuff sb.
The VVS+Sarandeep pship at 100 plus, VVS with the lower order, VVS+Sewhag not much, RD+Sehwag, RD and everybody. I like averages 'n i like law of averages even more.
Ha Gaurav! We are going to do it...The Partnership is going to score a bull's eye...Lax certainly has a few partnerships in the seedy, seamy, tailenderworld as well.
But what arst thou doing up so late? Tomorrow we'll need you fresh, bright and with all the ESP power ( all the megawatts of them) you can summon across to the middle of the pitch at Colombo to our two warriors batting for India.
I never knew statistics could be reassuring. :)
But SB, did we jinx it by even thinking about it? Not just us, even the Indian team is thinking abou it so I guess we can't really jix it by our thinking or writing.
The plan for me is to keep match scorecard open and a second tab open with nothin on it and only switch to cricinfo when my heart tells me I should. If I don't follow this divine code and think of it as blind superstition then we lose wickets. I know this will heal Laxman's knees/thighs and Ishant's buttocks!
Today, statistics have to go beyond reassurance. Probability will have to reveal itself as a potent plausible force, or else it will be forever known as a pipe dream or excuse of escapists who do not wish to work. Ott, Sri Lanka may yet win, but I choose to repose my vote of faith in these two gentlemen at the creaase with the clear green light to go ahead, do your thing, whichever way you can, and there shall be no regrets if you have been 100% about it.
Let us today resolve to give our 100% at whichever task or interactions we are involved in, for this collective resolve will be transported across to the two gentlemen, and the Indian team, as a capsule of Sanjeevani energy which will pulsate their aeing limbs with indefatigable vigour and their confused and clouded minds with a distinct clarity of vision. Let us today, all over India and the world, commit our bit of positive energy to this task in the form of our own actions!
Prabu, I thought long and hard about the same yesterday...I stayed awake through the night meditating upon the conundrum..."did I jinx the boys," I asked myself over and over again. Enlightment appeared in the form of a question to my soul - the voice asked me to keep shedding every reason for this desire to see them succeed and observe what was left...I found I had nothing but goodwill for the two and the their Lankan rivals and with a feeling that all will do what they have to and the ones who apply themselves completely will achieve like rewards.
I kept seeing Dravid and Laxman's faces...these were not the faces of men who played for themselves but of those who always wanted to give others a reason to smile...to be happy for a while...to experience an ovewhelming sense of pride in their existence, even if it is till the next test...these two men have alsways strived to give that to a many billion cricket enthusiasts around the world through their sincere actions.
So...they will get back some reason to smile today from us...a huge vote of confidence...uproarious in its very silence for we can only send it across through our sincerest vibes...which can only be felt and not heard.
Today is a day where we will do in our lives as we expect these two men to do. That is the mantra.
Like I said, they already have the first EMI of 30 runs batted in...all they need now is another 10 such more with a final 11th which shall be the bonus.
SB, thanks for popularizing my mantra! :) You have added to my hope. I didn't write about it, since I thought I was jinxed. Continues chanting. :)
Now let's hope for some injection in Sharma's ass kicks him into high gear...
Excellent stats. It proves what fantastic servants these two have been to Indian cricket. They also relish responsibilty and work together so well.
Great site by the way, if you could drop me an email at some point - that would be great. Thanks.
Victoria, thank you for trying. Thamk you Rahul and Laxman for trying. Never mind, for the better tea won. You tried.
No gears left Prabu...the chap was already at his peak. He needs rest and recuperation and I suspect he will be out for a while and come back a little paler just like Pathan.
Hi Thomas Rooney, welcome to th community of TCWJ.
Yes, the two gentlemen haven't wasted their time on the intenational stage and have managed to make some good use of it. Today, it wasn't to be. The vets tried, but clearly, the better team was able to find all the answers to the partnership they wanted.
I shall certainly drop you a mail.
Post a Comment