The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Having a ball with The Wall

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 09, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Having a ball with The Wall

By Our Staff Reporter

Cricketer Rahul Dravid giving tips to a boy during a cricket clinic in Hyderabad on Monday.

HYDERABAD, NOV.8. The beaming faces of the 20-odd city lads said it all. They were waiting to rub shoulders with The Wall. And Rahul Dravid donned the coach's garb for some time at the Castrol cricket clinic. The wards... well, they were ecstatic.

The cricketer did everything possible to make them feel at ease. "That's a great shot. Good bowling," encouraging words just kept coming.

The stand-by captain who led India to a memorable, face-saving win against the Australians in the Mumbai Test recently, showed a straight bat even in his words of wisdom.

`Epic' shots

He recounted the Dronacharya-Arjuna episode in Mahabharata, driving home the relevance of concentration.

"When Dronacharya asked Arjuna what he was looking at during the training sessions, the latter said he could see nothing but the target `fish eye'. All the others were describing the ambience," Dravid smiled. "Never lose your concentration. Watch the ball till the last minute," said the batsman known for his impregnable technique.

Rahul, the bowler

The kids had come prepared for batting lessons and the Karnataka star stumped them with his comments on how to be a good bowler. "Always pitch up to the batsman and in line with the stumps. The chances of getting a wicket will be much better," said Dravid while rolling his arm over a few times. "Obviously, I am not good in bowling but will try for your sake," he joked while correcting the bowling action of Adnan, a student of Meridian School.

For Sunita, the only girl participant, it was a "great experience". "Keep concentrating. You will play for the country soon," were Dravid's words of encouragement to her. Star-struck Narsimha, a student of St. Xavier's School, too got some invaluable tips. "You have to enjoy the game. Don't nurse pre-determined notions. Try to play your natural game," was his advice.

Batting first...

Sense of humour was not missing either. When Dravid wielded the willow, the tennis balls kept flying off the matted wicket. "It feels like playing on the Mumbai wicket," was his reaction prompting big smiles of the select gathering. Sensing the ease with which he mingled with the youngsters, someone asked whether he would like to be coach. "I don't think so. For the time being, let me focus on batting," was his polite reply. That augurs well for Indian cricket!

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