<p>Dravid, for whom the 112-run knock on the third day of the match yesterday was his 32nd Test century, confessed he found the effort physically very demanding at the Sabina Park.<br /><br />"It was tough physically. I came here just three days ago. The jet lag, getting up early morning, having not played a Test for a long time and playing in these hot conditions has been very tiring," remarked Dravid, who batted for over 400 minutes for his 112 runs and hit 10 fours and a six from the 274 balls he faced.<br /><br />"You could do as much physical workout; do the bike and gym and run laps of ground but the sheer effort of batting and fielding and staying on the field and then immediately come to bat, needs practice.<br /><br />"I sweat a lot so physically it's always been a contest for me. That's why I have to work harder on my fitness for I know the way I bat, I have to stay in for long periods."<br />"But it was a big Test match and I was fired up...I felt as if I was in my space. Hopefully, we can win the Test and get a day's rest."<br /><br />Dravid's example was lost on young batsmen, such as Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, who are seen as India's next generation of Test batsmen.<br /><br />"I try telling them (the youngsters) to weather the storm; go through the intensity of a spell which might last 8-10-12 overs." "You fight your way and then it becomes easy. It's easy to get caught up when things around you are buzzing with noise; balls are flying and spinners are getting big help. You then start thinking it's hard. But if you last it out, it becomes easier," Dravid said.<br /><br />"Today in the morning, Ravi Rampaul kept it tight. I knew I had to go through that spell. You need to back yourself; need to enjoy the contest. It's going to get easier and then you must be there to capitalise on it," said Dravid, allowing a rare peek in his batting methodology.<br /><br />"I remember in Johannesburg (in 1997), Donald and Pollock were bowling a great spell and I thought it was really tough and I would never be able to play. You need to get through it, fight your way, grit your teeth. Suddenly, it gets easier."<br /><br />Dravid managed to make 148 runs in that Test which happened to be his first century in his ninth match.<br /><br />Dravid claimed the intensity of the contest at Sabina Park, ironically, helped him get into his space.<br /><br />"I love the contest. When you are back to the wall, it improves your concentration, your focus. It helped me focus my mind, get it in the right place and I felt in control.<br />"For long periods of time, I didn't score many runs but considering the wicket it probably was the right thing. "<br /><br />Interestingly, Dravid didn't find it a demand that he rarely received support from his teammates at the other end.<br /><br />"It doesn't make a difference to me, what's happening at the other end. My job is to focus. But when you lose wickets, it's the opposition who picks up. When a new batsman comes in, you know the rivals have got their game together and there would be another 12-14 overs of intensity."Dravid also explained the reason of his refusal to take singles when Amit Mishra came in to bat.<br /><br />"I was refusing singles of the first two balls. Sometimes it relaxes bowlers and I was hoping it would give me a four-scoring opportunity."<br /><br />The stand with Mishra turned out to be a critical one as 56 runs came for the ninth wicket and not only Dravid could get to his century but also the lead stretched beyond 300 runs.<br />Dravid termed it a good cricketing pitch, though slightly in favour of bowlers.<br /><br />"It's a good cricket wicket. It's slightly in favour of bowlers and that's how it should be. The spinners are getting turn; pacers are getting bounce. If you bowl in right areas, it's difficult for batsmen. If you bowl badly, because of the bounce, the batters can capitalise."<br /><br />The veteran middle-order batsman though felt his team held the advantage in this Test.<br />"If we get early wickets, we can run through. But we know Shivnarine Chanderpaul is a dangerous player. They have got some good young players. From our perspective, if we bowl in the right areas, we will create opportunity.<br /><br />"We need to be patient and make batsmen play all the time."<br />Dravid singled out Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar for their bowling effort in this Test so far.<br /><br />"Ishant has been very impressive. Today his bowling was terrific. Praveen is a very skillful, crafty, clever bowler."</p>
<p>Dravid, for whom the 112-run knock on the third day of the match yesterday was his 32nd Test century, confessed he found the effort physically very demanding at the Sabina Park.<br /><br />"It was tough physically. I came here just three days ago. The jet lag, getting up early morning, having not played a Test for a long time and playing in these hot conditions has been very tiring," remarked Dravid, who batted for over 400 minutes for his 112 runs and hit 10 fours and a six from the 274 balls he faced.<br /><br />"You could do as much physical workout; do the bike and gym and run laps of ground but the sheer effort of batting and fielding and staying on the field and then immediately come to bat, needs practice.<br /><br />"I sweat a lot so physically it's always been a contest for me. That's why I have to work harder on my fitness for I know the way I bat, I have to stay in for long periods."<br />"But it was a big Test match and I was fired up...I felt as if I was in my space. Hopefully, we can win the Test and get a day's rest."<br /><br />Dravid's example was lost on young batsmen, such as Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, who are seen as India's next generation of Test batsmen.<br /><br />"I try telling them (the youngsters) to weather the storm; go through the intensity of a spell which might last 8-10-12 overs." "You fight your way and then it becomes easy. It's easy to get caught up when things around you are buzzing with noise; balls are flying and spinners are getting big help. You then start thinking it's hard. But if you last it out, it becomes easier," Dravid said.<br /><br />"Today in the morning, Ravi Rampaul kept it tight. I knew I had to go through that spell. You need to back yourself; need to enjoy the contest. It's going to get easier and then you must be there to capitalise on it," said Dravid, allowing a rare peek in his batting methodology.<br /><br />"I remember in Johannesburg (in 1997), Donald and Pollock were bowling a great spell and I thought it was really tough and I would never be able to play. You need to get through it, fight your way, grit your teeth. Suddenly, it gets easier."<br /><br />Dravid managed to make 148 runs in that Test which happened to be his first century in his ninth match.<br /><br />Dravid claimed the intensity of the contest at Sabina Park, ironically, helped him get into his space.<br /><br />"I love the contest. When you are back to the wall, it improves your concentration, your focus. It helped me focus my mind, get it in the right place and I felt in control.<br />"For long periods of time, I didn't score many runs but considering the wicket it probably was the right thing. "<br /><br />Interestingly, Dravid didn't find it a demand that he rarely received support from his teammates at the other end.<br /><br />"It doesn't make a difference to me, what's happening at the other end. My job is to focus. But when you lose wickets, it's the opposition who picks up. When a new batsman comes in, you know the rivals have got their game together and there would be another 12-14 overs of intensity."Dravid also explained the reason of his refusal to take singles when Amit Mishra came in to bat.<br /><br />"I was refusing singles of the first two balls. Sometimes it relaxes bowlers and I was hoping it would give me a four-scoring opportunity."<br /><br />The stand with Mishra turned out to be a critical one as 56 runs came for the ninth wicket and not only Dravid could get to his century but also the lead stretched beyond 300 runs.<br />Dravid termed it a good cricketing pitch, though slightly in favour of bowlers.<br /><br />"It's a good cricket wicket. It's slightly in favour of bowlers and that's how it should be. The spinners are getting turn; pacers are getting bounce. If you bowl in right areas, it's difficult for batsmen. If you bowl badly, because of the bounce, the batters can capitalise."<br /><br />The veteran middle-order batsman though felt his team held the advantage in this Test.<br />"If we get early wickets, we can run through. But we know Shivnarine Chanderpaul is a dangerous player. They have got some good young players. From our perspective, if we bowl in the right areas, we will create opportunity.<br /><br />"We need to be patient and make batsmen play all the time."<br />Dravid singled out Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar for their bowling effort in this Test so far.<br /><br />"Ishant has been very impressive. Today his bowling was terrific. Praveen is a very skillful, crafty, clever bowler."</p>
