 Absence of a quality all-rounder has been a problem: Dravid
28th Aug 2007 12:01 IST
Agencies
Trailing for the second time in the seven-match series against England, Indian captain Rahul Dravid lamented the absence of a genuine all-rounder which, he said, was affecting the balance of the side.
"The absence of a quality all-rounder has been a longstanding problem for India ever since the retirement of Kapil Dev," Dravid said after the 42-run defeat at Edgbaston on Monday, which put England 2-1 ahead in the seven-match series.
But he said there was not much that could be done about the problem in the short term.
"We have work with the personnel we have in the side and the skills they bring," Dravid said.
Meanwhile, fielding continued to be one of the major areas for concern for India and Dravid sought improvement.
"Fielding has been a problem. We cannot overnight become fantastic fielders but we definitely need to improve and play better," Dravid said.
He said the pitch was a good one but India gave too many runs to England and did not chase well either.
"We did not bowl and field well. We could not afford to give 280. We depend on our top six a lot. One of us needed to get a 100 but we lost wickets at crucial stages," the Indian captain rued.
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