India batter Sachin Tendulkar (L) plays a shot as Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan watches during the fifth day of their third and final Test cricket match in Colombo August 7, 2010. [R] India’s Rahul Dravid. Photo: Reuters / Facebook via Dravid
Former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid reckons that shorter batters have historically enjoyed a natural advantage at the crease, thanks to their balance achieved by lower centre of gravity.
Dravid has long been celebrated as "The Wall" of Indian cricket, a flagbearer whose calm authority at the crease defined an era. The former India skipper has shed light on an unusual factor behind the success of some of the game's greatest batters: their height.
Speaking on the Haal Chaal Aur Sawaal podcast with Ashish Kaushik, Dravid recalled how Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, both relatively short in stature, mastered fast bowlers with remarkable balance and poise.
"Gavaskar was a beautifully balanced player. There was a stillness when he stood, which is what I admired," Dravid said.
"Tendulkar again was very balanced. Shorter people have the advantage of looking more balanced because the centre of gravity is lower."
He then extended the thought to other legends of the game.
"A lot of great batters over the years have been shorter people -- Gavaskar, Tendulkar, [Brian] Lara, [Ricky] Ponting… even going back to [Donald] Bradman.
"Virat Kohli is short-ish. Though Virat might not like me calling him that," Dravid chuckled.
Kohli, who retired from Tests and T20Is but remains a contender for the 2027 ODI World Cup, continues to be a beacon of consistency across formats. His stature -- both physical and metaphorical -- cements him among the modern greats, even if Dravid's "short-ish" tag might raise a smile.
However, Dravid also highlighted how cricket's evolution has tilted the scales in favour of taller batters in the power-hitting era.
"Today, as the game is changing and becoming a lot about power and sixes, the reach of the taller guys is becoming an advantage.
"Physics will tell you. Kevin Pietersen, Kieron Pollard… look at the guys batting in T20s these days."
