Cricket icon Rahul Dravid’s Timeless Steel launched in Mumbai

Jumbo Editorial Team 

Legendary cricketer Rahul Dravid launched a book titled ‘Timeless Steel’ which is a collection of stories about his illustrious international spanning more than 15 years, in Mumbai on July 4. Former Indian batsman, Sanjay Manjrekar, and eminent cricket commentator, Harsha Bhogle, were also present on the occasion.

The 256-page book portrays a cricketer who embodies the finest tradition and values of the game, and a human being who impressed the numerous people he came in contact with during his amazing cricketing journey. 

The contributions from notable personalities in ‘Timeless Steel’ are complemented by eye-catching photographs that reflect the man and the cricketer. 

Ed Smith, who once shared a dressing room with Dravid, describes the gentleman that he is while Greg Chappell remembers the India captain that he worked with. 

Sanjay Bangar relives the splendor of Headingley 2002 while Mukul Kesavan analyses how Dravid’s techniques allows for more style than one might assume. Sidharth Monga scrutinizes Dravid’s captaincy while Rohit Brijnath looks back at the twin peaks of Adelaide 2003. Adding sheen to this book is Vijeeta Dravid’s close-up account of her perfectionist husband.

Dravid remained the lynchpin of India’s Test batting through the 2000s, combining technical virtuosity with legendary work ethic. He epitomized an old-school guts-before-glory approach in an age increasingly defined by flashy stroke play and low attention spans. Alongwith Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly, he formed the most powerful batting quartet of the recent past. 

 “I love reading books, especially books on sports other than cricket. I found it helped me gain a good understanding of the mindset of other athletes,”the soft-spoken Dravid remarked on the occasion. 

“Rahul Dravid is that rarest combination in sports: a champion athlete and a gem of a man. Timeless Steel is as much a tribute to the cricketer who underpinned Indian cricket’s golden age as to the man who brought dignity and grace to the game. Cricket is the most literary of sports and this book, ESPNcricinfo’s second in as many years, reinforces our commitment to showcase the best cricket literature,” Sambit Bal, Editor, ESPNcricinfo and author of Timeless Steel, observed.

“Disney Publishing has a long tradition of telling great stories and it is a pleasure to be launching this book on Rahul Dravid, together with ESPNcricinfo. ‘Timeless Steel’ is a celebration of a truly gifted cricketer and an Indian legend of sport. At Disney, we are always excited to bring such amazing content that is locally relevant, truly loved by our fans and something that transcends across ages,” Roshini Bakshi, Managing Ddirector, Consumer Products, Publishing and Retail, Disney UTV, reckoned. 

“Cricket and Bollywood are the two biggest connects in India and we decided to start with Rahul. Not only is he our Mr Dependable who ruled the cricket world for decades, but this year, he announced his retirement from the sport, following which emotions have been running high among his fans across the country,” she added.