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Mysore: Rahul Dravid, 'The Wall' of Indian Cricket, made it official at a press conference in Deccan Gymkhana here on Thursday that he will be unavailable for Karnataka's Ranji Trophy final against Mumbai scheduled to be held on Monday in Mysore.
"I won't be in a position to play the final as the gap between the final day of the Ranji match and the first day of the test match against Bangladesh is too close", he said.
At the same time, he felt that the team would not miss him too much as they had been doing well in his absence throughout the season. "The team has been doing very well without me and will continue to do so in the final as well. We have some talented youngsters who have had an excellent season. When you put them up against the vast experience of the Mumbai team, the match promises to be a cracker", he said.
While talking about the promising talent of Karnataka, Dravid also mentioned that he was impressed with potential that the youngsters all over the country were showing. His mantra for their success, however, involves adapting well to all three formats of the game - One Dayers, T20's and Test cricket. "Each format require its own skill sets and hence the youngsters should be able to adapt to all three in order to be complete cricketers", he said.
According to him, Test cricket is most essential for the development of a cricketer. "Nothing tests you like Tests", he said. And as far as this is the case, Dravid feels that Test cricket will survive as long as matches are held. "Test cricket is the purest form of cricket, and it has lasted for the past 130 odd years. It has enough about it to survive on its own", he said.
On a personal level, he has had no regrets about being dropped from the ODI side and is just concentrating on the cricket he is playing. "I am not too concerned with the past. I am just focusing on the cricket that I am playing. I already have a hectic schedule with the matches for my state, Test matches and the IPL and receive enough complaints from my family", he said jokingly.
