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Dravid wants specialist 'keeper for ODIs
September 09, 2003 16:18 IST
India vice-captain Rahul Dravid has indicated once again that he is unwilling to double up as a wicketkeeper-batsman, saying the team management should consider picking a specialist 'keeper for one-day internationals.
Dravid, who was asked to keep wickets till the World Cup, said any one of the talented youngsters -- Parthiv Patel, V S Thilak Naidu and Ajay Ratra -- could be considered for the job as they are shaping up well.
"Patel, Naidu and Ratra are very good and talented," Dravid said, when asked to state his stand on the wicketkeeping slot.
The right-hand batsman said the three keepers have been working hard and the team management expects them to perform well.
Parthiv is India's number one keeper, he said, adding, one must not forget that Ratra had also scored a Test century.
"Naidu has also scored a lot of runs. It is a question of picking one of them. It is a question of anyone doing well," he added.
Asked to assess himself, Dravid said: "I think, all of them [Patel, Naidu and Ratra] are well ahead of me."
At a press meet last Friday, skipper Sourav Ganguly hinted that Dravid might keep wickets in the triangular series involving India, New Zealand and Australia, saying, "We have him in our mind when one-day cricket comes."