Dravid scribbles as the new Rajasthan Royals' captain

I’m quite used to being used. After being picked for the one day squad in England, I’m prepared for anything. So tomorrow if someone approaches me for an endorsement, that won’t surprise me.

Who am I kidding, I have done a few ads. They’re just not very memorable – the one with Gillette was very dull, too many world class professional sportspersons, obsessed with perfection, we all ended up shaving and re-shaving just to arrive at that perfect shave. The filmmaker was at his wits’ end – also he had a beard.

Today it was announced that I will be the Rajasthan Royals' new captain. Me and a T20 captain? I’ve never seen my own family laugh at me as they did today. And I could tell, they really found it funny. They would just look at me and say something like, What? You’ll be an IPL captain?

I reminded them, much to my detriment, that I had been an IPL captain in the past. To which my wife snapped –and you remember how that turned out? And then she laughed some more.

I felt like hiding my face behind a book. But I too saw the funny side of it. That’s because, times like this I just think of how the whole team struggled in England and I…

Solace

Suddenly my wife was all serious – you do remember how it was with the Challengers?

Of course I do. I still have nightmares. Sitting between Mallaya and his son and those models. All I wanted to do was to be tucked in with a good book.

I argued, my experience back then would help me tackle Shilpa and her gang. She snapped – How? You’ll take a book along for the after parties??

I have a plan. But as always, I’m not going to reveal it. You’ll only know when it goes wrong. Swatch's Irony collection, that's right up my street.

I expect to be asked how will it be stepping into Warne’s shoes – I’ll have to give some half assed, politically correct answer about how Shane did some great work with the boys, how he was a legend of the game – ideally I’d like to just say, it’s cool by me, long as I don’t have to step into his underwear.

I know, that doesn't sound like me. I'm the Rajasthan Royal's new skip. Dude.

--- RDX