They were proud that the captain of the Indian cricket team was from their city. However, minutes after the news of Rahul Dravid submitting his resignation as the Indian captain broke, Bangaloreans reacted with shock and surprise.
Sunil Joshi, former Indian cricketer and a close friend of Dravid, said, "I am surprised by this move of his. He just captained the Indian side which won the Test series in England after 21 years. With such a feat behind him, it is quite shocking that he wants to step down. He should not have resigned from the post of captain, especially at a time when India needed him the most."
Javagal Srinath, the former paceman who has played alongside Dravid for several years, said that it is not right to make any comment now. "I know as much as all of you do. It is not right to speculate and pass comments. We have to go into the reasons before we say anything."
A close friend of Dravid and a cricket player himself, Satish Vishwanathan says he is shocked. "I don't know why he took such a decision. He is not the kind of person who will shy away from responsibility.
"Don't forget, he kept wickets for India when there was none to do the job. Such is the commitment the man has. I don't know if his personal form bothered him and prompted him to take this decision. I really don't think he should have worried about his personal form. I thought he did very well in the one day series."
The common man on the streets of Bangalore is not happy either. Says Ravi Nayak, an ardent fan of Dravid's, "I had visited five temples the day he became captain of India. But this news is shocking. I don't know why he did it. He did so well as captain, and I am sure he could have improved on his batting performance.
"Every batsman goes through a bad phase and Dravid was going through the same phase. If Dravid thinks his decision is in the interest of the team, then we have no option but to accept it. I only hope that he re-considers his decision."
