Nagpur, Nov 22:Indian middle-order batsman Rahul Dravid on Monday said that he and his fellow batsmen were confident going into the South Africa series but warned his teammates about the conditions, which he termed as different and tough.

Dravid, who scored a fluent 191 runs, said he takes criticism in his stride and never gets bogged down by the expectations and the pressures involved in international cricket.

Excerpts:

On batsmen coming good before South Africa series:

It is always nice to have runs behind you when you go on a tour like that. Wickets will be different from the last three series we have played at home. While we can take the confidence from the fact that we have runs behind us, we have got to be aware that conditions are going to be different in South Africa.

On his role in pushing India to a winning position:

It’s nice. Credit must go to the bowlers because they got them out for 193. We have got 400+ in nearly every game; the bowlers have batted also well. Credit must go to them to help us set this big score. Hopefully now, we can control this test and try and get them out tomorrow and day after

On the age factor:

It’s about scoring runs. You do expect the fact that when you are at a certain age, you don’t do well people are going to ask questions. It is part of being a sportsman. You have to accept it; you can’t complain about it, only thing to do is to keep scoring runs. As long as the team is supporting and backing you, that’s all you can ask for. But you do accept these things. When you are 23-24, different questions are asked of you and when you are 37-38, different questions are asked of you. That’s just part and parcel of being an international cricketer and I have never had any complaints about it.

Like I said, I don’t worry about them. They don’t worry me at all. At the end of the day I can only ask myself whether I am giving the best I can, whether I can be preparing as well as I can, am I doing all that I can. Whether I am ticking all the boxes - be it physical, technical, mental preparation in terms of how I am feeling emotionally and spiritually. There are four or five boxes that I need to tick every time. Sometimes you get the results, sometimes you don’t. That’s life, that’s sport. I personally don’t think too much about the questions, what people are saying as long as I am doing whatever that I think needs to be done. Over a long career you are going to get good days and a lot of bad days as well. It is part and parcel of sport really.

You accept the pressure. You know that you have to do well at this stage. I don’t think about failure or what people are saying. I give it my best effort.

On the state of the Nagpur Test:

It still is a good wicket. It was not turning and bouncing a lot; it was nice to see that we got some turn at the end of the day. It was nice. The ball is hard. The first two and a half hours tomorrow is going to be critical when the ball is going to be hard. If we can take wickets then. You saw it today also in the first session when they took a few wickets with the hard ball. That’s going to be the key: to bowl well in the first session. When the ball gets older and softer, it's hard to get those edges to carry ; the ball doesn’t travel quickly off the wicket. It’s going to be an important session from our point of view.

On getting back his rhythm:

I started off a bit rusty in Ahmedabd but i got my fluency back as the innings progressed there. It’s satisfying and nice for me to complete the job. You see the end result. Its something I haven’t done for a while.. Also, credit to NZ . Right through the series they bowled right lines and lengths. They have a spinner [Vettori] who, other than Veeru, none of us have been really able to dominate that easily. When foreign spinners come to India we have been able to take 3-4 runs an over and able to dominate them and that puts a lot of pressure on their seamers. Someone like Vettori who doesn’t give away too many runs allows the the seamers to be rotated.

On catch number 200:

Laughs. It will come! My fingers are at the moment in the wars. I am fielding in the places where the ball is not likely to come. I would like to go back to slips because that's what I love and enjoy doing but at the moment my fingers are getting a pounding and beating at all sorts of places. So hopefully it will come some day.

On getting out to deliveries well outside off stump:

Especially since I got out to the left-arm quicks against Australia 2-3 times. It was a bit disappointing. I knew that it was an area I had to work on. I have put some time at the NCA, with the coaches there, and also Gary here, just to tighten up my lines a little bit. Worked on try to hit as straight as possible rather than opening my bat-face. I felt that I was opening it up towards covers too much rather than driving straight. I have to hit tighter and straighter lines, especially against left-arm quicks, it has worked a little bit . This was the only game we saw a left-arm quick (McKay).

On how much effect does batting as long as this take on you at this stage in career:

At any stage in my career, batting long has taken a lot out of me. While I love and enjoy batting long periods of time – well I guess I have to bat long periods of time if I have to score runs; I should be re-born as Veeru one day .. that would be nice! That is the way I play. That’s me. I like the contest. I like to look at the game not immediately but 2-3 days ahead. See if I can build a platform, score some big runs now and see the impact it can have in 2-3 days time as the game progresses. It does take a lot out of you, physically, mentally, emotionally; it always has. That is some thing I have worked on and enjoyed doing it in some ways.

On missing out on a double hundred:

I was disappointed. I worked so hard to get that far. It would have been nice to get 9 runs more. I was trying to lift it over mid-off but ... again that is a shot I have been practising. I should have committed myself fully rather than trying to chip it .. I guess you take what you get.