The one and only

Rahul Dravid starts and ends his international T20 career as India take on England.

When the usually petulant Stuart Broad tries his best to gain the aura of statesman-like figure,and Rahul Dravid indulges in a serious attempt to look casual,it is clear that this isnt the kind of cricket India and England have been involved in since mid-July. When a dance floor is being set up next to the boundary rope,jittery batsmen train in hitting those pre-meditated strokes,and bowlers aim for the base of the woodwork during target practice,it is clear that its time for the one-off T20 international of the tour.

This is the game when Broad will lead England,and Dravid will play his first,and last,T20 in Indian colours. With Gautam Gambhir out of contention and Sachin Tendulkar clearly uninterested in international T20s hes played only one,Indias first in 2007,the man who has already said that this will indeed be his last brush with the shorter formats of the game will be the first man to pad up after the oven-fresh opening pair of Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane enter the batting crease. The organisers at Old Trafford arent complaining,as Manchester will finally get to witness the lone Indian star on this tour,playing alongside the countrys array of big-hitting upstarts. The youngsters Dravid will ply his trade with are products of the IPL,and also of the drastic change in touring schedules.

Ever since T20s started featuring in full-length tours,they have worked as the single greatest money-spinner for the host nations cricket board. Usually squeezed between the Test and ODI series,the fast-food game attracts the most eye balls,which in turn result in the subsequent corporate attention. But while these games are injected with the steroid of entertainment,how many of them really make or break the tour,let alone linger on in the publics memory? Even from the very recent past,Indias tour of New Zealand is remembered for MS Dhonis historic Test series triumph,and not for the two T20 games they lost in a row. As early as January this year,India won the lone T20 game they played in South Africa,but it is the drawn Test series that remains the highlight of the tour.

Similarly,here in England,the 2011 tour is bound to be recalled for a long time to come for the 4-0 whitewash that India suffered during the Tests. While a successful ODI series might just help balm some of wounds in the Indian fans mind,the result of the T20 will surely be forgotten as soon as the ODI series begins.

The usual hype

Regardless of these facts,the players did their bit in hyping up the game. While Dhoni claimed that every game of a tour is equally important,Broad took the build-up to the next level by calling Wednesdays fixture as the duel between the T20 champions and the World Cup winners. Even on the training ground on Tuesday,Broad resembled a freshly appointed leader. Quite unlike in the recently concluded Test series,where he was cocooned by bowling and head coaches,Broad was busy talking to the boys himself,yelling out instructions as the squad underwent a match-simulation session. And due to a number of fresh faces in the England T20 squad,the intensity of the session stood out.

On the other hand,the Indian squad many of whom have been away touring for over one and a half months seemed to be fighting a losing battle with monotony. However,its not like they havent tried to beat the dread. Over the weekend,Dhoni took a break from cricket to watch Manchester United play Arsenal. For Dravid,though,the change in formats itself was the break,as he had a tough time in practice while switching from his classical play in Tests to executing ugly T20 slogs. Come Wednesday,another challenge awaits the man of the moment.

The match itself may well be the most insignificant of the tour for both sides,but the format has played an overwhelmingly important role in the rise of both India and England. India first touched the Test peak a couple of years after winning the inaugural T20 World Championship in 2007. While England took just a year to be the Test No.1 side after capturing the T20 title in West Indies in 2010. These arent coincidences,as tense T20 triumphs go a long way in tightening the interpersonal relationships of 11 players,pulling a team together,and providing momentum for future highs. By trying to fit into their new roles on the eve of the match,both Broad and Dravid seemed to agree.

Live on Star Cricket: 10:30 p.m