While talking about what makes batting look good, Rahul Dravid made a funny comment about Virat Kohli. He called Kohli short-ish and said shorter batsmen look more elegant at the crease.
Dravid, the former Indian coach thinks players with less height, like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and even Don Bradman had an edge. Their smaller size helped them stay steady, balance themselves and time their shots well which made their shots look beautiful.
Dravid said he always looked up to Sunil Gavaskar who was excellent at keeping his balance and calm. Dravid remembers being fascinated by how still and composed Gavaskar was and he tried to copy his steady head and smooth movements.
But Dravid was taller so he had to find his own style. Unlike shorter players, the former Indian captain had to work harder on his balance and method to deal with bowlers. That’s why his batting looked more solid than flashy.
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Dravid said on the ‘Haal Chaal Aur Sawaal Podcast’: “Gavaskar was a beautifully balanced player. I always remember; he always seemed to. There was a stillness when he stood which is what I admired. I was always slightly taller so I didn’t copy anything. I just stood in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. Tendulkar again was very balanced. Shorter people have the advantage of looking more balanced because the center of gravity is lower. That’s what they say.”
Dravid became famous not because of raw strength but because of his perfect way of batting which left bowlers helpless. His cover drives, precise leaves, steady stance and ideal bat lift were just right. He could handle fast bowlers, annoy spinners and bat for a really long time.
Still the former Indian coach joked that his short-ish comment might bother Virat Kohli but he explained why the batting superstar is special. Even though he’s not super tall Kohli mixes the natural balance of shorter batsmen with great energy and fitness to win fans and matches. Dravid said, “Many great batsmen have been shorter people. Look at Gavaskar or Tendulkar or a [Brian] Lara or a [Ricky] Ponting… going back to [Donald] Bradman. Kohli is short-ish. Virat Kohli might not like me calling him shortish, though.”
The batting legend said the game has changed to favor taller players now. Big hitters like Chris Gayle, Kevin Pietersen, Yuvraj Singh and Pollard showed how useful long arms are, easily smashing sixes against any bowler.
Dravid also said height and power are big advantages in today’s T20 game, giving batsmen a clear advantage when it comes to hitting hard.
Dravid concluded, “But today as the game is changing and becoming a lot about power and hitting sixes. The reach of the taller guys is becoming an advantage. Physics will tell you. Kevin Pietersen, Kieron Pollard. Look at the guys who are batting these days, in T20s especially.”
