|
Chittagong, May 17: Spinners Ramesh Powar and Rajesh Pawar are
likely to earn their maiden Test caps as India are pondering
fielding a five-pronged bowling attack against Bangladesh in the
first cricket Test starting here tomorrow. "We do have the
option of playing five bowlers in these conditions considering
the weather, the wicket and what we are trying to achieve in
this game," skipper Rahul Dravid said at the match-eve press
conference. The bowling combination then could very well be two
pacers and three spinners, meaning Ramesh Powar and Rajesh Pawar
were set to take the field along with veteran leg-spinner Anil
Kumble.
Powar has already played in one-day internationals while
Pawar is yet to play an international game. The team management
will have to decide which of the seven batsmen in the squad
should sit out to accommodate the fifth bowler. "It's never easy
to drop anyone, especially when they are playing well. But yes,
in this case we have to drop one. It's part and parcel of the
game," Dravid said. "You have to take these decisions keeping in
mind what is the best combination under these circumstances and
what helps you to win the game. "All of them are good batsmen
and so someone has to miss out and be unlucky." Among the seven
are two wicketkeepers, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Kaarthick,
but the latter has been picked as a specialist opener.
The skipper said it would be difficult one over the other as
both Dhoni and Kaarthick were in good form. Dravid denied that
the visitors had an edge as they went into the two-Test series
on the back of a 2-0 ODI series win. "The match is going to
begin zero-zero at even scores and then you need to perform and
build on it," he said. "We also have to see that we do the right
performance, get the basics right and do what is needed to do to
win a Test match. We want to approach in a methodical manner."
Asked if the Indians had some special plans for host
vice-captain Mohammad Ashraful, who struck an unbeaten 158 in
the previous Test match between the two sides here in 2004,
Dravid said they were focusing on Bangladesh as a team, and not
any particular player.
"Ashraful is a very talented batsman, he played extremely
well in the last series. Hopefully, we will not allow him to
score so many runs this series, he can score against somebody
else," he said. Dravid said the wicket looked good for batting,
but could take some spin later in the match. "It looks like a
good wicket. It looks pretty flat with little grass on it. It
should hold together for the first two and-a-half to three
days," he said. "In the fourth and fifth day, it can dry up and
we can get some spin. But if the weather is hot and dry it can
break up a little early also." Asked if India's huge experience
and the several seasoned campaigners in the side would be of any
advantage, Dravid replied, "The fact is how you perform on a
given day of the match. You can have a wealth of experience but
it is of no use unless you perform." (Agencies) |
