Dravid should always bat at No 3: Vengsarkar

With a batsman of Rahul Dravid˜s calibre at their disposal, Team India need not explore other options for the crucial number three slot, said chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar.

With a batsman of Rahul Dravid’s calibre at their disposal, Team India need not explore other options for the crucial number three slot, said chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar.

In an exclusive interview to PTI, Vengsarkar wondered what made the think-tank try out Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir at the slot when they had an automatic choice in Dravid.

Vengsarkar also rued that the team lacked a genuine all-rounder and felt neither Ajit Agarkar nor fellow Mumbaikar Ramesh Powar did justice to their batting ability.

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He, however, appreciated the healthy competition and team spirit and said a relaxed dressing room atmosphere during the lengthy UK tour was one of the key reasons for the turn-around in the team’s performance.

Vengsarkar said Cricket Manager Chandu Borde too played an important role with his outputs during the tour.

The Indian team vanquished South Africa 2-1 after coming from behind in the off-shore ODI series in Ireland, carried that momentum into the three-Test rubber against hosts England by defeating the hosts 1-0 and then narrowly lost the best-of-seven ODI series 3-4, after fighting back from 1-3 behind.