Gaji
Rahul Dravid is hoping to mark his 344th and final ODI form with a long past due first victory over England this summer for India.
Dravid, one of cricket's modern greats and by common permission a paragon of very good behaviour on and off the pitch, may well be playing his last match in Britain of any report at Cardiff's SWALEC Stadium on Friday.
The 38-year-old admit this summer has been a "bitter-sweet" practice, as he has continued to churn out runs in vain while India first of all lost their number one Test status to England in an unpredicted 4-0 series romp for the hosts, then were second best in a one-off Twenty20 and are 2-0 down with only one to play in the NatWest Series.
He will be absent following departure for next month's five-game replay in India, but may yet be back to play in England - along with his fellow respected veteran Sachin Tendulkar - should his country stay in the top four of the International Cricket Council rankings to qualify for the inaugural Test championship in 2013.
A 13th ODI hundred would be a fitting farewell, of course, but Dravid is more troubled with India's fortunes.
"I would like to sign off with a win. It would be lovely for India," he said. "We have had a hard tour, and it would be lovely to finish with a win - irrespective of what I get."
Dravid, famously nicknamed 'The Wall' for his strength of mind and waterproof technique in Test cricket, modified his game efficiently to the 50-over format.
The results have been creditable, and he will leave the ODI stage correctly at ease that he has been such a high achiever.
"It does not feel like I am finishing, or leaving, or the end, because I will be playing Test cricket.
"But it is a nice time to reproduce on what I think was a pretty pleasing and satisfying one-day career.
"I don't think there is going to be anything dissimilar in my life from tomorrow onwards.
"My wife did talk about there were some very nice things written about me during the Test series, back in India.
"It was a bit bitter-sweet in the sense there was a lot of pleasure in my opinion against a tough assault and scoring runs, but it has been a unsatisfactory tour for us.
"I am still truly humbled by some of the nice things said about me in the last few weeks."
With characteristic modesty, Dravid cites an event in which he himself played no part as perhaps the proudest moment of his cricketing life.
He was not chosen in the squad which this year won India's second World Cup, on home ground, yet he took more pleasure in that communal success than in any of his own personal glories.
He added: "I'm not dreading quitting. "You just recognize that the time has got to come at some stage when you have got to move on.
"I am happy and I am at ease with that. "I have had some highs and low in both forms of the game.
"That is life, that is cricket - and it has taught me a lot about for myself as a person and how to deal with a lot of things. "I have totally no regrets."
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