Interviews : I would've cracked T20 if I was 21: Dravid

[HoneY]

CHENNAI: There was more to it than merely winning a game of T20. On Wednesday, Rahul Dravid, for once, was making a statement. "T20 is a bit of a hit-and-miss game. Had I been 21, I would easily have cracked this," he said, and perhaps for the first time, an admission of age had been made by one of the Indian batting's Big Three in the IPL.

While on one hand, Dravid made it clear that it doesn't take too much to master the format, the technician also gave the impression that probably he was tired of re-inventing himself.

At 35, you can expect that from a man who has done everything for India except opening the bowling!

There was no extra excitement in the usually inscrutable Dravid, after he, along with old pal Anil Kumble, helped Bangalore Royal Challengers record a shock, and very satisfying, victory on Wednesday over Chennai. The win meant that Chennai are left with no option but to win one of the two remaining matches (against Jaipur and Hyderabad) if they have to make the semi-finals.

While Dravid's 39-ball 47 (the highest individual score of the game) kept the Royal Challengers in the hunt, it was Kumble's spell of 3-14 that ultimately won the game for them.

"In One-day and Tests, you get a little more time to adjust ... T20 doesn't give you that time. Maybe, I am still learning," he jibed, when somebody asked whether he has finally come to terms with T20 cricket. You couldn't miss the sarcasm in Dravid's voice as he added: "I don't think I need not prove anything more to anybody."

Was it meant for his owner Vijay Mallya, who would have preferred to have Dhoni in his team rather than spending as much as he did on the 'icon'?

Dravid didn't specify, but he made it clear that he won't leave the battlefield so easy. "This win won't make any difference for us this time, but we will take a lot of heart from it anyway and come back strong next season," he said.

As Dravid spoke for himself, he also didn't forget to mention Kumble. "He knows all about handling pressure situations and this was special," he said, referring to the leggie's spell where the Team India Test captain accounted for Stephen Fleming, Parthiv Patel and S Badrinath to turn the game around. Amidst all these, Dravid couldn't conceal the sense of pleasure at being able to break Chennai Super Kings' rhythm. "I don't mind playing the party-pooper now," he said with a smile.