Indian Cricket call the Wall

MUMBAI: Former skipper Rahul Dravid, who has been named among the 30 probables for the Indian team for the ICC Champions trophy, on Friday said he
was happy to be reconsidered for a spot in the One-day side. "I'm happy, it feels nice to be back in the mix," Dravid said. The eight-nation tournament will be played from September 22 to October 5 in South Africa this year. The middle-order batsman, who has scored 10,585 run in 333 matches, last played an ODI against the Australians in Nagpur in October 2007. Talking about the status of other sports which get overshadowed by Cricket, Dravid said the only way to bring them under limelight is to attain more success in that discipline. "A lot of sports do suffer from the magnitude of cricket in India. But there is no point complaining about it. As more and more people get success in other sports, they will get the desired attention," he said. "It has happened with (Abhinav) Bindra at the Olympics and recently with Saina (Nehwal)," Dravid said. The former Indian skipper also congratulated legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar on his 60th birthday. "I wish him well. He has done a lot for the game and for us," he said.

Rahul Dravid called

CHENNAI: The selectors finally took a step that clearly indicated that they were worried with India's batting following the T20 World Cup and the
West Indies series. They have brought Rahul Dravid back into the fray for a spot in the ODI side by including him in the 30-member probables list for the Champions Trophy, and if sources close to the selection committee are to be believed, it's not just for filling up the numbers. The Indian batsmen's frailty against short-pitched bowling was there for everyone to see during the T20 World Cup and the selectors believe some solidity is required in the middle-order. Even though India won the series against the West Indies, the general belief among the decision makers is that it is all due to "one match winning effort (from Yuvraj)." It was clearly indicated that Dravid would surely be considered when the final 15 was selected for the Champions Trophy. The veteran right-hander may not fit into skipper MS Dhoni's scheme of things but given the recent performances of the Indian team, the selectors may well take a stern stance. The fact that the Champions Trophy will be played in South Africa, where the pitches will afford steep bounce, has also gone in Dravid's favour. But will there be a chance to see what kind of form Dravid is in before the final team is selected? "Do we need to do that for a player of Dravid's stature? We know what he is capable of," the source shot back. Another player who found himself out of favour was all-rounder Irfan Pathan. By not picking him in the list of 30 probables, the selectors have indicated that they are looking ahead, at least for now. Champions Trophy probables: MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Nayar, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Munaf Patel, R Ashwin, M Vijay, Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni, S Badrinath, Ashish Nehra, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Pankaj Singh. Squad for Emerging Nations Trophy: S Badrinath (Capt), M Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli (Vice-Capt), Manoj Tiwary, Ishant Jaggi, Abhishek Nayar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh, R Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, Pankaj Singh, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pradeep Sangwan, Sudeep Tyagi.