London, Aug 5: With 34 Test centuries to his name, Rahul Sharad Dravid has now played the most number of deliveries in Test cricket history while seeing his team through tough conditions countless times over the years. But ‘The Wall’ of Indian cricket was characteristically modest about the tag he has earned while speaking to the media here. He was quoted as saying, "I am indifferent to it. I never even think about it. I don't think of myself as a wall."
Speaking about the youngsters in the team getting ready to receive the baton from the senior players, the veteran batsman said, "There is a good crop of young Indian batsmen coming through, players who have been doing well in one-day cricket but are yet to prove themselves in Tests.”
"There is a good competition for places. We have got two or three senior players who probably won't be around forever. So it's going to be an exciting time for a lot of kids trying to cement their places," Dravid told 'Wisden Cricketer' magazine's latest edition.
Discussing the future of Test cricket in an era marked by the rise of the shortest format of the game, he said, "It's not as worrying as some people make it out to be. Twenty20 has come in and it has brought a challenge but I still feel that people want to play Test cricket; but Twenty20 has become very successful."
"So the challenge is how we schedule this format of the game so that it doesn't affect the other forms of the game. That's where the key is going to lie. Test cricket has survived a long time," Dravid added.
Having played 155 Test matches in his 15-year long career Dravid said, “There is an appetite [for T20] but we have to be realistic now. You cannot expect full stadiums. There are 40,000-45,000 capacity stadiums in India.
"I don't think you are going to get those kinds of crowds to watch Test cricket anymore. The reality is such that it is very difficult for people to be able to take time off from their offices, businesses and colleges to come and watch cricket," he said.
Speaking about the opportunities available to cricketers today, he observed, “There are more options today. Growing up in my times, there weren't many options. You had to play Test cricket if you wanted to make a decent living from the game.
"Today, there are more options for young people. I am not saying that they will choose only the Twenty20 option, but they have that option […] I hope they make the right decision because you can play all three formats of the game and succeed," he explained.
Considered to be of the most technically sound batsmen in today’s era, the batsman with the legendary defence admitted to being nervous while facing one bowler. "[Muttiah] Muralitharan without doubt gave me the most sleepless nights of my career. He had a combination of things, [an] ability to spin the ball, variation, competitiveness, hunger - you could go on and on," he revealed.
One of the chief contributors to India’s rise as the No. 1 nation in Tests he said, "I'm really proud that India is the No. 1 Test team. I've seen Indian cricket since 1996 and to be part of this journey and to see India become the No. 1 Test team - not just for a short period of time because we've now been there for more than a year - it's something I'm very proud of."
"I have seen a lot of changes in terms of the growth from a side that struggled to compete abroad to being expected to win abroad, to becoming a more professional team," said the former India captain.
"To have seen Indian cricket become respected and the foremost power in the game during my time as a player is really nice," added the 38-year old batsmen.
Asked whether he was keen to play county cricket, he replied, "I am not really sure that I will have the time to do it. We will see next summer. If an option comes up then, who knows. I might think about it.
"I have got a young family now and I don't like spending time away from them for long periods," he said.
