New jersey for Team India:

Rahul is all time great:

Finally, he has got what he deserved.Rahul has been declared as the best Indian Test cricketer by Holding Willey report.This report was prepared with deep study of the player's contribution to his team, match winning efforts, performance away from home etc.

No wonder, Rahul has to be the greatest of all!

The findings of the report were based on solid facts such as his average: 52 in 131 Tests overall but a better away average; 57. He averages 66 in Tests won by India, 78 in Tests won abroad. Also his five Man-of-the-Match awards are in matches won by India abroad. Further his failure rate is 43% (of his 227 innings) which is the lowest amongst batsmen in the Report. Even though he prefers to come 1 or 2 down, he holds a record of 409 opening partnership (with Sehwag).

The HoldingWilley Report’s All-Time Top 20 Indian Test Players:

1.Dravid

2.Gavaskar

3.Sehwag

4.Tendulkar

5.Kapil

6.Bedi-Chandrasekhar-Prasanna (as one unit)

7. Vishwanath

8. Kumble

9. Mankad

10. Laxman

11. Ganguly

12. Azharuddin

13. Vengsarkar

14. Amarnath

15. Hazare

16. Gupte

17. Umrigar

18. Srinath

Personally, I think that Srinath and Amarnath deserve to be above Ganguly (no offence towards Dada).Srinath has served Indian team for so long that he doesn't fit at 18th spot.

Anyways, it's really good news to all Rahul Dravid fans.Considering the fuss going on about his retirement, this news should bring some sort of relief for Rahul as well as all of us!

G.Vishwanath: an inspiration for Rahul Dravid

Source: Rediff news

Some of Gundappa Viswanath's many good qualities as cricketer and man have rubbed off on Rahul Dravid. And 'The Wall' is "very proud" about it.

The former India captain spent time with Haresh Pandya in the South Zone dressing room after it defeated North Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final in Rajkot on February 1, to talk about the legendary batsman who turns 60 on February 12.

What are your memories of Gundappa Viswanath?

I was about 10 years old when Vishy finished his international career. I never really saw him play in Tests or One-Day Internationals. Of course, I saw him in action in a few Ranji Trophy matches towards the end of his career. And I must say I was greatly impressed, even fascinated, by whatever I saw of him. It gave me an idea what a great batsman he was.

Hailing as you do from Bangalore and Karnataka, did Vishy have any influence on you, your cricket and your career?

Yes, very much. I had already heard and read a lot about him. Later I got to know him a lot while growing up. He made a staggering contribution to Karnataka cricket while playing different roles -- player, manager, selector, etc. Of course, his contribution to Indian cricket is equally massive.

What did you learn from him?

I learnt a lot from him about batting and what cricket is all about. I've really enjoyed his company. I've had a number of rewarding conversations with him, about my batting in particular. I've always found his advice and tips very useful. Though he retired long ago, he continues to be a fountain of inspiration for many.

Do you cherish any particular piece of advice from Vishy?

I think his golden advice is to keep learning regardless of your experience. 'Experience doesn't just mean you've played about 25 matches or so. What is important is you should learn from every single match you play. Cricket is a great game and you should always keep learning about it. Every new match is a new experience,' he told me once. I've been strictly following this philosophy.

What are your impressions of Vishy as a batsman?

I think he was a genius. All those great players who have played with and against him continue to rate him very high. I myself have seen videos and films of some of his outstanding innings. I must say he was an exceptional stroke-player. I think he was an artist with an unmistakable style of his own. He had terrific balance and you couldn't find fault with his technique or shots.

Did you like his approach to batting? He tended to take risks, didn't he?

His whole approach to cricket, not just to his own batting, was very positive. It was one of his many endearing qualities. I know there has been a general feeling that Vishy was a bit carefree character. But I don't think it's true. I thought his game was much organised. And I knew from my conversations with him that he thought a lot about his game.

How do you rate Vishy as a human being?

I've only respect for Vishy as a cricketer and human being. He is a very easy and pleasant man to get along with. He makes even youngsters feel comfortable. He always puts you at ease and you get a lot of knowledge from him. Despite being a very great cricketer by any yardstick, Vishy is very humble and modest about his achievements.

I can tell you from the many good conversations I've had with Vishy that humility is his greatest quality.

Pietersen bought by BRC:

As expected earlier, Kevin Pietersen has been bought by Bangalore Royal Challengers, for whopping $1.55 million.This should be a good news for BRC which failed in last series due to poor performance by it's batsmen.Along with him, BRC have also bought Jesse Ryder, a Kiwi.

No thought of retirement:

Rahul has made it clear that he is not going to retire from cricket unless he stops enjoying it. 

"The thought (of quitting) has never crossed my mind. Sometimes, maybe to some extent, your priorities may change a bit, but no, I don't think I ever thought of it (walking away)," Dravid has been quoted as saying in the DNA.

"I still love the game and I still enjoy playing it. I still love the contest even if it is a Ranji game or a Duleep game. I still have the ability to keep improving. Whenever I have had time, I have trained and worked hard as anyone else and I never felt that that training was a pain. I get a lot of joy and satisfaction in just coming and training and batting in the nets," he added.

Speaking about the attention he got during the lean period, Dravid said the players who perform consistently well in the past are sujected to huge amount of scrutiny and hence he was not surprised about the attention he got.

"I just got on with it. I was never surprised. I have always scored runs so when I wasn't scoring runs, there was going to be a certain amount of attention. Cricket in India has a huge amount of scrutiny and a huge amount of following. So you are going to expect that kind of scrutiny when you are not doing well," he admitted.

"I was just realistic and said: 'This is the way things are and this is the way things are going to be and I just have to focus on things. I still retain a sense of enjoyment and joy for the game," he added.

When asked how saw the future for himself, Dravid said, as long as he was enjoying the game he would continue playing be it for India or for Karnataka and the day he stopped enjoying he would walk away.

"Like I said, I just try and enjoy it and hopefully I will know that when I am not enjoying it. The thumb rule is as long as I can enjoy... coming to the gym, practicing and training... I will keep doing it. Hopefully, I will get to know some day when I am not enjoying it and that will be the time to walk away," he said.

‘I’m too old to jump up and down after a ton’

Source: The Indian Express

The South Zone cricketers were listening to music on their flashy I-pods after the match against North was over. But not Rahul Dravid. The former India captain set his wrist watch and began jogging around the Madhavrao Scindia ground, with coach Vijay Bharadwaj counting the time taken by the batsman to complete a single lap.

After he had sweated it out, The Indian Express caught up with Dravid and he spoke about his current form in domestic cricket, his bad patch and the struggle to overcome it.

Interview:

Back-to-back centuries in the Duleep Trophy, you seem to be enjoying your stint in domestic cricket?

• It has been a good outing so far, and the last couple of games went really well. I really enjoyed spending time in the middle and scoring runs. It feels nice. It’s good playing some domestic cricket. We are now hoping to lift the Duleep Trophy.

After your show in the tournament, do you feel you’re back in form? 

• I’m not looking at it that way. I’m just trying to play well. Yes, things have gone pretty well, and I’m batting really well. I just want to carry the same form into the final too. Right now, I’m focused to help my team win the final.

How tough was it for you when you were going though that rough patch?

• Anyone who has played the game will tell you how frustrating it is to be out of form. I’m no exception. There are periods when things don’t go the way you want them to. But it’s part and parcel of the game and you must accept it. Such times are always difficult. I had a bad patch for a long time but I’m hopeful that this year will be a good one.

During a slump, do you talk to different people or seek advice from one?

• It depends. It’s about doing what you feel is right. Sometimes you figure things out yourself but sometimes you talk to somebody who knows your game well. It could be your team-mates or coach. Nowadays you have plenty of support staff. It depends on the individual.

You scored a century in Mohali (against England) but didn’t look like celebrating much. You did not even raise your bat.

• I wasn’t trying to do anything. I was happy to score a hundred. It’s nice to score runs, especially when they come after a while. Yes, I didn’t raise my bat towards the dressing room, but that's it. Probably I’ve become too old to jump up and down now. 

Away from your family — and since you are a father now — how difficult is it to keep your focus?

• I’ve always been able to compartmentalise and pursue interests outside the game while keeping my focus on it. That was true even before I got married. When I’m playing, I’m concentrated on it. Off the field, I really enjoy being with my family.