Dravid tells players to be vigilant of match-fixers

Rajasthan Royals' mentor Rahul Dravid, although happy that there’s no betting or spot-fixing controversy so far in the seventh season of the Indian Premier League, says players need to be cautious about the menace.

"It’s good that no such incident (match-fixing) has surfaced this time. But, we (players and teams) all need to be vigilant and keep our eyes and ears open, because, there will be people who will be wanting to spoil the game," said Dravid at a press conference in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

He, Royals captain Shane Watson, chief coach Paddy Upton and other team members addressed the media on the eve of Rajasthan's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Sardar Patel stadium in Motera.

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The last season of the IPL was marred by the spot-fixing scandal, which saw the arrest of three Rajasthan Royals players – Shantakumaran Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan.

Since Jaipur was not allotted an IPL match this season, Ahmedabad has been declared Royals’ home venue. Dravid is hopeful of getting support of the locals in the city.

"Ahmedabad has always proved lucky for Rajasthan Royals in the past. We are having a good record here and fans here are equally passionate for the game. I am sure that local fans will see RR as their own team, as Ahmedabad doesn't have their own team in IPL. I hope that fans will support us in upcoming games," he said.

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Lauding the superb bowling performance of 42-year-old spinner Pravin Tambe, whose hat-trick against Kolkata Knight Riders helped Royals win their previous game, Dravid said he is the face of thousands of talented yet unknown players.

"He has been playing cricket for almost 20 years, yet you can see how humble and hard-working he still is. He represents thousands of talented boys across India," Dravid said.

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Meanwhile, Watson thanked Dravid for being the mentor.

"I loved it when I was given the opportunity to become the captain. I am learning from some of the best players of the game like Rahul, who knows how to get best out of every player," said the skipper.

"The best thing about our team is that we don't have many coaches, like one for batting, one for fielding, one for bowling, etc," Watson added.

Coach Upton, who is high on confidence having won five out of seven games so far, said: "We play without having fear of failure. Another factor is that our owners don't put pressure on us. We created an environment for young players to play good cricket."