'I would have loved to bat like Sehwag,' says Rahul Dravid
Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid has expressed that he would have loved to bat like Virender Sehwag, his explosive partner in many match-winning partnerships. He was also quick to point out that he may not have been the most gifted in terms of strokeplay, but he made the most of his abilities and tried to improve all the time.
Rahul Dravid put forth his views on his evolution as a cricketer in a freewheeling chat with Sanjay Manjrekar on ESPNcricinfo Videocast.
On being asked if he looked back at his outstanding career and felt delighted, Rahul Dravid mentioned that he no longer thinks of himself as a cricketer. He expressed satisfaction at having made the best of his abilities and having played for India for a long period.
"I don't look back too much, I must admit. Sometimes I feel I don't think of myself as a cricket player anymore. In a lot of ways, I am really happy that I got the best out of my potential. Obviously it was a big dream for me to play for India, never really imagined that I would play as much as I eventually ended up playing. It was great when it lasted. I had some great experiences, some great memories."
Rahul Dravid admitted that he would have liked to be a little more attacking, when asked if he could be called a defensive player when he started his career.
"Ya, I took a lot of time to score runs. There is no doubt about that, played a lot of balls. I would have liked to play a little bit quicker I think. All of us would have liked to, in a lot of ways. I think that would be a fair assessment."
The Wall, as he is fondly called for his rock-solid defense, added that it was more important for him to make a telling contribution in the team's success, and he did that to the best of his abilities.
"I kind of figured out what was my best way of scoring runs or contributing to the team or making an impact on the game or making a winning contribution in a game. And if that meant occupying the crease for a long period of time or tiring the bowlers out or blunting out the new ball in difficult conditions so that it got easier later on, I saw that as my job and I took great pride in it and I tried to do that the best I could."
On a lighter note, Rahul Dravid added that he would have loved to bat like Virender Sehwag, but admitted that he probably didn't have the attacking strokeplay that the latter possessed.
"Would I have loved to bat like Virender Sehwag, it would have loved to bat like Sehwag, loved to have hit his shots but may be I didn't have that kind of range or that kind of talent that Viru had."
Rahul Dravid on his evolution as a cricketer
Rahul Dravid reflected on the talents he possessed that helped him become a successful player even in the ODI format of the game.
"So, I had to make the best of what I had. May be my talents were different. My talents were determination and concentration. I got the best out of that and I tried to work on those strengths and I would like to believe that I became a more attacking batsman or a more aggressive batsman and the fact that I played more than 300 ODI games, obviously in a different era."
Rahul Dravid admitted that although his strike rate in ODI cricket may not be comparable with those of Sachin Tendulkar or Sehwag, he did play a significant role in the Indian team of that era.
"The way I batted in that era, I wouldn't have survived in this era. If you look at the strike rates today and the way people bat today, I would have had to adapt to another level. While my strike rate at the ODI level were not up to the level of say a Tendulkar or a Sehwag, they did play a part for the team in the era we played in. That is the only way you can judge yourself."
Rahul Dravid also acknowledged the incredible feats of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the current era, who have taken batsmanship to an entirely new level.
"I can't compare myself to a Kohli today or a Rohit Sharma today because they have blown the ODI paradigm to a different level. Today 300 or 350 seems like these guys are chasing it for fun. In our time, we would struggle to get 250. So, it was different and I think I coped quite well with that. I did model my game and try and improve and get better at it. But to be fair I grew up wanting to be a Test cricketer."
Rahul Dravid represented India in 164 Test matches, 344 ODIs and a solitary T20I. In Test cricket, he is the 2nd highest run-scorer for India with 13288 runs to his credit. Even in ODIs, Rahul Dravid is the fourth-highest run-scorer for India with 10889 runs to his name.