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Lara's theme

Brian Lara presents a straight bat to a volley of bouncers

PHOTO: K. R. DEEPAK

SQUARE CUT Brian Lara: `The dreams I had as a boy have been fulfilled'

For a change, Brian Lara let his tongue do the talking. And it was with an easy flow of an eloquent speaker while answering questions from fansWhen a boy wanted to know how Lara felt after scoring an unbeaten 501 for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994, the batsman said: "Very tired."

On why West Indies has always been producing great left-hand batsmen: "Probably because we drive on the left side of the road."

On how the West Indians relax in the dressing room: "You can hear Bob Marley down the hall. You can hear reggae and R&B almost all the time. It often comes in the way of your sleep, at 1 a.m."

Celebrities tend to be painfully politically correct when put on a stage, but Lara's responses — after allowing each question to sink in — seemed to come straight from the heart. When a journalist asked if Lara and Sachin overshadowed and stole the headlines from Steve Waugh, the West Indies skipper replied that Waugh did not seem spectacular when he began playing for Australia. But the Australian picked himself up in the last five or six years of his career.

"Prodigies are admirable, but there is more greatness in the ability to change gears and take your game to a different level." Lara fans know him as "The Prince". When asked who Lara considered King, he said, "titles like Prince, King or Queen don't mean anything to me. It is wrong to single out anyone for such titles." But Lara has a set of players he admires the most — Roy Fredericks, Gordon Greenidge, and Vivian Richards.

What if he had been part of the West Indies team that once ruled world cricket? "Probably, I would not have had to bat the second time in a Test as often as I have. Ponting seldom bats a second time." But Lara says he is happy just to play for the Windies. "In the last 16 years, the dreams I had as a boy have been fulfilled". Since most of his team members are in their mid-twenties, Lara believes he can contribute to their growth. He thinks the players should play together more often and the captain should be acquainted with each player's background. "You can go to Mumbai without a visa. But I need one to go to, say, Barbados."

Lara is in his third term as captain. "I don't think there will be a fourth time." And clearly, he wants to make the most of this opportunity.

PRINCE FREDERICK

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