IN ILLUSTRIOUS COMPANY: Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have been the bread and butter of the Indian batting line-up — Photo: S. Subramanium

Bangalore: Rahul Dravid often says that when a cricket match starts, the past never matters.

However, when on Saturday, he walks out with Andrew Flintoff for the toss at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, he surely will feel a tinge of emotion and then he will shrug it aside and focus on cricket.

However his 100th Test is indeed special and with just Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble as the other Indians in the 100-Test club, Dravid is in hallowed company.

And for a select few Bangaloreans who know him from his early days, it is a day of pride and some nostalgia.

Former State opener J. Arun Kumar recalled their early under-15 days.

"We came up through the age-groups and it was tough to keep him out of the nets because he was so keen to bat that extra one hour. We had some great times like playing for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy and scoring heavily under the captaincy of W.V. Raman. We made that successful India `A' tour to Bangladesh," Arun said.

Fetish for books

Off the field, Dravid is known for his fetish for books.

"Those days we were room-mates too and he was always with his books and I used to plug into the Discovery Channel.

It has been a hectic time ever since he made his debut for India but for old friends like us, he is still the same. In fact Fazal Khaleel (another State team-mate and Dravid's friend) is flying to Mumbai for the match.

I will be in Pune for a tournament and if I get a break, I will go to Mumbai," Arun said. For Gopal Ramaswamy, club cricketer and Dravid's friend, the Indian skipper can be described in three phrases — "Extremely unassuming, easily approachable and one who finds time for friends."

Before making his trip to England for his debut series in 1996, Dravid and Gopal forged their friendship.

"We discuss cricket and Rahul is more interested in the intricacies of the game rather than discuss the people who play it.

He steered clear of controversies and we struck a warm equation," Gopal said.

Recently their time together has dwindled as Dravid practically lives out of a suitcase while coping with hectic travel schedules.

"Before we used to meet twice a month but now we catch up may be twice a year because he is busy with cricket and other assignments. But we do stay in touch over SMS and email.

Nothing has changed in Dravid and I must stress this, whenever I have invited him to be part of a social cause for charity, he has never refused. That is the sign of a great human being. Even I am trying to be in Mumbai for the Test," Gopal said.

It is a great moment for Dravid's parents — Pushpa and Sharad Dravid — and his wife Vijeta and their son Samit. Dravid's recent milestone is the latest good news to trickle in to their Indiranagar residence, ever since `The Wall' took over the reins of Indian cricket.

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