In the debris of India's 0-4 debacle against England in the recently-concluded Test series, Rahul Dravid was like gold dust. Where every other Indian batsman struggled to cope with swing, seam and pressure, the maestro from Bangalore showed superb technique and a core of steel.
His 461 runs in the series was fewer than what he scored in England in 2002, but this was a far greater performance for the difficult circumstances in which they were made. Of his three centuries, two came as stand-in opener. In the final Test at the Oval, he carried his bat through the first innings and was back on the field in 10 minutes to open again.
In this freewheeling two-part interview with AYAZ MEMON, taken in England, Dravid opens up about his cricket and his life: how he prepared for the tour, what Indian cricket needs to do to improve its stature, whether easy money is to the detriment of young cricketers, his other interests, and his future.
Lack of preparation of the Indian team has been touted as the biggest issue for India's debacle on this tour. You are the exception in this, having enjoyed a hugely successful series with three centuries. People want to know how you prepare for such big tours? Especially, since you are in and out of the side, like not playing the World Cup for instance...
That's been a bit of a challenge for me, to be honest, in terms of the long gaps that I've had between matches. But I've learnt to manage that better. Initially, when I was not playing one-day cricket and I had these gaps, maybe, I didn't manage it as well as I could have. If it's a long gap you wonder whether you should keep up batting practice or go for more fitness training.
- Harsh reality of the England debacle
It does help if you have some first class games and a few games to get ready and prepared. This time, leading into the tour of the West Indies, I saw this as a twin-series tour -- we'd had the IPL, so I played the IPL where I hit a lot of balls. After the IPL, it was a question of keeping myself physically fit, so I spent a bit of time at the NCA.
More than that, it was important to be refreshed in the mind, go to the West Indies and England, both physically and mentally fresh. I had to hit enough balls. I hit a lot of balls in the IPL, I practised a lot in the IPL even though it's a different format of the game. Still hitting balls, you know, I had that rhythm. The tour of the West Indies definitely helped. I played well there and came to England with a lot of confidence.
