Dubai: Rahul Dravid was the most sought-after cricketer at the Sevens Stadium here yesterday. This legend, known as ‘The Wall' for his immaculate defence and perfect technique, interacted freely with fans while he played for the MCC team at the Emirates Airline Twenty20 Cup.
Dravid's visit gave me the opportunity to pose a question which I had reserved to ask him after his retirement. What was it that made him perform brilliantly in overseas conditions? Was it his technique or sheer determination to always do well abroad?
Dravid said that it was always his childhood dream to perform abroad. "When I was growing up, I was always told that if you perform well outside India, it means a lot and makes a big difference. So, doing well abroad was a very important thing for me," he said.
"Performing very well and testing yourself outside your own country, where you've got used to conditions, is a real challenge for any cricketer and especially for a batsman of the sub-continent.
"This was something that I was conscious of while growing up and it is not that I did not try to score runs in India, because you try to score runs everywhere you play and wherever you play. I always tried to work on my game and improve it and try and do well in all conditions."
Does he feel that there were a few milestones that he could have achieved before retiring from the game? "To be honest, I am really satisfied with my career. It's not really about the numbers or what I achieved and did not. It is really about the effort that I put in. When I look back on the 20-odd years of first class cricket, from the time I started, I think I did everything I possibly could to try and get better and become the best player I could possibly become," he said.
No regrets in career
"I have failed a few times and have not been able to do a few things and I had some success as well. At the end of the day, I have no regrets because I tried my best and that is all you can ask of yourself."
When asked about how Twenty20 cricket has extended his career, Dravid replied with his customary smile, "Obviously, in the next two months, I will be involved with the IPL and Twenty20 cricket so I am looking forward to it."
"It's always nice to be able to come here, play a game for the MCC and get to play with different groups of players, former colleagues and a few international players. It's nice to play for the MCC, something which I have really enjoyed over the years."
When asked about Sachin Tendulkar's century of centuries, Dravid provided a new perspective. "Sachin (Tendulkar) has made us reassess what benchmarks are in cricket. Nobody ever dreamt of someone scoring 100 international hundreds. People have only thought of scoring 100 first class hundreds. This man has set a new mark which people had never imagined was possible or even thought about."
