DH News Service

Bangalore, May 8: Dravid and Kumble were felicitated for having put in a hundred Test appearances each, the latter was also feted for having scaled the mountainesque 500-wicket mark in the longer version.
 
Brijesh Patel called them ‘icons worth emulating,’ Roger Binny referred to them as ‘a coach’s dream and delight.’ Karnataka minister for Higher Education DH Shankarmurthy said there were the ‘pride and joy of not merely the Karnataka State Cricket Association but of Karnataka itself.’ As one speaker after another eulogised them as ‘perfect role models,’ embarrassment and pride adorned the visages of Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid. The accolade that must have pleased them the most, however, came from Erapalli Prasanna, the former Indian off-spinner.

“I was recently asked in Kolkata what I would like to become today, if I had the choice. My reply was — to be able to bowl like Anil Kumble and bat like Rahul Dravid.” It was that kind of an evening, really — soaked in emotion and dripping with nostalgia, as the past rubbed shoulders with the present, and the future of Karnataka cricket looked on respectfully. Anecdotes and wisecracks flowed liberally, but the underlying current among a vast gathering assembled at a function got up by the KSCA to honour the Indian captain and the champion leg-spinner was pride.

Dravid and Kumble were felicitated for having put in a hundred Test appearances each, the latter was also feted for having scaled the mountainesque 500-wicket mark in the longer version. Always quick to laud its heroes, the KSCA left no stone unturned as it recognised the feats of its indigenous talent that has now taken wing and is revered worldwide.
 
The two modest individuals were both presented with Mysore ‘petas,’ a scroll, a crystal memento and a cheque for Rs 10 lakh apiece, but it was the love, respect and admiration of the crowd that they cherished the most.

‘Emotional Feeling’

“It’s a pretty emotional feeling,” Kumble said. “To be felicitated by your own people is very special. There are many people to thank, including former cricketers, everyone of my team-mates in every single team, and other people who have helped me at various stages of my career.

“Of course, support from the family, from my brother and now from my wife and kids too has played a big part in my success,” added Kumble. “And a special word of thanks to Daljit Singh (the former Karnataka coach) who supported me and provided me with the right kind of training after I was dropped from the Indian side in 1990.”

Remembering the untiring efforts of the KSCA groundstaff, Kumble also had a word of praise for his captain. “Rahul has been overshadowed by many in the last several years, but his batting and contribution to Indian cricket are unparalleled. I am happy he is finally getting all the accolades he richly deserves.”

Dravid also thanked his numerous team-mates, first coach the late Keki Tarapore, his parents, brother Vijay, and wife Vijeeta and son Samit. “The joy I see on my son’s face, and his toothless smile after a hard day’s work — that gives you more satisfaction than a hundred or a double hundred would,” the skipper said. “This stadium is where I started playing cricket at the age of 13, and to be honoured and felicitated in such a gracious manner makes me feel privileged and proud. I am proud also to be from Bangalore and Karnataka, and to represent all of you.”

If the evening sounded like a thanksgiving occasion, then the players were well entitled to do so; it did them credit that, in their moment of glory and triumph, they remembered those that propelled them forward.

Young Guns Feted

Apart from Kumble and Dravid, the KSCA also felicitated young guns Robin Uthappa and Gaurav Dhiman, rewarding the former with Rs 1 lakh and the latter with Rs 50,000.

Chief minister H D Kumaraaswamy was in Belgaum interacting with freedom fighters and could not attend the function. In a message, he congratulted the duo on its accomplishments.

Earlier, Pushpa Dravid, the Indian captain’s mother, unveiled a terracotta-fibreglass mural made by her and including paintings of some of the brightest stars of Karnataka cricket — Gundappa Viswanath, Syed Kirmani, B S Chandras-ekhar, Brijesh Patel, Prasa-nna, Javagal Srinath, Kumble and Dravid himself.