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| Jacques Kallis at the Eden, on Friday. (PTI) |
Calcutta: Rahul Dravid and Eden Gardens are almost synonymous. And it is not without reason that it remains one of his favourite grounds.
The Rajasthan Royals captain is still unsure if this was his last match at the Eden. “I hope to decide in June,” he reiterated on Friday.
“This is one of the greatest grounds I’ve played in… I don’t know if this was my last. Some day I’d love to come and play or watch a game here… This is the place where I got my first and last first-class centuries… Even if I’m not playing, I would love to come here again,” Dravid said.
Which innings at the Eden stands out in his memory? “The century against Australia and the partnership with VVS Laxman will always remain special. I’ve got some very fond memories here. It’s lovely to see my photo with Laxman here… I’ve got some great memories.”
Dravid said he was enjoying his new role with the Rajasthan Royals after retiring from international cricket. “I’m enjoying the role… I’m quite relaxed and it’s been good fun. This is a young team. There are lot of exciting players… Nice working with lot of youngsters in the team. I’m trying to make them learn as quickly as possible.
“The one good thing is we have fought hard in all the matches. We have not been outclassed at all. Credit to all the youngsters. Hopefully they will learn quickly with experience get over the line one day.”
Dravid felt the team’s inexperience was a reason of the loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders. “It was a slow wicket. It spun right from the beginning. That it was always going to be a low scoring game, was obvious. I thought we set a good platform and lost a few wickets in the middle stages. We rebuild the innings and got a few runs in the end. We fought hard to defend...
“May be we could have fielded a bit better in the tight game. But we’ve got to give credit to them. They batted well and kept wickets in hand. Our Indian bowlers probably don’t have the same experience as the KKR bowlers.”
He was all praise for the young Ajinkya Rahane. “He started off well in international cricket. He wasn’t considered once some of the seniors were back. The IPL is a great opportunity for him to come back and prove to the selectors... He’s been batting well so far. It’s nice to see young guys like him doing beautifully... He has a bright future,” the former India captain said.
Will the performances in the IPL count at the international stage? “It depends on the format… The IPL is a semi-international tournament. With the World T20 coming up, such performances should count. The selectors must definitely be following the performances.”
Did he miss playing with Sourav Ganguly at the Eden? “This is part and parcel of professional sport. Sourav still represents Bengal... The IPL is a different tournament… I’m also not playing for the RCB this time… That’s life.”