Indian captain Rahul Dravid demands end to stigma on AIDS

© UNICEF video

Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid supports Unite for Children. Unite against AIDS.

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 has teamed up with Unite for Children. Unite against AIDS. Here is one in a series of 10 profiles of well known cricketers who are supporting the campaign.

RAHUL DRAVID is captain of the Indian cricket team and maybe the finest number three batsman that the nation has ever produced.

He is elegant and technically correct as a batsman as well as being an analyst and a deep thinker about the game as a whole.

He has also brought his considerable intellectual gifts to bear on the impact HIV is having on his country. That is why he has joined the International Cricket Council, UNAIDS and UNICEF in promoting the Unite for Children. Unite against Aids campaign during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.

Interviewed at the recent ICC Champions Trophy in his own country he said: "Unfortunately HIV-positive people do face a lot of stigma and discrimination whether it's in their families, whether it's in their workplace, whether it's in society and that's disappointing.

"I think people with HIV or AIDS need to be made to feel a part of society and that comes down to knowledge. I think people need to be made aware of the disease and help to assimilate the people with HIV/AIDS into society and not to be discriminated against or made to feel outcasts," he said.

Window of opportunity

"Cricket is played in countries where HIV/AIDS is often at its strongest. It's played in countries where people are at maximum risk. We have a window of opportunity as cricketers with the kind of following that we have to get people to be aware, to get people to understand the disease, to get people to know more about HIV/AIDS. I think if we can remove the ignorance and get people more interested in a cause like this it'll go a long way to eradicating HIV/AIDS."

It's hard to know where to start when describing Rahul Dravid's cricket career. He amasses runs at an astonishing rate and seems to have an almost insatiable appetite for making huge scores. He also seems to score them at the most important moments and with a classical grace that is the envy of his peers.

As Indian captain he'll be hoping for more success in the West Indies in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 after he recently led his team to a first series victory there since 1970-71 but he'll also be directing his considerable energies towards building awareness of the Unite for Children. Unite against AIDS campaign.

Written and produced by Mont Tombleson