|
No Place For Rahul "The Wall" Dravid In Indian ODI Team |
|
|
|
Written by Piyush Joshi
|
|
Sunday, 28 October 2007 |
|
Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid has been dropped from the first two ODIs against Pakistan next month as selectors intensify their search to find players who will take over the mantle following the retirement of the "big three" from Indian cricket.
Dravid has looked woefully short of form in the recently concluded ODI series against Australia and had an average of just 10 in the series. Dinesh Karthick has also been dropped from the 15-man squad with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir making a comeback in the team, with Sehwag showing glimpses of returning to form with a fine 57-ball 75 in the Challenger Series.
Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar revealed that the selection committee decided to give Dravid a break from international cricket following a dip in form, adding that he is in contention for the remainder of the series. "Dravid's form and fitness has made us give him a break, he's a great player and should be back soon", Vengsarkar added.
All-rounder Praveen Kumar is the lone new face in the squad following impressive performances in the domestic circuit while Harbhajan Singh and Murli Kartik retain their places after some good performances in the series against Australia.
It was expected that Dravid would be dropped after he was "rested" during the last couple of matches during the recently concluded seven-match One-Day series against Australia. But chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar again acted evasive and gave the same old line of Dravid being "rested" during the first two One-Dayers against Pakistan.
With there being no respite for the Indian team in the next couple of months, given tough series against Pakistan and Australia, it looks like the selectors may have resorted to a rotation policy to rest key players.
 Add as favourites (45)
Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.4 |
Sports 
