Dravid said that he felt the criticism he was getting at the time was rather unfair considering he had gone only three innings without a big score. (PTI File Photo)
Rahul Dravid scored a memorable century 25 years ago during the iconic second Test at the Eden Gardens against Australia and followed it with an unusually animated celebration. Known for his calm and composed demeanor, Dravid’s celebrated by angrily pointing the bat at the press box at the Eden Gardens, a reaction that is uncharacertistic for a player who was known for his calm demeanor. The 53-year-old has now admitted that he may have allowed things to get to him, which he could’ve avoided.
Speaking to TOI, he looked back at the moment and stated that he believes that the celebration itself may have got a little more attention than it deserved. “That’s been blown out of proportion a little bit. I think in some ways, there was a lot of pressure on me. You can’t really react to everything people say. I understand that better now because I’m a bit wiser, more mature and have seen a fair bit of life in 25 years. But I genuinely felt that there was a lot of negativity around the team and a lot of criticism, which was a little bit uncalled for at that stage,” said Dravid.
Dravid said that he felt the criticism he was getting at the time was rather unfair considering he had gone only three innings without a big score. “Also, some of that criticism directed towards me was a bit unjustified. I’d only gone three innings without scoring runs. I was young and feeling the pressure. As a young man fighting for your place in the side — for your career and the team — you don’t always have the maturity to fully understand the situation.”
He further stated his celebration was not aimed at anyone in particular. It was merely a release from all that he had been dealing with. “I’m happy enough to admit 25 years later that maybe I did let things get to me, which I should not have. But it wasn’t meant for anyone in particular. It was a relief and a sort of outlet for the pressure I was feeling. Whatever may be my reputation, so to speak, I have always been human.”
India had gone into the match trailing 1-0 in the series against the all-conquering Australians. The visitors scored 445 batting first after which India collapsed for a score of 171 in their first innings. Australia captain Steve Waugh enforced the follow-on but quite extraordinarily, Dravid and VVS Laxman turned the tables on Australia with a 376-run partnership. Dravid fell on 180 while Laxman scored 281. India ended up setting a target of 384 for Australia to chase a stellar six-wicket haul from a young Harbhajan Singh, which included an unprecedented hat-trick, resulted in the hosts winning the matcb by 171 runs. It marked just the third time in the history of Test cricket that a team had won a match after being asked to follow-on.
