Rahul Dravid delivered an astounding speech at the the annual Sir Donald Bradman Oration for 2011 at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The Indian batting star covered a range of topics and made a strong point about why cricket needs to find a way to accommodate all three formats.
The 2nd highest run-getter in Tests also spoke about the effect Sir Donald Bradman had on him, and in fact, every Indian cricket fan while also saying that "the Indian cricket team is in fact, India itself, in microcosm." "The Indian cricket team is in fact, India itself, in microcosm.
A sport that was played first by princes, then their subordinates, then the urban elite, is now a sport played by all of India," the former Indian captain said.
Dravid who became the first foreigner to deliver a speech at the event added the Indian cricket teams presents a view of the country itself with myriad languages and cultures. "In this last decade, the Indian team represents more than ever before, the country we come from - of people from vastly different cultures, who speak different languages, follow different religions, belong to all classes of society," he said. "I went around our dressing room to work out how many languages could be spoken in there and the number I have arrived at is: 15 including Shona and Akrikaans." He however said that, in spite of the variety he thoroughly enjoyed his stint as the national skipper: "Most foreign captains, I think, would baulk at the idea. But, when I led India, I enjoyed it, I marvelled at the range of difference and the ability of people from so many different backgrounds to share a dressing room, to accept, accommodate and respect that difference.
In a world growing more insular, that is a precious quality to acquire, because it stays for life and helps you understand people better, understand the significance of the other," he said. Dravid said that while it was tough to allocate an equal number of games to all formats, a 'middle path' should be found to reduce 'the merry-go-round that the players find themselves in' "Cricket must find a middle path," Dravid said. "It must scale down this mad merry-go-round that teams and players find themselves in: heading off for two-Test tours and seven-match ODI series with a few Twenty20s thrown in." The newly appointed Rajastan Royals skipper said it will be a challenge for the administration to draw crowds for Test cricket and that day-night Tests could be the answer. "Test cricket deserves to be protected, it is what the world's best know they will be judged by. Where I come from, nation versus nation is what got people interested in cricket in the first place. When I hear the news that a country is playing without some of its best players, I always wonder, what do their fans think? "People may not be able to turn up to watch Test cricket but everyone follows the scores.
We may not fill 65,000 capacity stadiums for Test matches, but we must actively fight to get as many as we can in, to create a Test match environment that the players and the fans feed off. Anything but the sight of Tests played on empty grounds," he added. "For that, we have got to play Test cricket that people can watch. I don't think day-night Tests or a Test championship should be dismissed. In March of last year I played a day-night first-class game in Abu Dhabi for the MCC - and my experience from that was that day-night Tests is an idea seriously worth exploring. There may be some challenges in places where there is dew but the visibility and durability of the pink cricket ball was not an issue," he said. The quintessential batsman also supported the idea of a Test Championship saying it would drive players and teams to be more competitive.
"Similarly, a Test championship, with every team and player driving themselves to be winners of a sought after title, seems like it would have a context to every game. Keeping Tests alive may mean different innovations in different countries - maybe taking it to smaller cities, playing it in grounds with smaller capacities like New Zealand has thought of doing, maybe reviving some old venues in the West Indies, like the old Recreation Ground in Antigua," the 38 year old said.
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