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NEWS India-South Africa-Sri Lanka Tri Series 2006>We have not lost focus: Dravid 15th Aug 2006 22.33 IST By Agencies Despite the steady downpour threatening to wash off the tournament and Monday's bomb blast leaving a trail of terror behind, Indian skipper Rahul Dravid asserted that the Men in Blue have not lost the focus and will put their best foot forward as they lock horns with hosts Sri Lanka in their tri-series opener in Colombo on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Mohammad Kaif today skipped the practice with slight fever.
Dravid said despite yesterday's blast and the prospect of rain, the Indian team remains as focused as ever. "As it may have been a distraction for others, we never lost the focus. It never came as a distraction. Maybe if we can play good cricket tomorrow, people would focus on cricket again," he said. The Indian skipper described the blast as an "unfortunate" incident but said his team was not losing its sleep over it. "We are very comfortable with the security and the guys are quite relaxed. There is no worry or concern with the security here," he said. More than the blast, Dravid seemed more worried with rain, which has been a regular event with the city. "I mean it has been like that since we came -- now sunshine, now rain. The Sun seems playing hide-and-seek game. We lost a practice match to rain, but then we have to go with whatever we get. "Fortunately, we had a full practice session today and the guys enjoyed it," he added. Comeback man Sachin Tendulkar sweated it out in the nets but Dravid was evasive when asked if the Little Champion would open tomorrow. "I'm not going to disclose it definitely. All I can say is that I have some idea about it and this is for the opposition to guess. I will disclose it only after the toss," he said. He also refused to comment on South Africa's reluctance to participate in the series in the wake of yesterday's blast and the Indian captain also said he had no idea of a new schedule. "I'm not aware of the developments but all I know is that tomorrow we'll be playing our first game of the tournament against Sri Lanka," adding, "I expect the outfield to be heavy because of the continuous rain." After spending time in the gym and swimming pool, India finally had a good, rigorous practice at the Premadasa Stadium under coach Greg Chappell's watchful eyes. Tendulkar and Dravid batted first, followed by Virender Shewag and Yuvraj Singh . Mahendra Dhoni was clearly the most popular player with the sparse crowd chanting his name. Sehwag and Tendulkar also practiced bowling, playing pranks in between. Part-time bowlers like Dinesh Mongia , Suresh Raina , and Yuvraj also bowled in the nets. Dhoni also rolled his arm, as did selector and team manager Sanjay Jagdale, a medium pacer of his era who tried some off-breaks. Irfan Pathan , pale shadow of himself in the West Indies series, was more keen on fitness drills, while Yuvraj was the most impressive in the nets. Also View In-Depth Coverage: India-South Africa-Sri Lanka Tri Series 2006 Team Page: India Team Page: Sri Lanka | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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