Like his approach at the crease, Rahul Dravid delivered a measured warning — a series of alerts, really — on the state and health of cricket at the Bradman Oration in Canberra recently. The game, he said, despite its apparent financial
robustness, was sending out signals that all is not well, and that the time to act is now. Fans, the lifeblood of any sport, he reasoned, could not be treated in a cavalier manner simply because money was flowing in thanks to television revenues. Paying spectators were the reason TV rights were so dear, he pointed out. And just as important, all three formats of the game needed better scheduling — “this mad merry-go-round” — to give them a due place in the overall scheme of things.
Dravid also put up an impassioned defence of Indian cricket, saying it was much more than money and power alone, and represented the hopes and aspirations of a nation coming into greatness. Each point the urbane batsman made was delivered with finesse and had gravitas, the essence of the man himself. Clearly perturbed by the sight of empty stands at the recent India-England ODI series, Dravid has come up with answers, which in turn raise uncomfortable questions for cricket’s administrators. Rather than repent later, he warned, this was the time to put things right. And being the perfectionist he is, Dravid offered some suggestions where a start could be made. As with his innumerable innings at key moments for India, the oldest serving international cricketer has come up with what could be the basis of a match-saving formula.