NEWS

India-South Africa Series 2006>
Dravid hints at changes in opening combination, bowling
31st Dec 2006  18.55 IST
By Agencies  


Sending a clear message to the faltering opening pair, Indian skipper Rahul Dravid on Sunday said he would not hesitate to take tough decisions for the series-deciding third cricket Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

After the disappointing 174-run defeat in the second Test here, Dravid said that managing the resources would be a priority for the team in the next match starting January 2.

"Any decision which is going to help the team would be taken irrespective of what the decision is," the Indian captain said.

Both the openers -- Wasim Jaffer and Virender Shewag -- have been big failures in this series but it would call for a really strong decision to put Sehwag on the bench as he is still averaging over 50 in Test cricket and has been a regular in the side for the last six years.

"Two of our priorities going into the final Test are to look at our top order batting and manage our resources," said Dravid.

The Indian captain also hinted at a possible change in the bowling line-up, which could see the inclusion of seamer Munaf Patel in the final eleven for the third Test.

"The three fast bowlers and a spinner have done a lot of hard work and we have to manage them well," Dravid said.


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In-Depth Coverage: India-South Africa Series 2006
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