When Rahul Dravid's two-minute pep talk changed KL Rahul's life 

image courtsey: IBN Live

It was an Under-13 tournament when a skinny Lokesh Rahul came across his childhood hero Rahul Dravid whose tips changed the Karnataka batsman's life, recollects the youngster's coach Samuel Jayaraj.
Karnataka State Cricket Association coach Jayaraj saw an 11-year-old Rahul bat for the first time at the cricket academy in Mangalore. That is where Rahul's cricket journey started.
After 11 years of hard work and determination, the 22-year-old Karnataka opener made it to India's 19-member Test squad for the tour of Australia with 1035 in the last Ranji season, which was the second highest in the tournament.
With knocks of 185 and 130 in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy, Rahul's talent and consistency got the approval of BCCI selectors who picked him for the tour Down Under.
Cricketnext caught up with Rahul's childhood coach Jayaraj ahead of Team India's departure for Australia.
What was it that caught your attention seeing an 11-year-old kid bat?
I can still recall when I spoke to Rahul and took him for a test in the nets. He could face the bowlers with confidence. Among the student who came for the trial, Rahul impressed me a lot. He was a wicketkeeper-batsman which proved his case much stronger. He was obedient and I never had to tell him to do a thing twice. My ward is destined for bigger things on the cricket ground.
What do you want to say on his Australia tour selection?
First of all, I want to thank the almighty. The lord has blessed him for his hard work. Thanks to him for giving Rahul this opportunity. He has sweated out from the very young age of 11 since he took up cricket. His hard work has paid finally. I am very happy for him. I know he will do well in Australia.
Is there any special quality that you feel makes Rahul special compared to other young batsmen in India?
Patience. It drives him on the cricket field. He never panics and has a calm demeanour. The positive point is that he is a wicketkeeper too which make his focus even better. He watches the ball till the end. I just love his shot selection.
How did Rahul come across the legendary Dravid?
I still remember Rahul was playing the Under-13 KSCA Inter-Zonal tournament at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. He scored two double centuries in the tournament. Incidentally, Dravid was training in the nets during Rahul's match. He saw Rahul raising his bat to acknwledge the applause. That's when he managed to catch the attention of Dravid.
During lunch, Dravid came and asked about the kid who scored a double hundred. I told him his name is also Rahul. The batting legend lauded him and said "this boy is very good, please look after him well, he will go ahead in life". Dravid then spoke to Rahul for a few minutes and motivated and encouraged him. That was the day when I noticed Rahul starting to bat even more confidently. Dravid's pep talk was a undoubetddly a life-changing lessons for the youngster.
After meeting Dravid, what change did you see in Rahul on and off field?
Although he was already focused and determined, but after meeting his batting icon Dravid, Rahul was more and more into the game. He used to eat, sleep and talk cricket. In the nets or during batting, if he missed some delivery, he never got frustrated. He used to come to me and ask for tips and the solution for the shot. He used to watch videos of the senior cricketers and learn from it. I always tell him to play straight in the 'V'. I wanted his basics to be very strong because that is the only way to become a good player.
He also started working on his back-foot game with his coaches to be perfect as a batsman. We have seen him attacking with authority. It is the footwork which is helping him attack the spinners. He watches the ball till the very last minute and that is a big plus point for him.
The area you think Rahul needs to work on
He loses concentration sometimes, nothing other than that. He is working on it. It may be due to a number of tournaments he is playing.
Mangalore has produced a number of fast bowlers and spinners but not many batsmen. Your comments on Rahul emerging as a star batsman.
Yes, you are right. We never had good batsmen; it has been a bowler-dominated place. Many fast bowlers and spinners have come from this place but hardly a good batsman. We finally found it in Rahul. We have tried to polish his game perfectly. We had good fast bowlers like Umesh Karvi, who played for India Under-17 in the Asia Cup, along with Wildon Crasto, Mohammad Arif, Sachin Shenoy and a very good left-arm spinner in Sachin K. We made Rahul face all these bowlers so that he can have good batting lessons. All these bowlers used to enjoy bowling against Rahul.
Tell us something about Rahul's family.
He belongs to a family that is into teaching profession. His mother and father both are lecturers. They wanted their son to do engineering but somehow we convinced them and told Rahul is a bright sportsman and they should allow him to play cricket. It was a big sacrifice by his father. After that, they all supported Rahul in chasing his dreams. We all had a word with them so that they should also motivate Rahul and back him.
As we know, tracks in Australia offer pace and bounce. Any tips you want to share on how should Rahul counter that?
Rahul has been to Australia before with India 'A' earlier this year, so he is aware of the conditions. He just needs a bit of tuning to acclimatise as per the conditions. I am sure if he gets the opportunity, he will do well there. Australia is a tough tour but one has to stay positive. I want Rahul to be included in the playing XI for at least one Test.