Rahul Dravid

Montego Bay: Rahul Dravid hopes his boys would benefit from their quiet build-up in the Caribbean, away from the media frenzy around the team in India.

“When we play in India we are used to the security, the number of people around us all the time,” he said. “Hopefully they will stay in the background and don’t become too visible.”

The quiet mood has impressed the Indian captain so much, used as he is to constant glare from the media, fans and sponsors, that he can’t quite get over it.

“Not often do we get a chance to sit around the pool and have lunch without being disturbed.”

The Indian team trained on Sunday at the Jarrett Park Stadium in Montego Bay with just a handful of journalists watching them work out in intense heat.

Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar wants to make his fifth World Cup special in his new role as a middle-order batsman and with the ball. The premier batsman was the player of the 2003 edition after scoring 673 runs to help India reach the final.

Tendulkar, who holds the records for most one-day runs (14,783), hundreds (41) and appearances (381) has also played some memorable knocks in the World Cup.

In 2003, he smashed Shoaib Akhtar over point for six to score 98 and lead the team to an emotional victory. In 1999, he returned to England after his father’s funeral to score 140 against Kenya.

Tendulkar recently gave up his one-day opener’s slot to add depth to the batting. “Batting in the middle-order is difficult,” he said. “The last eight games played in India have just helped me figure out what I should do differently. I want to get rhythm and continue with that.”