Dear Rahul,

It’s taken me two days to come to terms with your retirement and finally write this. My heart refused to believe that you, The Wall of Indian Cricket, had decided to call it quits. To say that I am your fan would be an understatement; I am much more than that. My parents believe it’s an infatuation but I don’t think so. It’s a whole lot of admiration, a dash of a crush and a pinch of love.

I remember the first time I saw you play. It must have been my second cricket match that I had ever seen. New to cricket, I was still figuring out the logistics of the games and on you came onto the field. At 14, I had never seen a cricketer cuter, more handsome and definitely more charming. I was floored. Over time, my crush deepened. Every time India played, I looked for you. Every four, every six, every block, every catch in the slip I watched in amazement.

It’s rather odd to say this but I grew up with you. You moved on from strength to strength, gained moniker after moniker ranging from Jammy to Mr. Dependable as I simultaneously went through High School. And while most young girls had pictures of celebrities on their school binders, I had a large magazine cut out of you taped to mine. The girls laughed. I flicked my hair and walked right on.

Yes, there have been great highs for you, but for me there isn’t one defining match that left me speechless. It’s been every 100, every catch in the slip and every time you won man of the match, I understood why. But if I were to pick one, it would be your 148 against England. It was by far one the most beautiful pieces of batting I have ever seen. Even through the lows, I believed in you. I knew you’d bounce back, which you did ever so fabulously.

However, it wasn’t all this that made me become the Rahul Dravid fan-girl that I am. It was your dignity, your charm and your innate love for the game that furthered my respect for you. I often felt that you were one player who possessed a love for the game that no one else did. It wasn’t about the fame for you. You, Rahul, played beautiful cricket. You made it look easy, graceful and exquisite.

For 15 years now, I’ve watched you play like a true gentlemen in a game that is meant for men just like yourself. Many players would become big-headed after all these achievements, but not you. You remained as humble as ever.

On a rather girly note, you will always remain my numero uno crush amongst the cricket lads. There will never be a more perfect gentleman than you, in my opinion. At 39, you still possess the 23-year-old charm that you possessed back then. And trust me, you still make the ladies go giddy. Whether it’s your absolutely adorable smile or those dreamy eyes, I found myself gushing then and more so now. I shed a tear when I watched your press conference announcing your retirement. It was a moment of mixed feelings. As an Indian cricket fan, we were losing one the most precious players we ever had and yet, the fashion in which you were letting it go was one of great panache and poise. But only Rahul Dravid could bid adieu to cricket the way you did.

You may leave the cricketing arena but we all know what you mean to Indian Cricket. You epitomize grace, style and humility. There will never be a cricketer like you ever again and you know what, we wouldn’t want another Rahul Dravid anyway.

We love you Rahul and we always will. As for me, you are and will always be my favorite Wall.

Love and respect,
Roshni

Clean Bowled!

Just today I told a friend on Facebook, who wants to date a guy who can play the guitar, that I officially want to marry one that plays cricket. In all honesty, my immense and intense love for cricket is not new. In fact, I've always loved the sport. My feelings for it however, had really been repressed. But that's in the past, I'm all about the sport once again. Okay so getting back to marrying a cricketer, he doesn't necessarily have to be a professional cricketer but basically one who loves the sport as much as I do and plays pretty gosh darn well. In light of this new found realization, I sat down to think about all my favorite cricketers. The following men have won my heart for various reasons. Hey, I'm not one of those girls who swoon over cricketers who are just absolutely cute and how - na ji na! Play good cricket along with being cute works even better for me. Okay so the gentlemen who have bowled me over and how, here we go.

Bowled Middle Stump: Sachin Tendulkar
If anyone in the Indian team knows how to make my heart beat, it is Sachin Tendulkar. Besides being the best in the world, he also happens to own an amazing personality, a humble heart and a cutesy smile. But what really works for me is some of his best shots. When he hits his classic cover drives, I find my heart pacing until the ball reaches the boundary line. The maestro's late cuts, straight drives and his cut shots make me want to collapse. And it's not because it's a great shot, but the manner in which he places the ball along with immense skill just works wonders for me. Add to that the fact that he bowls one hell of a legspin, and voila, the master blaster can blow you away! A great father and a fabulous husband, Sachin really is one helluva dude.

Caught at Slip: Rahul Dravid

My crush on Rahul Dravid ended the day he decided to marry. Hmph. I've always had a soft spot for "The Great Indian Wall". His genuineness and down to earth temperament won me over the first time I saw Dravid play. While he does take some time to set in, when he's completely in the groove, he is hard to destruct. Dravid is known for being one the most technically perfect cricketers that has graced Indian cricket. His pull shots and cover drives are beautifully timed while his fielding at the slips, he rarely failed to miss a catch. And with a smile like that, he definitely does have his share of share of girls running after him. Myself included!

LBW: Kapil Dev

We all have our favorite veteran cricketing stars. My favorite retro cricketer is definitely, Kapil Dev. My fondness for him began after I realized that the cricketer bared an uncanny resemblance to my late grandfather. And it didn't end there. Their personalities and incredibly humble nature matched too. When talking about his skill, well, jitni tareef karu, utni kaam hai. An all rounder, a fabulous successful captain and a patriot, Dev saab is one man who literally is cricket personified. He exuberates "The Gentlemen's Game" with his polite nature and simplicity.

Googly: Virat Kohli

Currently, this young cricketer is making my heart swoon and how! Whether it's his fiery attitude, his cute smile or his batting abilities, it all just works for me. I only took notice of Kohli very recently, so really, my admiration for him is rather new. However, I really do believe this lad is going far. His fielding is always top notch which is great as he sets high standards for the rest of the team to keep to par and he performed pretty well at every World Cup match this tournament. But more than anything, he's superly duperly utterly butterly cute. Works for me!

Caught Behind Wicket: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Smart. Savvy. Shrewd. Dhoni, India's most successful captain, is one guy who took time to win me over. Everyone was screaming about Dhoni and I would simply yawn. However, his quiet but sly nature wasn't one to be taken for granted. Whether he's captaining behind the stumps or batting on the field, he knows his place in the team and is all about motivating the team. His choice of pronouns must be noted. It is rare that he uses "I" or "him"; it's always "we" and "us". Good call! His captains innings at the 2011 World Cup final did it for me. Dhoni won me over and I was out!

Future pati dev, wherever you are, whoever you are...are you taking notes?