The recent ICC World Champions Trophy held last month in Sri Lanka was in many ways a huge journey of discovery for India. Apart from the brilliant stints by none other than Veerender Sehwag, Mohammad Kaif and Yuvaraj Singh, the young Turks of the Indian team, there were various other performances that the country could be proud of. Though not so blatant, but quiet maturities were evident all around, making the present Indian cricket the best in recent years.

Standing quietly behind the wickets, with concentration not wavering from ball, bowler and batsman, it was a something of a pleasant surprise for Indians to notice that Rahul Dravid, hitherto known only for his batting prowess, come home with keeping wonders too. Surprisingly, it has not taken away from his batting either. He batted commendably well and went on to prove his mettle in the first test of the current West Indian series with a scintillating century.

But what makes Rahul Dravid tick? Oh, yes, all the bowlers who got punished by his masterly strokes would also love to know the answer to that one. But the answer is neither a mystery nor is it a surprise. The secret of Dravid's performance lies in his almost manic habit of concentration, something he developed quite young in his cricketing career.

To begin at the beginning, Dravid's brilliance came to the fore quite early in life. As a member of the under 15, 17 and 19 teams as a student of St Joseph's school and college, Dravid performed consistently well that it was hard for the selectors to ignore him. In 1991 he made his first class debut in the Ranji Trophy match against Maharashtra scoring a useful 82 even though he came in to bat at number seven. His first century came in the next match against West Bengal where he scored 134, at number six.

He hit the international scene in 1995-96 and has never looked back, becoming something of a backbone to the team with his consistent and solid performances. He is admired for his classy and technically correct batting. For a long time he was labeled a Test batsman because of his low strike rate even though he showed signs of some explosive batting - we all remember the way he thrashed Alan Donald in a crucial match, driving the fearsome bowler to despair.

He has solved the problem of missing out on centuries long ago. The New Zealand tour in Dec 1998 - Jan 1999 saw him come into his own and cement his place in the One-Day team. No longer does he plod around, wasting hittable balls. His strike rate is comparable with the best and his average has also risen to a decent level. This shows his strength of character, since he has come back strongly after being out of the team for so long. At World Cup '99 he moved into the realms of greatness with a fantastic performance which saw everybody singing his praises.

A batsman sound in technique and his consistency in the longer versions of the game earned him the title of "Mr. Dependable". He also has other nicknames, like `Jammie' given to him by fellow cricketer Javagal Sriniath, though the origins of the nickname are hazy. He is also known as the `wall' for his defense techniques, and of late his wicket keeping abilities.

His technical perfection seemed to be a hindrance till recently as Dravid found it difficult to go for the quick runs. His presence in the middle, however, is very reassuring to the batsmen at the other end as Dravid is confidence personified and totally focused on the job on hand. Dravid and Ganguly have forged many useful partnerships since they made their debut simultaneously in England. A very dependable one drop batsman, Dravid gives the much needed depth to the middle order. Dravid is a total team man and has taken on the ball to bowl when the occasion demanded.

But his prowess with the bat was not to be his sole area of specialization. Wanting to cut down on extra players, the team experimented with his keeping, and there was a surprise in store. Dravid came across, once again, as a dependable man behind the wickets and is now almost a permanent wicketkeeper, thereby helping the team capitalize on other strengths.

A total home body, Dravid is nevertheless at ease in any circumstance. His favourite places are all in Bangalore and as he himself declares, rather reticently, "Bangalore is home."

Bangaloreans in particular and Indians in general will be hoping this reclusive batsman-wicketkeeper will go a long way in making cricketing history. Here's wishing him the best!!!