England legend Ian Botham has heaped praise on Indian captain Rahul Dravid, saying he was different from his fellow superstars who were good only in their own backyards.

The former all-rounder also said Dravid had responded brilliantly to the challenge of captaincy and deserved accolades for leading the team forward.

"You can see the way he has come on in the last few months. He took on the responsibility of captaincy in adverse circumstances with the issue of Sourav Ganguly dragging on but he has responded brilliantly," Botham said.

"The Indian team has a few superstars in their ranks who are said to be only good in their own backyards. Whenever pitted against real quality fast bowlers, they are usually found out. But Dravid is different. He has the technique and his record proves his ability on all surfaces," he was quoted as saying in Khaleej Times on Saturday.

"The way he handled Andrew Flintoff in the last series was praiseworthy. To his credit, the team has made strides under him and Chappell," he added.