Dravid reveals his batting secrets

[Ashok]

Rahul Dravid doesn't need to put on his pads when he comes out to bat. That is what the Pakistan camp feels.

"He is so straight and negotiates almost every delivery with his bat. Why does he need pads at all?" asked an admiring Danish Kaneria, shaking his head in frustration.

With two successive centuries and yet to be claimed by a bowler -- he was run out in the ongoing second Test -- in the series, Dravid's bat is getting broader and broader each time he sets out to take strike.

However, one is not sure if his bat is also getting heavier.

"I only play with a 2.6 or 2.07 pound heavy bat, though in one-dayers I admit tend to carry slightly heavier bats," said Dravid, in a rare peep into his secrets of batting.

Interestingly, Dravid almost entirely relies on the 'feel factor' of the bat and doesn't have a specific shape in the mind while choosing his piece of willow.

"I just rely on the feel of the bat, how it feels in the pick-up. Couple of grips are fine with me. I am also not much for the number of grains the wood should have," he said.

He is also not the kind of batsman who discards his bat in a hurry.

"I usually hold on to my bat till it breaks. Right through the season, two or four bats are enough for me."

No wonder, Kaneria feels everything about Dravid's batting is precise to the last point.

"I remember a defensive shot he played against Shoaib Akhtar. It was a pretty quick bouncing delivery and Dravid, on the backfoot, still didn't push his bat ahead of him. Usually, batsmen tend to stretch out their hands instinctively.

"When it happens it is pretty disappointing to a bowler. He gets the feeling that perhaps he is not bowling quick enough," the leggie said.

However, Dravid is a little more careful when it comes to selection of his gloves and other accessories.

"I usually tend to wear inners inside my gloves. My hands are a little big so I go for specially designed gloves. On the two fingers next to the thumb, I prefer extra protection since I have been hit on them a few times."

Dravid also almost invariably puts on thigh pads inside his attire, a practice he puts it down to his experiences in England.

"It really hurts when you get hit in the thigh in the cold conditions in England. Once I started to wear thigh pads, it soon became a habit. Now I use it all the time."

However, one aspect of Dravid's cricket can still evoke censure from the men who know their game.

He has been involved in a run-out on 21 occasions. It is the third most by any player in Test cricket after Allan Border (29) and Steve Waugh (27).

Dravid himself had to trudge his way back to the dressing room on nine of these occasions while on 12 other occasions, his partners had been at the receiving end.