He is acknowledged as a selfless cricketer. Famously known as ‘The Wall' and ‘Mr. Dependable', he is the only Indian batsman to score back-to-back centuries in a World Cup. Strong in front of his opponents on the field, he is a very shy and down-to-earth person off it. The 2000 ‘Wisdon Cricketer of the Year' and Padma Shri awardee, Rahul Dravid, former captain of the Indian cricket team, was felicitated recently along with six other luminaries, for his achievements by Coca-Cola at the launch of the 21st edition of The Limca Book of Records at the NCUI Auditorium, New Delhi.
Excerpts from the interview:
You have been out of action for quite sometime now. You were absent in the Champions 20-20 league and the Asia Cup. What kept you busy?
I am enjoying life right now. I am not in the best of my form right now and that is why I didn't show up at the tournaments. Player selection is totally a decision of the selectors and they would decide what is in the best interests of the country. The youngsters are performing very well right now. The current combination (of the team) is showing pretty good results. The recent success at the Asia Cup final stands witness to that.
Any plans of a comeback?
I am looking forward to the upcoming India-Sri Lanka Test series starting from July 18. I am quite positive about playing in it.
You are known as Mr. Dependable in the world of cricket for your consistency. But, this dependability is seldom found in youngsters these days, . One day they perform outstandingly well, the other day they fail to do so, very clearly illustrated by the Indian team in the Asia Cup, when they fared very poorly and went down against Sri Lanka in the league match, and then thrashed them in the very next match, the final. What are views on that?
Cricket is a game of luck and chances. Sometimes luck is not on your side. The toss, weather conditions and pitch could decide a lot in and against your favour. Youngsters are producing very good results. Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Praveen Kumar… they are all doing well and delivering consistent performances.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have improved a lot since the inaugural edition of the IPL — they entered the finals in the second edition and semi-finals in the third. What would you like to say?
The RCB players have been working hard since the first edition. We have got really good players like Jacques Kallis, Anil Kumble, Robin Uthappa and Dale Steyn, who always perform and deliver good results.
T-20 cricket is widely considered the game of the ‘young blood' and pinch hitters. But, Anil Kumble appeared in the top five wicket-taking bowlers list, and Kallis was the second-highest run scorer, with Sachin being on the top and Saurav Ganguly on fourth. The stats, in the case of Kumble, Kallis and Sachin, do not oblige to the common theory at all. Your take?
T-20 is not just about hitting the ball hard. It is a different sort of cricket, for which different strategies and playing techniques are needed. This is where the experience counts. Kallis always performs well with both the bat and ball. Anil Kumble is the most economical bowler in T-20. Experience always matters. Being on the field for so long a time certainly helps you to adapt to different versions of the game easily. Be it Test matches, One-Dayers or T-20.
Do you think T-20 cricket is overshadowing other formats of the game, especially the 50-over One-Day matches, as is now it is being suggested?
No, there is nothing like that. Like I earlier said, T-20 is a totally different format of the game, with different techniques and strategies. It is not disturbing or severing other formats. We recently had a tri-series and then the Asia Cup. We are going to play 11 Test matches in the next five months. Everything is in fine balance.
