Lucky I had the talent to play for India: Dravid

Former skipper Rahul Dravid was modesty personified as he said that he was lucky to have possessed enough talent to play cricket for India and "couldn't have asked for more".

"I am very lucky that I had the talent to play cricket for this country. It is the number one sport in this country, virtually a religion in this country and I feel privileged to have played for my country," Dravid said in Kolkata on Thursday on the sidelines of a felicitation ceremony in recognition of his Padma Bhushan award.

"I couldn't have asked for anything more and on top of that to get the recognition and honour is truly a big privilege," Dravid said.

About getting the third highest civilian award, Dravid said: "It is a great honour. When you start playing you don't think about the awards. You just play because you just love it and there is no reason why you start playing this game.

"But along the way when you get awards and recognitions from the government of India, from the people of this country, it is a great privilege and honour," the Rajasthan Royals skipper added.

Dravid has led the Royals by example as despite not boasting of many superstar players in their squad they have been got the desired results with six wins from nine games. They are currently in the third position and are in line for a play-off berth.

Dravid said it is important for him to be adaptable so as to meet the demands of T20 format.

"I think the key role is to be adaptable, to be able to do various roles, to do things that might not be in your comfort zone or you might not be used to.

"When you are a part of the team or any organisation, it's very important to ensure that you play your part well. When you play in the team, it's not only about yourself, it's also what success you can give to your team and how well the team does.

"I think at the end of the season, if the team you're part of does very well, you can take a lot of credit from that," Dravid said.

Talented batsman Ajinkya Rahane said his role model is none other than his Rajasthan skipper Dravid.

Rahane further added that Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar were the two players he grew up watching.

"My role model is here -- Rahul Dravid. I grew up watching Sachin Tendulkar and Dravid," the youngster said.