Pleasure to lead Rajasthan Royals: Rahul Dravid

Kolkata : Despite having gone down to the Mumbai Indians in a nerve-wracking IPL playoff, Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid lauded his teammates for splendidly rising up to challenges both on and off the field, and said it has been a “pleasure to lead this team”.

Dravid said the squad has “probably given more than they been asked to”.

“Just take our team spirit, our energy… the fight we had as a group. We faced a lot of adversity both on and off the field but I think the way the guys responded to the challenges both on and off the field has been excellent.”

“It’s been a pleasure to lead this team. It’s been a pleasure to work with the support staff I have had. I like to thank all my boys, all the support staff for the help they have given me,” Dravid said at the presentation ceremoney post a four-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens here Friday.

Dravid said it was a great feeling to hone the skills of youngsters and help them develop.

“It’s great for me to see youngsters come in, that’s our USP and part of what we do in the Royals… we are forced to some ways to try and bring good players on and see how they develop,” he said.

Dubbed as ‘The Wall’, Dravid noted that the team had put in a lot of hard work to increase its potential.

“It’s a great effort… everybody has given so much to it. I think everybody in the team can be proud of our effort. We have maximised our potential. Everyone has probably given more then they been asked to,” he added.

The Royals team was rocked by the spot fixing scandal after Delhi Police arrested their three players Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan and 11 bookies in a post-midnight operation in Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad May 16.