Fare thee well, the gentleman

Wrap Chinnaswamy stadium in a black armband. Inform the four winds that a great game came to a standstill today, albeit for a moment. Freeze those glorious statistics and post them on eternity's slate. Stand up and applaud till your palms bleed.
For a devoted son of cricket is taking his final bow.

A hundred years from now, when young cricketers study the career of Rahul Dravid - as they will - they'll ask each other:
'Did he really carry his bat into the twenty-first century? He seems so... gentlemanly.'
Hopefully somebody will remind them that true greatness is timeless.