With the tour to Pakistan called off, most of the Indian team had a month’s break from international cricket and they used the precious time to pursue some personal interests. Sachin Tendulkar looked for real estate in the north Indian hill station of Mussoorie and Mahendra Singh Dhoni trained with the National Security Guards.

Always the intellectual, Rahul Dravid decided to lend his voice to a talking book on cricket for children, Cricketmatics, which will be brought out by the Karadi Tales company, a Chennai-based group which publishes books on Indian heritage. Dravid said he was keen to involve himself in such a project because his three-year-old son, Samit, wanted his parents to read stories to him. And so, as quick as he is to hop across and keep the ball away from his off stump, loving papa opted to offer junior a fun way of learning. The son is father to the man.

It remains to be seen if Dravid explains how to tuck bat behind pad to avoid the lbw.