by When it comes to batting, inspiration or a role model is largely restricted to just two players : Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Though the country has produced more than 300-400 cricketers of world class quality, we can only recollect or even accept the two of them for the several Fantastico innings they have played all along.
Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, two crickets of completely different style have been the reason for several thousands of children to take up the bat and play cricket be it for hobby or as a full time profession. Sachin Tendulkar had a flair for stylish shots, power hitting and destroying any bowler in the world. Some of his Fantastico innings included the century he hit at Sharjah against the powerful Australians. In a do or die situation, in came Sachin Tendulkar . He played an innings that was unforgettable and incredibly match saving. Every delivery was hit for a boundary as he not only the match but also millions of hearts across the world. Shane Warne was quote off saying his shots literally gave him nightmare as a bowler. Another innings of his that was quite talked about was his century at the Lords cricket ground against the Englishmen. His strokeplay , straight drives and hook shots has won him praise even from the great Sir Donald Bradman and remains a forever legend in the books of cricket
Rahul Dravid however has a different class of cricket inside him. His stance , the resilience to face Australian pace attack and yet score a century and overall his great defensive strokes earned him the name The Wall. Also called as the Gentleman of Cricket, he has indeed played some fantastico innings and made India proud. His 3 day partnership stand with V.V.S Laxman created several world records as he won the match despite being follow on from the first innings. His onside drive, pull shot and square cuts was really a class apart than any other batsman one would have seen
Despite several match winners in the country like MS Dhoni, Kapil Dev, Sourav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar or Anil kumble, the adulation that Sachin and Rahul Dravid received from people all around the world was truly incredible and Fantastico ! Both of them has received exemplary honors at the Lord’s Cricket Hall of Fame and still remains a night mare for all bowlers.
It’s truly a blessing to have watched all their fantastico innings in my time
This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.
