In Dravid8217;s huddle,every player gets chance to inspire

Rajasthan Royals continue their tradition of innovation,get every player in squad to speak

On May 3,minutes before the Rajasthan Royals match against KKR at Eden Gardens,Royals opener Ajinkya Rahane found himself facing an unusual challenge. The man who is used to letting his bat do most of his talking,was told to address his teammates in the on-field huddle.

For a couple of seconds,Rahane was at a loss for words,but he kept his nerve and ultimately delivered a very powerful message about the virtues of teamwork and playing to ones strengths.

On another occasion,Australian Brad Hodge,the prankster in the Royals camp,was persuaded by teammates to sing the Royals song,the Hindi number Hum mein hai dum,composed as part of an ad campaign.

To the surprise and great amusement of the other players,Hodge actually pulled off a few lines without much trouble. The squad was in splits,and it helped kill pre-match nerves.

In Rahanes case,the huddle talk with men like Rahul Dravid and Shane Watson listening attentively put the opener at ease,and even though he scored only 6 and Rajasthan ultimately lost,did give him a lot of confidence.

Getting each one of his players to address the pre-match huddle by turn has been one of Dravids innovations in this edition of the T20 tournament. In getting everyone from the juniormost Sanju Samson to veterans like Watson and Hodge to speak,Dravid has,in his own understated way,carried forward the teams tradition of empowering its players,and given each one of them the opportunity to inspire the others.

There is no point in having the same voices talking, Dravid told The Sunday Express when asked about the unique tactic. Its nice to get different players to contribute. I think the players revel in it and come up with some great stuff,especially the young Indian boys, he said.

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Though Dravid has been inspirational with the bat this season,it is the way in which he has allowed his players to be heard and feel significant that has had the biggest impact on the team,explained Rahane.

When you address the huddle,its natural that everyone is listening to you for that brief period. Just knowing that guys like Rahulbhai and Shane Watson are hanging on to every word that you speak is in itself a massive morale-booster. It gave me a lot of confidence and pepped me up as I went into a match, Rahane said.

Unlike team meetings,which are generally held within the confines of the dressing room,the huddles do not last for more than a couple of minutes,and are conducted in full public view.

I just told them that we should not panic in any situation. Just focus on our strengths and not think too much as we are the best when we play together, Rahane said of the time he addressed the huddle.

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The Royals have punched well above their weight ever since the tournament began,and making each player feel important has been a team tradition. Their first captain Shane Warne coined hyperbolic nicknames for all his boys,including some well thought-out ones for the juniors who would otherwise be just nameless locals.

As the Royals currently number 3 in the tournament face table-toppers Chennai Super Kings on Sunday,the huddle is likely to have significant meaning for the player who addresses it.