Still get nervous before a Test: Dravid

Updated on: 19 June,2011 08:35 AM IST |
IANS |

Rahul Dravid, India's most experienced batting weapon for next week's Test series in the West Indies, zeroes in on the mental aspect

Rahul Dravid, India's most experienced batting weapon for next week's Test series in the West Indies, zeroes in on the mental aspectu00a0

Rahul Dravid has played international cricket for 15 years now but the Indian batting star reveals he still gets nervous before the start of every game. Dravid, a veteran of 150 Tests, still plays a crucial role in India's Test batting alongside other stalwarts Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman.

Rahul Dravid

The former captain, ahead of the first Test against the West Indies beginning Monday, reflected on his illustrious career spanning 15 years and said he is still enjoying the game.u00a0 "I am relaxed, but there is always pressure to go and score runs, irrespective of who you are," Dravid was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"You want to make a contribution, but you know that there is a lot that you have accomplished, a lot that you have already done, which cannot be taken away from you. So I do relax more with regard to that part of the game.

But when I go into a game, I am still nervous. "That never changes, whether I am playing my first game or my 151st. The reason that I continue playing is because I love the contest and love the vibes. I am still enjoying the game," he said after a training session at Sabina Park, the venue of the first Test.

Dravid, who last played a Test in South Africa during December-January, admitted that it is tough to be in shape when there are long gaps in between matches.u00a0 "It has been five-six months that we played a Test match.