Scotland's cricketers have struggled so badly to build up any momentum during this wretched season that you might suppose the last thing they would desire is to find themselves up against The Wall. Yet this morning at Titwood, when Rahul Dravid confronts many of the same individuals whom he used to play alongside in the Saltires cause, it should be a special occasion both for the genial Indian captain and followers of the so-called summer game in these parts.

At 34, Dravid is, quite simply, one of the most gifted practitioners of his vocation on the planet and enjoys the dual benefits of being both modest and cerebral. Not for him recourse to lazy cliches or a hackneyed bundle of generalisations. Instead, the man who has just skippered his country to a series triumph against England - their first in Blighty since 1986 - seemed genuinely delighted to have returned to Scotland when he met the media yesterday morning.

"This match means an awful lot to me. I had a fantastic time when I turned out for the Saltires in 10 fixtures in 2003 and when my wife and I travelled around Scotland, we were blown away by the hospitality we received, the beauty of the scenery, and the popularity of cricket wherever we went," said Dravid, whose average of 56.50 in 112 Tests speaks for itself, as do the 9492 runs accumulated in the five-day game, and the 10,301 amassed in the limited-overs arena.

"To be honest, I didn't think I would ever get the chance to play against the likes of Craig Wright, Ryan Watson and Paul Hoffmann, because the international cricket calendar is so congested these days. But here I am, sitting next to Ryan, and I am excited about this, and also under no illusions that this will be a tough match for us.

"After all, the conditions here are greener and more wet than we are used to, and I know from personal experience how determined the Scots will be, because I was with them when we tackled Pakistan at Hamilton Crescent in 2003, and they only scraped home by one wicket at the end - and it was a top-class Pakistan team the Scots had on the ropes.

"From memory, I recall we should probably have won that encounter, and Danish Kaneria (one of life's natural-born No 11s) had to scramble home for the winning runs. That's one of the reasons why we won't be under-estimating Ryan's boys on Thursday. Apart from anything else, they ran the West Indies close last month and they have gained more and more experience of meeting professional sides, so they will be a threat to us. We don't expect any favours and we won't be offering any."

Dravid confirmed that he will lead the side today, whatever the weather has in store, but it remains debatable whether the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly will also participate in the 50 overs-a-side contest.

No doubt, the capacity crowd which is expected to swell the Pollokshields arena, would love to bid adieu to the onliest Tendulkar, as he caresses his way into retirement; but the little master is now at the stage of his career where fielding in a deluge holds no attraction. And, besides, with characters as talented as Yuvrav Singh and Ajit Agarkar waiting in the wings, the Indians, in common with every other sports team, has to look to the future.

"The players who beat England put in a fantastic shift over the course of the three Tests, which were staged in quick succession, so the young guys who haven't been involved on the tour so far have to show their eagerness and their hunger to step up to the first eleven," said Dravid, one of his nation's stalwart figures who will not be appearing in next month's Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa.

"Basically, we have achieved the first of our goals by defeating England, and I reckon we have proved we can travel anywhere and be very competitive. But we can't afford to stand still, and that explains why we are looking to some of the less experienced guys to step up a gear and show what they are capable of. Cricket is a hectic game these days and it doesn't stand still for an instant."

As he has matured from a technically correct but somewhat defensive performer into a batting maestro, blessed with every stroke in the coaching manuals, Dravid has flayed every attack in the world and reduced the most talented bowlers to snivelling subjugation. At one point, he struck four centuries in successive innings and hit a quartet of double-hundreds in the space of 15 Tests, which are the sort of statistics to leave Scotland's John Blain, Dewald Nel, Hoffmann, Wright and Watson pondering whether they should simply strive to contain the Indian openers and keep Dravid away from the crease.

Yet, if there is any reason to be optimistic, it shouldn't be ignored that, on the last occasion Dravid participated on the big stage in Glasgow, he succumbed first ball, caught behind from a truly wicked delivery from Shabbir Ahmed.

And, as that incident proves, any batsman, irrespective of their gifts, is only ever one ball away from the long goodbye.

"I was impressed with the Scots four years ago and I still keep up to date with their results on the Net, so we realise that they will be eyeing an upset, not least because it will put them on the official one-day rankings the same as the Irish have managed," declared Dravid.

"If this match was in Mumbai or Chennai, we might be more relaxed about it, but I've witnessed at first hand how their guys can make things happen on Scottish pitches and we have to be on our guard and be as professional as possible.

"I'm looking forward to it. But I don't go into any match without wanting to win."