Carlos Brathwaite delighted over appointment of Rahul Dravid

Carlos Brathwaite become the most talked about cricket in the world following his exploits in the final over of the World T20. He slammed four consecutive sixes off the first four Ben Stokes deliveries as the Windies clinched their second World T20 title. Now, Brathwaite has joined up with his IPL franchise, the Delhi Daredevils with a lot riding on his shoulders.

In his first week with his new teammates, Brathwaite has said that it has been a pleasure and a privilege to be working with team mentor Rahul Dravid. Apart from having a few chats with the Indian batting legend, Brathwaite’s goals are to become a better person and a player.

“I am privileged to be in the team as a World Cup winner. I hope to impact a youngster in the dressing room. I am privileged to have Rahul Dravid as the mentor — we had a couple of chats with him.

“I want to become better as a person and a player and hopefully will go back to the West Indies better equipped on how to play spin,” Brathwaite told the media here.

Despite playing in the same country, Brathwaite reiterated that the IPL would certainly be a challenging one and stated that he would treat the tournament with the respect it deserves.

“It is the same place and the same fans but it is a completely different tournament, different teams and oppositions. So I will treat the game with respect. But I hope it happens again. But I am not thinking about it much,” he said.

“Personally it has been a bit of challenge. I have had a few problems initially with time management. Dealing with all the interviews and attention was a challenge. But now I am aware of what stardom brings with it. If I am successful these things are something I need to cope with.

“Everyone wanted to know what was going through my mind, how I did it. I tried to do as many interviews I could.”

“It has been a challenge, constant interviews, reliving four sixes every day. It has been a challenge to get the hype and move on. I am in my mental space now to be ready for the game tomorrow,” insisted Brathwaite.

When asked about which format he prefers, Brathwaite said that adaptability was key. “Whatever our team requires (on where he would like to bat). If the team wants me to bat at a certain position, I will try my best and adapt and make sure Delhi comes out on top,” he said.

Brathwaite said,”I love Test cricket. But every format has its space. T20 is a good spectator sport. Better cricketers are those who can adapt in all three.”

Finally, commenting on the mindset of Ben Stokes after what he did to him in the final, Brathwaite said that he too would be on the receiving end of a similar onslaught soon.

“I know it will happen, I’ll be receiving it. Some day it will happen. But you need to do always bowl to the best of your abilities and back yourself.