Rahul Dravid clean bowled again, India stumped

There is a gaping hole in 'The Wall' which has everyone stumped. Why has Rahul Dravid, one of the most technically accomplished batsmen of our times, been out bowled six times in the ongoing series in Australia?

Is it just slowing reflexes or has he, as some experts feel, simply failed to adapt and improvise? If so, what is the team management doing about it?

Dravid's dismissal on Wednesday may have seemed unlucky as the delivery from Ben Hilfenhaus bounced higher than usual, hit him on the elbow and bounced back on to the stumps, but the end result was the same: Out bowled four times in succession.

Former India player and batting great GR Viswanath is of the opinion that Dravid has no problem with his reflexes. Instead, feels Viswanath, Dravid has failed to keep his head still. "He never had this problem earlier. It's slightly worrying, but I am sure he knows where he going wrong," Viswanath told TOI, while adding that everything seemed okay with Dravid's technique up until the Australia tour began.

Former India opener Chetan Chauhan feels Dravid is jabbing and pushing at deliveries instead of waiting for the ball. "Dravid is jabbing," Chauhan said, adding: "There are two ways to defend a delivery: go for the ball and put your bat in front of the ball, or wait. While defending, Dravid is going all out for the ball and pushing hard at it, which is creating a gap. He has also failed to keep his head still. I also feel that his backlift is very high and he is playing mostly across the line."

Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar agrees, saying: "You can get bowled because of three technical flaws: If your bat is coming from third slip or gully region, if you are playing across the line and if you are using too much of right hand while holding the bat. Dravid is getting his bat down late."

Vengsarkar added that Dravid's mode of dismissal was not a good sign. Will he go back to the drawing board and try to discover the chinks himself, as he has in the past? And what has been the role of coach Duncan Fletcher?

Another former India captain, Ajit Wadekar, feels playing the shorter formats on flat pitches at home may have led to the problem. "It may sound very surprising but Dravid hasn't improvised in this series. On flat surfaces like in the subcontinent, the ball hardly has the kind of pace and swing like in Australia. It's clearly a case of not adjusting to conditions," Wadekar told TOI, adding: "As far as his problem with the inside-edge goes, that's because of the bottom-hand grip. Playing the shorter formats and looking to push and nudge the ball has led to a loose bottom-hand grip. But when you encounter the kind of pace that the Aussies are bowling at, a tight bottom-hand grip is necessary."

Chauhan feels that when a batsman is playing non-stop cricket, such minor defects are bound to creep in. "Fletcher must talk to Dravid and sort this out. He should have done it earlier."



Keywords: Rahul Dravid, Australia, Ben Hilfenhaus,GR Viswanath,Viswanath, Dravid,Chetan Chauhan , Dilip Vengsarkar ,Ajit Wadekar.