LONDON, JUNE 20: Rahul Dravid has come a long way. From a shy, reticent person to the man of the world. His growth as a batsman - after his World Cup display he should rank among the best, if not the best - has been phenomenal. The transition from a man who preferred to keep his own council when he stepped into the international arena to someone who is at ease with himself, be it in front of the camera or behind it, is admirable.It still rankles in his mind that he, on June 20, 1999, was at Lord's not playing the final, but speaking into the mike, doing commentary for a television channel. For days after India's exit from the World Cup, Dravid was in disquiet.``I thought after our match against New Zealand was over, there will be a feeling that it is all over and let us look ahead now. But it has not happened that way. I am still feeling low. The World Cup is over for us, I find this hard to believe,'' says the man whose aggressive batting without compromising with technique was the showpiece of thisWorld Cup.It was in Antigua in 1997, Michael Holding had said: ``Dravid has the potential of becoming a truly great player but to achieve that tag he has to dominate the bowling. The average and the great have this line dividing them. Dravid will have to attack more if he has to cross that line.''When Dravid was told of this observation from one of the finest fast bowlers of our times, his answer at that time was:``I am still getting used to international cricket. I guess when there is a break I will reassess myself, work in the nets and hope for the best outcome.''Dravid must have done exactly that and two years down the line the outcome of his efforts has been very rewarding. Like a philosopher analysing his strengths and weaknesses, Dravid says: ``One never knows what one is capable of achieving. When I came into international cricket I was not sure what to expect. Our domestic cricket is not competitive enough to make a player ready for higher grade of cricket. The difference in standard ishuge. It took me time to bridge that gap. Now I know I can attack more, play more shots. Today I know I have the ability to dominate the bowling.''What was the turning point? His being dropped from the one-day squad or his batting in New Zealand?``I don't think there are definite and identifiable turning points in situations like these. It is a gradual process. It takes time. When people persist with this question I say New Zealand was the turning point but in reality it is impossible to pinpoint these things.''Then he turns his attention to the first part of the question: ``I don't want to think about the time I was dropped. I am not bitter about it. I guess the selectors were right. After my comeback my strike rate is over 80, which is not bad.''This World Cup has been a personal triumph for him, finishing as he did as its highest scorer (461). More than the runs he made, it was the manner of his making these runs which has caught the imagination of the fan and the expert alike. Any specialpreparations before the tournament?``No, not anything special. Since it was a World Cup, may be the concentration and the level of focus was high. One thing which I always do when I am playing outside India is to take the nets very seriously. The conditions in the nets - the wicket, the weather and things like that - will be very close to what you will encounter in the match. I don't waste anytime in the nets and and bat there with utmost concentration. I guess that helps.''His square cutting here has been simply outstanding. Right from the first match against South Africa, where he brutally slapped a Alan Donald short delivery to the fence, till the last match against New Zealand, where he slammed Chris Cairns to the point fence while both his feet were a foot above the ground, were strokes of pure genius. Did a lot of work go behind achieving this perfection?``I have played a lot of cricket during my school and college days on matting. That has made me a strong backfoot player. I did work on thecut as I thought on these wickets it will be a very productive stroke,'' Dravid says.Wasn't it the same square cut which led to his downfall against New Zealand? If a productive stroke also leads to one's dismissal does doubts start to creep in about the utility of that shot?``When one is in form the confidence level is very high. When I cut Cairns the first time I did not think twice about whether to got through the shot or not, despite the fact that the ball rose far more than expected. I repeated the same shot and that time failed to keep it down. May be when one is not in form one won't try to bring off these shots. But at the end of the day you do realise that the areas in which you are strong do fetch you a lot of runs. If at times you lose your wicket to those shots you should not brood too much over it.''Dravid, while the conversation is on, gets a few visitors to his room among them is the man who has taken care of the team. He talks to him with politeness and as a token of his gratitudepresents the cap which he has worn in this tournament, to him. ``These people have been very nice. They have really looked after us well,'' Dravid says and then slips again to matters concerning his career.He feels, temperament and confidence are his strong points and lack of physical strength his weakness. The clarity with which Dravid speaks goes to show that a lot of thinking input must be going behind all that he says. And his amiable persona must be making him win a lot of friends. Has he thought of leading India?His immediate response is: ``No, no, I am too junior in the team. I have not given a thought to it.'' But can he shoulder the responsibility if given the job? Will his batting get affected? ``I wouldn't know till I handle the job. It may, it may not. I didn't know how good a batsman I was till I was tested in international cricket. I guess the same should apply in this case also.''Is he averse to this idea?Dravid has a smile on his face and says: ``Among my future goals, captaincy isnot one of them but if it comes along I won't say no.''
