One of my most fluent efforts: Dravid

Dravid walked out in the third over at 14 for one, saw the team slip to 32 for four and ended the day 177 not out as India finished on 385 for six.

“It was a pretty good knock, especially in the context of the game,” Dravid said of his 27th Test ton. “I would have taken it if at 30 for four, someone had said I would be 170 plus not out at the end of the day. I felt pretty fluent right through the innings, pretty much in control of my game. It was one of those days when you knew things were really going for you. You want to cash in and make a big one, I am glad I was able to do that.

“If we go on to win this Test, I would say it is somewhere up there with the best. That’s why I value the innings in Kolkata, Adelaide, Rawalpindi highly. Sure, in terms of shot-making, in terms of the way I felt it is one of the better ones. I won’t say it’s one of the best, it still is a good one. It was a flat wicket, I’ve played on tougher wickets.”

Dravid acknowledged that he hadn’t felt so fluent in the last couple of years. “It’s nice to get this feeling of batting the way I am.

“I’ve been through some tough times over the last couple of seasons.
“The flow has come back this year in various forms of the game. It is definitely one of my most fluent efforts over the last few seasons. There was no conscious effort to score quickly, it was one of those days when things went well, the timing was right.”

On joining the 11,000-run club, he had this to say, “I’ve been around for a long time. It’s nice to get the runs, it says something about my longevity. I’ve been able to be consistent over pretty decent periods of time, which has helped me stack up these numbers. There are some great people on that list whom I have truly admired and had the privilege of playing with. It’s nice to score runs, especially in the context of a game like today. To make it happen when your team really needed it, it just makes it all that much more special. But at the end of the day, 11,000 is just a number.”