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Dravid thrilled to lead in Bangalore
"To play for India anytime is special, but I am really looking forward to captain the side at home," he said about Bangalore ODI to be played tomorrow.
Bangalore's own son Rahul Dravid, who will lead the Indian team for the first time in his hometown on Saturday, said he was thrilled with the prospect of coming the whole circle.
"It is great to lead the team at home. I have grown up at this stadium (M. Chinnaswamy Stadium) and I still remember the first time I played here when I was probably 13 or 14," Dravid said on the sidelines of the release of his biography on Thursday.
"I probably spent more time there (at the stadium) than at home. To play for India anytime is special, but I am really looking forward to captain the side at home," he added.
Dravid, who has played 272 one-day internationals for India, made his debut in the shorter version of the game against Sri Lanka in Singapore in 1996. He was appointed captain of the team for a 12-match stint last month, after which he would be considered for the top job based on the team's performance.
Speaking about the second one-day international against South Africa that will be played here, Dravid said that despite the loss of the opening game to the visitors in Hyderabad Wednesday, he was confident of a good show.
"We batted poorly in the first 15 overs and gave away too many extras while bowling. The good part is that we showed character to fight back, there is a process in place that has begun," the 32-year-old said.
"South Africa are a quality opposition and they played well to take the game away from us, but I am not worried about it as we are playing good cricket as well."
"We are confident that if we can do a few things right, we will be very competitive. I predict it is going to be a close series," Dravid said.
Asked if he had any words of wisdom for the next generation, Dravid said that he was an example of someone who had a passion for cricket and backed his love for the game.
"I am the luckiest person in the world to be doing what I most love doing for a living. Cricket has been my passion and I followed that dream and made it here," Dravid said.
"The key is not to be a watered down version of someone else, but to be yourself and back your strengths, that's what I can tell the next generation."
Dravid also spoke of the times when he was dropped from the one-day team and said that these circumstances made him grow as a person and as a cricketer.
"Those were very tough days to be sitting out of the team, but it challenged me to keep improving myself and make it back," the skipper said.
"Situations like these make you stronger and, looking back after seven years, I am glad it happened to me though it was hard when I was going through it."
