Yuvraj secures Dada's spot, Dravid stays
Posted on Dec 04, 2008 at 15:15 | Updated Dec 05, 2008 at 20:40
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New Delhi: The Indian selectors opted for an expected 15-man line-up for the two Test matches against England. On the one hand it will be a chance for Yuvraj Singh to resurrect his Test career, on the other it will be a trail by fire for Rahul Dravid. Even as a final call on the Test series will only be made on Sunday, the personnel are already in place and ready for Test cricket.
The one-day series against England gave Yuvraj Singh another shot at redemption. Dropped for the Test series against Australia, an out of form Yuvraj tore into the England attack at Rajkot and Indore. Back-to-back centuries and an aggregate of 325 runs in five matches at an average of over 100 saw him force his way back for the Tests.
"I have got the opportunity," Yuvraj said. "I'm not thinking that I am filling in after someone's (Sourav Ganguly) retirement. I always felt this is my place, and if I do well, I'll surely be there for a long time."
But while Yuvraj celebrates, the pressure will be on Rahul Dravid to deliver. He looked completely out of the loop against Australia and with two back-up batsmen in M Vijay and Badrinath waiting in the wings, the message to the 'Wall' is loud and clear. Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma, too, have staked their claims in the Ranji Trophy and experts feel Dravid doesnt have too much time.
"If those youngsters, say Rohit Sharma for instance, shows the form he has shown against the Australians, gets a lot of big scores, then there's going to be a place for him in the team," says legendary former India captain Sunil Gavaskar. "The selectors will be under tremendous pressure to accommodate the younger man in place of Rahul Dravid."
The only player to get axed from the previous Test series was RP Singh and in his place as third spinner came in Pragyan Ojha.
The first Test will be played in Chennai from December 11. Mohali will host the second Test from December 19.
Squad: MS Dhoni (captain, wicketkeeper), Virender Sehwag (vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, S Badrinath, M Vijay, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel.
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Posted By anu_seniorsfan
this is with due respect to mr sunny gavaskar...sir i like ur comments abt certain issues and most specifically i
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