A lot has changed since Rahul Dravid last toured Sri Lanka to play Test cricket, but still, somehow, a few things remain same. Back in 2001, Venkatesh Prasad was in the Indian dressing room. He’s still there, but now as bowling coach. Seven years ago, Hashan Tillakaratne was in the rival corner. He’s there too, only now as the team manager.August 2001 were the early days of the John Wright-Sourav Ganguly era as the Indians came to Sri Lanka after the high of beating the Aussies at home, coupled with the lows of a loss away in Zimbabwe. There is a famous frame from that series with Ganguly and his deputy Dravid, after being involved in a match-winning partnership, smiling at the cameras with arms around each other, celebrating the lone win of the lost series at Kandy. After many such moments in subsequent years, Ganguly lost his place in the Test side and Dravid took his place as skipper. Ganguly made a comeback last year but right after that, Dravid vacated the hot seat.Despite major upheavals and several episodes of intrigue that Indian cricket has endured since, Dravid and Ganguly have survived, and are back together in an intimidating middle-order. The other day at the nets, they were seen discussing the trajectory of the ball after it is released from Murali’s hand, and it’s also been reported that the duo were seen having dinner together.Seeking elusive victoryThis may not exactly be about the bond shared by the two former captains, but the common keenness the skipper and deputy of the last Lankan tour have to get it right this time round. Yesterday Ganguly, despite the fading light, kept on batting to spend as much time in the middle as possible. Eventually, when the warm-up game was over, and most of the players in the Indian dressing room were busy packing up, Dravid sat at the computer going through his dismissal.Missing out on a longer stint in the middle, it wasn’t surprising to see him padded up early for the optional net session on Monday. He’s one man who doesn’t leave the ‘little things’ for later before a Test match. Just a few days back, during a conversation with Russell Arnold, who was part of the 2001 series, the former Lankan all-rounder mentioned the importance of the ‘little things’. When asked what could be the deciding factor in a Test that had players with a long history of face-offs, he said, “It will come down to consistency. The team that does the right things for a longer duration will win. What you do on the day is more important than what you have done in the past. If you don’t do the little things correctly, things will crash.”Sweating profusely after the hectic session, Dravid too speaks about the little things. But before that, he dismisses the much-hyped ‘big thing’ — Ajantha Mendis — saying that the real threat came from Muthiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas. The big challenge, according to Dravid, will be the heat which, unlike the hosts, the visitors need to counter.“In these conditions, if you spend some time in the middle, it makes a big difference. Once you spend an hour-and-a-half out there, it tends to flow,” he said. Though happy with the stint in the warm-up game, he would have certainly liked to spend a bit of more time in the middle. Test of concentrationWhile those far away from the discussions in the Indian dressing room get obsessed about the face-off between India’s Test stalwarts and debutant Mendis, Dravid clarified what the ‘hot discussion’ among the visitors was all about. “One needs to maintain concentration for long periods in these conditions. That’s something that, as a team, we have got to discuss. We’ve to make sure we do the right things that will help us go on and not give our wickets away,” he says. Considering he once batted for five hours to score 104 at the SSC, during the 1999 Asian Test Championship, this isn’t just hollow advice.He offers a simple solution to the problem: “One should drink the right amount of water and be very disciplined both as a team and as an individual. Try and do the best we can to manage these conditions,” he says. As Dravid takes measured steps towards the centre of the ground for a pitch inspection after the media briefing, he’s carrying a bottle of water in his hand. Like always, he has taken care of the small details. A lot has changed since 2001, but some things remain the same.
