Dear Sir Rahul S Dravid,
Only the mature and sensitive followers of Indian cricket, of the generation that grew up watching Sachin Tendulkar's Tons, Saurav Ganguly's bold straight drive sixes and your supportive presence in most of both such circumstances would understand why the true Gentleman of the Gentleman's game hung his boots today.
Ask every Indian cricket fan or rather every Indian of the above quoted generation as to who is 1st in their favorite list. You know what many would say. You don't know what many others would say. But ask them who is 2nd in their list. There can't be anyone but you.
I am sad yet proud just like my favorite player, you, on this momentous day for Indian cricket whose effect will be probably understood better in the next test series without you, Mr.Dependable.
Two days back when the insanely hyper reactive media flashed the rumors that you are going to announce the retirement on friday, though for one moment I prayed that you won't, I reminded myself of your stainless steel character. Then I woke up to the hard truth.
Now, I have as many questions as yourself. I know you will figure out way too sooner. But I cannot.
The only reason I have been watching Test matches patiently hiding the remote controller below my seat even when my family protested for other programs on TV was the spiritual presence of you on the field in those blue baggy cap and fully sweated jersey numbered 19.
The only reason I started watching IPL was to have a glimpse of you though I think neither of us was comfortable with that format.
I never kept any role models. I never fanatically followed a foreign football club. I never pasted any film star's photo in my room. But I still don't know how you managed to slip through all my checkpoints.
When I look back at my close peers' list, I am surprised to remember each one of them telling your name as their favorite, sometime or the other. May be somebody admiring you with full heart was an easy filter to pick my types.
I must tell you, you were one good reason enough to make good friends.
I am sad that I cannot see you in the Indian blues on the field anymore. I am sad that I only have to watch those trigonometric square cuts, those text book foot works, those motivational pats on the younger player's back only on the archival videos; not live.
But I respect your decision as I know you are a very diligent decision maker.
I promise you one thing, I will tell about you to my kids in a much more passionate way than my dad told about Gavaskar to me.
