Bangalore, March 9: The cricketing fraternity was out in force on Twitter to laud Rahul Dravid's contribution to the world of sport.
Following are some remarks on Twitter--
Sanjay Manjrekar : "Rahul Dravid - Knew the man behind the bat. Not often do you find a person as exceptional as his achievements.."
Suresh Raina : "Wall for team but a shoulder for team mates. Impregnable for opposition, motivation fr us. That's Rahul bhai. Got my ODI & Test cap frm him."
Chris Gayle : "Congrats on a Fantastic, Superb International Career! The Great Legend Rahul Dravid !!The wall will be miss!!"
Kevin Pietersen : "Rahul Dravid-LEGEND!! Plain & simple.. congrats on an incredible career!! India WILL miss"
AB de Villiers : "Congrats to Rahul Dravid on an amazing career! You will be missed. Fantastic person and Cricketer! India's #wall"
Michael Vaughan : "Rahul Dravid retires.. The worlds most respected cricketer over the last 20 yrs.. LEGEND.."
Aakash Chopra : "Extremely emotional to see my hero bid goodbye to cricket. Thank You for the memories. Words fail me. You're a legend."
Mahesh Bhupathi : "Congratulations Rahul Dravid. Champion on and off the field, showed us all that sky is the limit with hard work, patience and discipline..."
Anupam Kher : "Cricket once was a Gentlemen's game & Rahul Dravid Personified tat.Thanks Rahul for enriching our lives.You'll Never retire in our hearts.:)"
Shane Warne : "Best nicknames Commentator to work with Dravid player/person 05Ashes memory Best player to lead team song Answers mon"
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly said Dravid's determination, technique and commitment towards the game was special.
“I am not surprised at this decision. I think it's a mixture of everything including the team's performance. He was a perfectionist. He used always strive for perfection. His determination, technique and commitment towards the game was something special,” Ganguly said of his former team-mate.
“It's really tough to become another Rahul Dravid. It will not happen overnight. It has taken him long to get here. One has to go through a lot of hardships and commitment,” he said.
“It's always tough for one in any profession to announce his retirement. It feels sad, but sport is time-oriented. Many greats have come and gone, the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona have quit. Roger Federer will go one day. Rahul Dravid did it today. I feel in cricket you can play a little longer,” the lef-handed batsman insisted.
Legendary Sunil Gavaskar said Dravid's decision to bid adieu to the game has left a big hole in Indian cricket.
“It will be a big hole to fill. It was a decision in the pipeline for some time, because once a player gets 35-36, talks of leaving the game are at the back of his mind, so really didn't come as a surprise,” he said. “We always think, not only in cricket but in different walks of life, it will be difficult to replace somebody. While obviously the style will be very different, there will be younger players coming,” Gavaskar said.
“The results will not be immediate but they will be soon enough. Indian cricket fans will have some new hero to look up to, some new idol to cheer. That is the nature of the sport,” he further added.
Describing Dravid as a “great motivator”, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said, “Day before yesterday he called me to inform about his decision. I wished him all the best. Everyone knows he is a legend of the game.
“He has been a great motivator and we all looked up to him in the manner he prepares for each and every Test match. It was a lesson for all of us.”
Harbhajan added: “On a personal note I can never forget that amazing catch of Dale Steyn he took of my bowling.” Harbhajan was referring to Dravid's 200th catch in five-day cricket which he took off Harbhajan's bowling during a Test match against South Africa in Durban in 2010. Former captain Ajit Wadekar said Dravid was like “Great Wall of China for the India team”.
“Rahul was like the Great Wall of China for the Indian team and it cannot be created again. He has scored the highest number of runs after Sachin and also played the highest number of Test matches after Sachin. It's impossible to have another Dravid and impossible to fill up the void,” he said.
Another former captain Nari Contractor said, “Like Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare and Sunil (Gavaskar) have gone down in history, like Sachin (Tendulkar) will go down in history (when he calls it a day), so too will Rahul go down as among the very best India has produced.
“Rahul has been next only to Sachin in everything (in the number of runs scored in Tests and number of centuries). He has made runs when they mattered most for the team. What more would you have expected from him.”
