Calcutta: Unless there’s a dramatic change of mind, Rahul Dravid is unlikely to play in the next IPL.
“I will be 41 next year… 12 months is a long time… Luckily we’ve qualified for the Champions League T20 and that is a few months away… You know, I think that would be it…” the Rajasthan Royals captain said after the Royals lost to Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2 at the Eden late on Friday.
Dravid said he was proud of the way they performed in IPL-VI. “Yeah, it was disappointing today (Friday) but it was a close match… It could have gone either way but we ended up on the losing side… But I am proud of the way the boys performed and the fight they put up.”
Reflecting on the days after the spot-fixing scandal broke, Dravid said: “It was difficult, something that I’ve never experienced before. It was unique in that sense.
“You plan for a lot of things... You plan for failing, you know how to deal with that. But when stuff like this comes up you don’t know... It was quite challenging. But I was lucky to have good support staff and good spirit in the team. While it was a challenge, I’m happy to get over it in some ways.
“I don’t think things will ever be the same. It will take a bit time to get over it.
“We had to get ready and play these games but after we go back to our houses the whole thing will take some time to settle.”
The Royals captain was not in favour of imposing a ban on the tournament. “Truth always sets you free. I really hope that you just get to the truth and get to the bottom of it. Whatever and however painful it may be.
“Cricket in IPL is great... There is no doubt about it. I’ve always said the IPL is a fantastic tournament.
“There are a lot of positives… But there are challenges in the IPL as well as we’ve seen in the last week or 10 days. Not only this, there are other challenges that come up from time to time and that need to be dealt with,” explained Dravid.
“It’s a question of correcting some of the challenges. The issue of betting is not only about the IPL. If that yardstick was used, we should stop all forms of cricket.
“We need to sort the issue out rather than make big statements like ban the IPL,” Dravid said.
