Sport - Cricket   

Dravid to Sachin's defence

Melbourne Dec. 22 . When the whole world seems up in arms debating his poor form Down Under and doubting his match-winning capabilities, Sachin Tendulkar found an ally in his teammate whose brilliance, incidentally, outshone the batting maestro.

According to Rahul Dravid, Sachin is too good a batsman to have a prolonged bad patch and the little champion would soon let his bat do all the talking and silent his critics.

Expressing dismay at the widespread debate over Sachin's form, Dravid said, ``A lot has been said unnecessarily about his form. We believe he is in great touch and hitting the ball well.''

Dravid and other members of the Indian team arrived here for the third Test which begins on Boxing Day.

Defending the little champion, Dravid said, ``We are looking for a big score from him here. But having said that, we don't want to put any additional pressure on him.''

Sachin can also take heart from the fact that in the 2000 tour, it was at the Melbourne Cricket Ground that he hit a brilliant hundred.

This time too, he played a sedate knock of 80 in the tour-opening match against Victoria.

However, Sachin has just made 109 runs from his last seven innings with an average of 15.57. The two Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide saw him scoring 0, 1 and 37, triggering a debate across the cricketing world over his form.

Making it clear that the team won't create any pressure on Sachin, Dravid, also the vice-captain of the team, said, ``We want him to just go out there and enjoy his cricket, play like we know he can play.''

In what appears to be a veiled threat to the host, Dravid said, ``I am confident Australia has not seen the best of him. He is really keen to make a big one.'' — UNI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

Cricket

• Arnold steers Lankans to a remarkable win
• The stage is set for Zaheer to deliver
• Waugh deserves to go out in style
• Lee in for Melbourne Test
• Dravid to Sachin's defence
  
  Athletics
  
• Madhu Kumar's feat stands out
• Simple shines on final day
  
  Racing : Motor
  
• Double delight for Chinnappa
  
  Sports : General
  
• M.J. Gopalan: an inspiring role-model
• Tributes pour in for Gopalan
  
  

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu