Rahul Dravid gives speech at Sir Donald Bradman Oration

‘The Nice Guy who finished First’ is one of his books -  this man had a rather disappointing start to his career after his debut in ODI against Sri Lanka in Singer Cup in Singapore after WC 1996 – he was promptly dropped.  In 1996 in the tour to England in the Second Test at Lords,  when Sanjay Manjrekar was injured, he got an opportunity alongwith Sourav Ganguly.  Ganguly made a century and he made 95.  Today he has more than 13000 test runs and 10889 ODI runs with 36/12 centuries respectively.

That is Rahul Sharad Dravid, nicknamed ‘the Wall’ for his impregnable defence.  He led the Indian Team between 2005 and 2007 and was Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2000.  He has taken most no. of catches in Test cricket.

Now he joined an elite list consisting of   Richie Benaud, Greg Chappel, Ricky Ponting (amongst Cricketers) and then some other notable personalities.    It is touted as an  event which honours the career, contribution and memory of the world's greatest-ever cricketer - the Sir Donald Bradman Oration is a feature of the Australian cricket calendar and a celebration of the spirit of cricket.  The function provides a platform for a prominent national or international figure to reflect on Sir Donald's career, and on cricket's place in their own lives and the life of the nation. On 14th Dec 2011, this year’s  Sir Donald Bradman Oration  was  delivered by Rahul Dravid at the Australian War Memorial.

Last year, the 8th Sir Donald Bradman oration was presented by Academy, Grammy and Tony award winning lyricist, broadcaster, author and cricket fan Sir Tim Rice.   The Honorable John Howard delivered the inaugural oration in August 2000 in his capacity as Australian Prime Minister.   In Dec 2003, it was Sir Michael Parkison CBE, British media personality; in 2005 Richie Benaud, former Australian captain; in 2006 Alan Jones, radio personality and former Australia Rugby coach; in  Jan 2008 General Peter Cosgrove AC, MC; In Aug 2008  Ricky Ponting, Australia Captain and in 2009 it was Greg Chappell.

Although his playing career ended more than half a century ago, Sir Donald Bradman remains Australian cricket's most revered and influential figure. His contribution as a player, a leader and an administrator transcended cultural and generational divides, and extended right across the international cricket community.  The Sir Donald Bradman Oration was established by Cricket Australia in 2000 as a means of marking that contribution, and recognising the role that cricket has played in shaping the Australian culture and way of life.  The oration permits a significant national and/or sporting identity the opportunity to recognise Sir Donald's unique and profound impact upon the sport on and off the field over a period of more than seven decades.

Source: http://sampspeak.blogspot.com/