The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Dravid hints at five-man attack

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Friday, May 18, 2007
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Dravid hints at five-man attack

Special Correspondent

CHITTAGONG: India skipper Rahul Dravid revealed his team could have a five-man attack in the opening Test against Bangladesh, giving an indication on the aggressive plans for the two-match series.

"We have to consider all options. We do have the option of possibly playing five bowlers in these conditions considering the weather and the wicket and considering what we are trying to achieve in this game. No special plans as such (for any Bangladesh batsman).

"We don't focus on one or two players, it is not right. I think you have to focus on all their players because all of them can perform well. (Mohammad) Ashraful is obviously a very talented batsman and he played superbly in the last series. Hopefully, this time we won't let him get that many runs,'' said Dravid.

Pitch looking good

The pitch, according to Dravid, was good. "It looks a pretty good pitch. It has not got much grass on it; it looks pretty bare. It should hold together for the first two-and-a-half or three days. I think it should be pretty firm and hold together.

"It might break up as the game goes on maybe on the fourth or the fifth day. The weather is also (important), if there is bright sunshine for three days then it does dry up and you can get some spin,'' he observed.

Dravid expected leg-spinner Anil Kumble to show the way. "In any conditions I think Anil Kumble is pretty much a very important part of our attack.''

Crucial factor

In Dravid's opinion, the experience factor was very crucial. "Definitely it should be an advantage for us. We have got a lot of experience. But experience only counts if you perform on the day.

"The game is going to start 0-0 and the scores are going to be even. So it is going to be about performances. You can have all the wealth of experience you want, but if you don't perform on a given day or in a given match it really counts for nothing.''

Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar painted an optimistic picture of his team's chances. "We have improved as a Test team and this is the opportunity to come good. We have had chances in the past but somehow could not capitalise. If we had played a few Tests more, it would have been easier to adapt. We last played a Test 14 months ago. We have some new faces in the team and they have performed well. We have taken a lot of confidence from them. We are prepared for this challenge and know we need to perform from day one,'' said Bashar, who has missed only two of the 44 Tests that Bangladesh has played thus far.

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