My technique is not copybook style: Dravid

When the whole world seems to be marveling about the sound technique possessed by former India captain Rahul Dravid, The Wall with 10,000 Test runs behind him said, his technique is different from the copybook style which suits his body structure.

"As a batsman there are some things that everyone has to conform to. There are basic principles to batsmanship, but we do things differently. My technique is different from the copybook, but it works for me. There are things about my game that are not necessarily correct in the traditional sense, but I have learnt how to make it work for me," Dravid said in an interview to the Hindustan Times on Sunday.

"It’s (technique) unique and it works for my body structure and my way of thinking. Each batsman has to figure this out for himself. That’s the beauty of this game. I didn’t set out playing with 10,000 Test runs as a goal. If you play for a long period of time, like I have, you will achieve some of these things," he adds.

A man of few words, who believes in making his bat talk most of the time, Dravid shrugged off the one criticism frequently directed at him by his critics that he does not speak up enough on issues that matter by saying one does not have to speak in public to get things done.

"You don’t need to say things in public to get things done. There’s a lot of stuff we have got done in the journey of my career, without having to say it in public," he points out.

"You look at the support staff the Indian team now has, the players contracts, sharing of revenue, professionalism that has come in – there have been a group of players who have helped in that process, helped create that. And I am happy to have been part of that and played my part. You don’t have to make bold statements in the public all the time," he adds.

Dravid, who stressed that he agreed to lead the Bangalore team in the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) despite relinquishing the Indian captaincy only to experience the shortest version of the game, said he wouldn’t be around playing international cricket for another five years.

"That’s one thing I can tell you right now, I’m sure I won’t be playing in five years. The closer you come to the later stages of your career, you learn to stay in the moment and take things as they come. You learn to enjoy things a bit more. You are a bit more relaxed as a person, about who you are, what you have achieved," he said.