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India's Champions Trophy win brought a lot of happiness: Dravid
Former captain Rahul Dravid heaped generous praise on ICC Champions Trophy winners India, saying their good showing brought a lot of happiness to the fans, who were left in despair following the match-fixing saga in the Indian Premier League.
“And I think we needed a good positive story. We needed a cheer in our cricket, happiness in our cricket. We had lot of positive stories to write about. For Indian cricket it was heartening to watch,” said Dravid, at the launch 'Gillette Fusion Power', India’s first five-blade battery operating system, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
'India played exceptional cricket'
India dominated the ICC Champions Trophy, finishing unbeaten en route to beating hosts England in the rain-hit final, to complete a grand double after having won the ICC World Cup two years ago.
“I think it’s been a fantastic tournament for India. They have played exceptional cricket; they were by far the dominant team in the competition.
"Dhoni has done a great job with the team. In fact, I thought all the youngsters really lived up to their potential. It is really exciting times for Indian cricket,” he added.
'Hats off to the selectors'
Dravid also took a moment to applaud the contribution of the new selection panel, headed by former India batsman Sandeep Patil, who, he believes, has done an excellent job in the transition period by taking some brave decisions, like replacing the non-performing seniors with younger players.
“Hats off to the selectors! In this particular Champions Trophy they have been brave and taken calls which could have been criticised. It has worked out for them, and when they do those things you have to give them credit.
"Credit to the team, to Dhoni and all his boys for playing one of the finest overseas tournaments that I have seen an Indian team play in a long, long time,” he said.
However, he urged the senior players not to give up hope, as he believes they still have enough quality to make a comeback into the Indian team.
'We would like to believe that this is a good team'
“There is a never an end for anybody. I think I have been in cricket for long enough to know that things can change very quickly and all the players who have missed out are class players. You can never say when they perform and when they will come back. I think there is lot of quality and class in the people who have been left out. They may bounce back,” he said.
Dravid finished off by saying that the current ODI team looks good and holds great promise for the future.
“We would like to believe that this is a good team. As fans of Indian cricket, I hope these guys can go on and establish themselves and build on the start that they have got,” he said.