Mumbai, Nov 3: He’s stood tall for India over a long and celebrated international career known for his perseverance, grit and an impeccable technique. Youngsters needn’t look beyond him when it comes to a batting role model. Rahul Dravid, Indian cricket’s pride, and one of the most respected cricketers of the modern era, feels it was the Ranji Trophy that helped him approach interntional cricket in a mature manner.

The legend shares his thoughts ahead of the 78th season of India’s premier domestic competition in this exclusive interview with bcci.tv

According to you, what importance does the Ranji Trophy hold in Indian cricket?

It is an extremely important tournament. It is […] just a step below international cricket. High standards in the Ranji Trophy lead to the creation of a strong international team, hence it is very critical that the Ranji Trophy is played in a competitive manner, on good grounds and on good wickets. It has to be played with positivity and intent.

What are your thoughts on some of the youngsters coming through the ranks in the Karnataka team?

We made some changes in the Karnataka team two-three seasons back and the results have shown. We’ve got a good bunch of youngsters coming through since the last couple of years. We lost to Mumbai in the final two years back by a narrow margin of six runs and our loss to Baroda in the semi-final last year came on a terrible wicket. So the boys have put up a very improved show since the last couple of years and now is the time to build on that. This season we’ll miss out on the services of Sunil Joshi, who’s had a long and successful career with us. This presents a new challenge ahead of the team and especially the youngsters. Hopefully, they’ll take the opportunity and put up a good show.

How would you rate Karnataka’s chances this season?

I think we have a very good chance. According to me, dealing with the absence of Joshi will be a critical factor. We have a good seam attack comprising the bowlers who have represented India and a young spinner [Syed Khaja Moinuddin]. We’ll have to see how the bowling does. We have a strong batting line-up with people like Manish Pandey, Robin Uthappa, Ganesh Sathish, Amit Verma – all these are very good players. We’ve got a good balance in the team; now it’s just the question of producing the results.

How significant has the Ranji Trophy been in your career?

Very. Every time I’ve done well for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy it has given me a lot of happiness and satisfaction. I’ve grown up playing the tournament; before I made my international debut, I played five years of first-class cricket. I experienced many highs and lows, won some great matches and learned so much. When I played for India for the first time, I was very mature and was able to handle the pressure of international cricket in a better way. So I really value all the time I spent playing in the Ranji Trophy.

Are you looking forward to participating in this season if the international schedule allows?

It obviously depends on when we leave for the Australia tour and what plans the team management has ahead of the very important tour. But I’ve always looked forward to and enjoyed playing for Karnataka. I couldn’t play in the last season but in the one we reached the final, I played a few games – I played the quarter-finals and the semis but unfortunately had to miss the final. I really enjoyed that experience. It’s a very different team to the one that I started my career with. It’s good fun to play with a completely new generation of boys.

Can you single out the most special and satisfying innings that you’ve played in the Ranji Trophy?

I think scoring the double hundred in the 1997-‘98 final and leading the team to the title triumph as a captain was very satisfying. Winning the Trophy in 1995-‘96 after beating Tamil Nadu [it was Karnataka’s first Ranji Trophy victory in 13 years] in the final was very special as well. There are many other happy memories that I have of the tournament.