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NEWS India-Australia-West Indies Tri-Series>Have to stay on top throughout to beat Aussies: Dravid 15th Sept 2006 22.01 IST By Agencies Indian captain Rahul Dravid has a simple formula which can help his team beat the formidable Australians – play your best cricket and sustain the intensity right through the game. But the skipper himself admits it is easier said than done and cites the example of West Indies who started in blazing fashion in the opening match of the tri-series but could not sustain the tempo till the end. Dravid said Yuvraj Singh , who was forced to sit out for the first match against the West Indies because of fever, had recovered and was available for selection tomorrow. "He is fully fit and should be there tomorrow," he said. Dravid rued the inclement weather, which disrupted the teams' practice sessions today. The Indians have been at the receiving end of bad weather recently. Their visit to Sri Lanka last month was hit by torrential rains and they returned home without playing a match. And yesterday, the weather gods robbed them off a possible victory. After India had posted a huge 309/5, the rains forced the match to be called off after 20 overs of the West Indies innings and the Caribbeans were declared winners on Duckworth-Lewis method. "It is frustrating but one has no control over this, there is nothing much you can do about it," Dravid said. "We batted very well, but we can't contain rain. We have to accept and move on. These things are beyond our control." On the need for handling the middle overs better, Dravid said "we need players with power, with creativity, who can play on slow wicket to exploit the overs once the field restrictions are lifted." He added that Yuvraj could do it and Mahendra Dhoni too could be good. "Viru ( Virender Shewag ) could also build a strong middle over." Dravid refused to confirm that he would open the innings with Sachin Tendulkar . "Nothing is written in stone, there has to be flexibility," he said. Referring to the depression in the pitch yesterday, he said "I base my decision based on what I see." He dismissed any notion of "pitch tampering" saying "what is that, never heard of that. It is a new word." Also View In-Depth Coverage: India-Australia-West Indies Tri-Series Team Page: India Team Page: Australia | 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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