Back injury - Sreesanth

Sreesanth fears he has entered the most difficult phase of his career after he was told four days ago by doctors in Sydney that a stress fracture of his lower back had ruled him out of international cricket for the next three months.

The Indian fast bowler, who has not played international cricket for the last 11 months due to various injuries, has been ruled out of the IPL next month and is now almost certain to miss the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in England in June.

"I have never been through anything like this in my life before," Sreesanth said from Sydney. "It's been a year now since I have been hit by a series of injuries and it's just too bizarre. But I don't want to think about anything else just now except to focus on my recovery. Tournaments come and go, and I am not going to sit in a corner and worry about missing them. All I need to focus on is to get fit again."

Sreesanth, who had established himself as one of India's leading strike bowlers within a year of his Test debut in 2006, first suffered a left side strain during the last IPL in May 2008. Subsequently, he developed a second injury that was initially diagnosed as a "stiff back".

He was cleared to play domestic cricket in December, after undergoing a rehabilitation stint at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore, and carried on till the Duleep Trophy final in February - however, he looked far from his best, unable at times to execute his full, natural action or his run-up.

"It was devastating to be told that I had been carrying this injury for almost five months," Sreesanth said. "But in a way, I am happy too that the injury has been diagnosed. There was always this niggling pain down in the back even after I was cleared to play last year. But I was told by experts in India that I was perfectly alright and was just not mentally tough enough to play again. They questioned my mental strength and commitment and even I started doubting myself. But now, I have my answer."

Sreesanth says the first step to recovery happened when he got in touch with Patrick Farhart, the physio of his IPL team (Kings XI Punjab). "He asked me to come to Sydney for assessment and then took me through an exhaustive check-up, including a bone scan and an MRI scan," he said. "Clearly, there was a stress fracture in the lower back (L2). Now I am following Patrick's recovery schedule."

Sreesanth now hopes that his "faith in god" and "amazing support" from friends, including Brett Lee, his IPL bowling partner, will see him through the present crisis. "Lee and Mitchell Johnson are the two guys who have come back from similar injuries and still done extremely well," he said. "So that's an inspiration. Brett has always been a good friend, and he has been particularly helpful here. He has worked out with me, and spoken to me a lot, mostly about keeping the faith and believing in oneself during such situations."

Sreesanth says he has been told that his international career - stuck since last April at 14 Tests and 50 wickets - hinges on how well he manages the recovery, and not how quickly he does it. "That's why I am going to play safe now," he said. "I am not going to rush back like I have done before and spoil it all again. But I will be back because I know my best is yet to come."

Ganguly to pick IPL babes for Kolkata Knight Riders

Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, who is popularly known as the Prince of Kolkata, will pick a new cheerleader for his Indian Premier League team, the Kolkata Knight Riders. sourav_ganguly-238x300 Ganguly to pick IPL babes for Kolkata Knight Riders

Ganguly is all set to make his small screen debut in Shahrukh Khan’s show, Knights and Angels. But unlike other cricketers he will not be seen participating, but rather judging the reality show Knights and Angels.
The talent hunt show, which will air on NDTV Imagine, will look for cheerleaders who will cheer for Kolkata Knight Riders in the second edition of the Indian Premier League.

Ganguly has agreed to appear on reality TV show, The Sun reported.

Shahrukh Khan had brought in the much needed glamour quotient to the first edition of the IPL.

King Khan is showing serious interest in television production and Red Chillies Entertainment will produce the show.

Noted choreographer Shiamak Davar will train the girls taking part in the show. L

But cheerleaders and the megabucks Twenty20 tournament have not always mixed well together.

Last year, Dehli Daredevils withdrew their cheerleaders after an outrage from local politicians. And, Deccan Chargers all-rounder Shahid Afridi complained his team’s dancers were an unwanted distraction. (ANI)

I am playing in Ranji at team’s request: Dravid

Rahul Dravid said on Thursday that he decided to play for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy’s quarter-final against Saurashtra in Mumbai on the request of the state side and not from a personal point of view.
The batting great has come out of a pronounced run-slump in Tests with a century in the first innings in Mohali before coming Mumbai for the four-day on Friday.

“I was requested by the boys to play in this match. I am not playing from a personal point of view. It’s a important game and it’s good to be back playing for Karnataka,” Dravid said after a practice session at the Brabourne Stadium.

“We have a young side. I don’t know all of them very well, having not played with them for long. But hopefully we can put up a good performance,” said the former India skipper, who had played two matches earlier for Karnataka in the league phase of the tournament.

Dravid said the prolonged break from the international cricket grind for the Indian players would see them taking part in domestic cricket which, he felt, would be a good preparation for the battles lying ahead.

“The break from international cricket after the cancellation of the Pakistan tour (in wake last month’s terror strike in Mumbai) has given us an opportunity to play in domestic cricket though not all of us would be playing.”

“The Duleep Trophy (that follows) would also be a good preparation for the season ahead,” he said.

Dravid hits half century

MUMBAI: The penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal between Karnataka and Saurashtra was eventful with Rahul Dravid making a half century, Sandeep Jobanputra taking five wickets and Ravindra Jadeja scalping four and 14 wickets falling in all.

At the Brabourne Stadium, after bowling out Saurashtra for 189, Karnataka were dismissed for 208 in their second innings. This left Saurashtra with a target of 325 with 93 overs in which to get the runs. At stumps they needed another 315 runs. However, they had lost two wickets.

Resuming at 180-8, Saurashtra were bundled out in 12 balls. Thereafter, it was Karnataka’s turn to pile on as many runs as possible and make Saurashtra bat on a Day Four wicket, which is sure to assist the seamers in the first session and spinners later on.

But in the process of setting a difficult target, Karnataka went off the rails. Karnataka had a horrible start losing three of their frontline batsmen - KB Pawan (0), captain Robin Uthappa (5) and CM Gautam (26) - with only 43 runs on the board.

Dravid then put all his powers of concentration to good use to stem the rot with a sedate but fluent 52.

Brief scores: Karnataka 305 & 208 (Dravid 52, Akhil 56; Jobanputra 5-54, Jadeja 4-58) vs Saurashtra 189 & 10-2 (Chauhan 6*; Vinay Kumar 2-1)

Dravid 'relieved' after regaining form

Mohali: Breathing easy after a career reviving ton, Rahul Dravid on Saturday said that the century he scored against England here would rank among the most significant knocks of his career.

"It's a quite significant knock, considering the form I was in coming into the match. It's one of the most significant hundreds I scored and I now just hope we go on to win this match," a visibly relieved Dravid told reporters here.

Dravid snapped a long string of poor shows with a knock of 136 and the right-hander said he felt relieved to get a huge monkey off his back.

"I'm definitely relieved and it's nice to be contributing again. It has been a tough year for me, nothing has been easy. It's nice to make important contributions," said the former captain who ran into a bad patch soon after the home series against South Africa.

True to his nature, Dravid's was a muted celebration as he just raised the bat and shook hands with Gautam Gambhir. He didn't even take off the helmet.

Asked if that was to hide his emotion or to make any statement, Dravid said, "I didn't try to make any statements. I was definitely happy and relieved. I guess I'm a bit old and wise, I don't jump around even when I'm excited. It was a combination of both relief and joy."

Dravid also took the opportunity to thank people who didn't lose trust in his ability. "I was surprised that so many people wanted me to do well. I mean if there was any positive out of the phase, this was it."

"It's during this time that you realise that so many people want you to do well. Some of the people didn't need to do that but still they supported me. I felt as if so many people have gone through the journey with me," he said.

Looking back at his bad patch, Dravid said it was only natural that lack of runs would invite criticism.

"It was only natural that there would be scrutiny and speculation. To be honest, I didn't have a great year and didn't score too many runs. It's only natural that people would speculate and raise questions about me. It was very tough time personally," he said.

Dravid, however, insisted there was no self-doubt at any stage. "In the last few months, including the series against Australia, I felt I was playing well, though I don't have the runs to prove that. There are certain ways I judge that like the way I bat in the nets, my position while batting, direction I play the ball in."

"Team-mates, (coach) Gary (Kirsten) and other people said everything was right about my batting. I too knew that in my gut but only the runs were not coming," he said.

"I knew it was just a matter of going out and spending some time. I knew I will turn around and it has happened," he said, heaving a sigh of relief.

Dravid said he looked at videos of some of his previous knocks and recreated the emotions. "I tried everything. Looked at a video of some of the good knocks and recreated the emotions.

"But in the last two series, I only enjoyed my sessions in the nets and tried to be as uncomplicated as possible. I decided to trust my instinct and just watch the ball," he said.

Talking about this knock, Dravid admitted it was not a flawless innings but crucial nonetheless. "As the innings went on, I grew in confidence and my feet started moving. I also could pick the ball better. It was a good testing spell by the English bowlers and we were lucky to come through that."

"Yesterday, Gautam (Gambhir) played a very good knock. He took the pressure off me by scoring at a quick rate and rotating the strike. I hope our (314-run) stand is potentially match-winning. We have set the platform to push for a win," he said.

One of the most significant tons I have scored: Dravid

Mohali (PTI): Breathing easy after a career reviving ton, Rahul Dravid on Saturday said that the century he scored against England here would rank among the most significant knocks of his career.

"Its a quite significant knock, considering the form I was in coming into the match. Its one of the most significant hundreds I scored and I now just hope we go on to win this match," a visibly relieved Dravid told reporters here.

Dravid snapped the long string of poor shows with a knock of 136 and the right-hander said he felt relieved to get a huge monkey off his back.

"Im definitely relieved and its nice to be contributing again. It has been a tough year for me, nothing has been easy. Its nice to make important contributions," said the former captain who ran into a bad patch soon after the home series against South Africa.

True to his nature, Dravids was a muted celebration as he just raised the bat and shook hands with Gautam Gambhir. He didnt even take off the helmet.

Asked if that was to hide his emotion or to make any statement, Dravid said, "I didnt try to make any statement. I was definitely happy and relieved. I guess Im bit old and wise, I dont jump around even when Im excited. It was a combination of both relief and joy."

Statistical highlights: 2nd Test, Day 1

Statistical highlights on the opening day of the second Test between India and England on Friday.

Rahul Dravid's ninth Test fifty against England is his 54th overall. Friday's innings is his first half-century after eight innings.

Dravid's tally of 54 half-centuries is exceeded only by Australia's Allan Border (63).

Gautam Gambhir's outstanding knock of 106 not out off 229 balls is his first hundred against England -- his fourth in Test Cricket. He has posted three hundreds in India and the remaining one on foreign soil.

Gambhir has taken his run-aggregate this year to 964 in eight Tests at an average of 68.85, including three hundreds and five fifties.

Gambhir has registered two successive centuries at Mohali. In his previous innings against Australia at this venue, he had made 104 in 2008-09.

When his score reached 20 during his innings of 65 not out, Dravid became the first batsman to make 8,000 runs at No.3 position -- 8045 in 167 innings at an average of 53.99.

Gambhir and Dravid were associated in a stand of 173 runs (unfinished) for the second wicket -- India's highest for the said wicket at Mohali, eclipsing the 105 (undefeated) between Virender Sehwag and Dravid against England in 2005-06. The aforesaid stand is India's highest for any wicket against England at Mohali, surpassing the 136 between Deep Dasgupta and Rahul Dravid for the third wicket in 2001-02.

The previous best stand for the second wicket at Mohali was 151 between Mark Richardson and Scott Styris for New Zealand in 2003-04.

Experimentation key to regain form: Anand to Dravid

World chess champion Viswanathan Anand on Friday felt out-of-form Rahul Dravid ought to experiment with his technique to regain lost touch.

Anand said he had first hand experience of losing form and overcoming it in his initial days and could empathise with the former India captain.

The chess ace said he was shocked to discover that he just could not strike form in the 2000 Dortmund tournament after a successful run that year.

"Once I started doing badly I thought of drawing my remaining games," Anand said, hinting that the defensive strategy did not work.

"What I did after Dortmund was that I kept on experimenting for 7-8 months. In that period also I could not really recover as I was experimenting only randomly. It was just very difficult. (But) perhaps that will help him recover faster," he said in reply to a query.

Anand, who recently defeated Russia's Vladimir Kramnik to retain his World Championship title in Bonn, Germany, was visiting the capital for the first time after his extraordinary feat of winning the honour in all three formats of game -- knock-out, round-robin and matchplay.

Anand, requested to say a few words about former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, playing the last first-class game, said, "It must be funny to know this is your last match. (Garry) Kasparov had said the same thing. The rest of the world would be looking back but you have to sit and play or stand and play in his (Ganguly's) case," he said.

"It's an end to a wonderful career, which he could justifiably be proud of," Anand added.

On his interaction with current India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Chennai during the felicitation ceremony organised by the All India Chess Federation, Anand said he perceived the cricketer as very "warm" and "playful".

Anand was presented a diamond ring by Dhoni on behalf of the AICF.

"It was a brief meeting. But I think he was very playful. Before he presented the ring to me he said 'I hope Bhabhi (Aruna) will allow me to present you this ring'.

"He came across as a very warm person," he added.

Asked what he told Dhoni, the World Champion in Twenty20 cricket, Anand said, "just two words -- 'Good Luck'. Because it was a very brief interaction".

This ton better than the one against Oz: Gambhir

Last time he scored a century here, India beat world champions Australia but considering the circumstances, Gautam Gambhir ranks todays century against England higher than the one he scored against Ricky Pontings men in October.

"This is a special century because the ball was doing quite a bit in the morning and we were six for one at that stage," said the Delhi batsman, who remained unbeaten on 106 after the opening day's play in the second Test against England.

A gifted strokeplayer, Gambhir proved he has a mature head over his shoulders as the 27-year-old batsman curbed his natural game and joined hands with Rahul Dravid to steady the ship after Sehwag's early exit.

"It was special because England came hard on us. Trailing the series 1-0, they had nothing to lose here. Against Australia, I did get a century in the second innings and we won but the century today is crucial because of the conditions," said Gambhir who slammed 104 against Australia in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy here in October.

"After we won the Chennai Test, their morale was really low, especially coming after their 5-0 defeat in the ODI series. We knew they would come hard against us here because its there last chance to level the series. But I think we have done a good job and need to capitalise on it tomorrow," he said.

On the ongoing Test, Gambhir said the team would stay focus and positive to ensure their second win in the series.

"We should have a positive mindset. We are 1-0 up in the series but that should not lead to a defensive mindset. The next four days, we need to think how we can win the match and nothing else. We need to win and become the number two ranked team in the world," he said.

During his innings, Gambhir was particularly harsh on England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar but the batsman said the England player didn't bowl too badly. Rather, he said, the Indian batsmen had devised the way to counter the spinner.

"I think he bowled pretty well but our batsmen handled him well too. Its never easy for a spinner to succeed against India. In Chennai, we negotiated him well and that gave us the confidence here," he said.

Asked if replacing Steve Harmison with Stuart Broad took some sting out of the English attack, Gambhir felt otherwise.

"I think Broad bowled really well and hit the good areas. Remember, he is the lone wicket taker of the day. He had done well in the ODI series also and we knew once he is fit (from a hamstring injury), he would be back in the side," Gambhir said.

Tendulkar is egoless, gracious god : British media

Sachin Tendulkar is god to billion Indians but he is a "gracious god" who lifts his people out of the pit of despair in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks, a leading British newspaper said, paying tribute to the champion batsman who has "not a scrap of ego".

Tendulkar offered balm to a country which was devastated by terror attacks in its finacial capital yet he remained a modest god, according to a write-up in 'Daily Telegraph'

"He (Tendulkar) is an unlikely-looking god. He stands there in the middle dwarfed by the gigantic Andrew Flintoff and the strapping Yuvraj Singh, a boy-like figure with a cherubic face whose Michelin man-style pads come half way up his thigh," Simon Hughes wrote.

"The poor Indian lifts his hands to Sachin Tendulkar in supplication; Give us respite, a sense of liberation; lift us up from the dark pit of our lives to well-lit places of the imagination with your skill-wrought perfection. He has not a scrap of ego. He is a gracious god. We will never see his like again".

The writer said that Tendulkar never shirked his enormous responsibility and spent considerable time preparing for a game.

"Tendulkar never shirks this enormous responsibility. He spends almost every waking hour seeking that perfection, practising, planning, preparing. He rings his brother, the man who knows his game best, every day, talking bowlers and bat angles and shot selection. He looks at the pitch and contemplates how he will make runs on it. He is thankful of his talent and dutifully delivers it to his public, the majority of whom have nothing," Hughes wrote.

A self-effacing man who keeps his emotions private, Tendulkar's inner urge to express the hurt caused to him by the audacious terror attack at the city he was born and brought up led him to dedicate his century in Chennai to the people of Mumbai and India, but he admits it was not his nature to play the role of a statesman too often.

"Sometimes I do it, but it is not my way," Tendulkar was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

"Tendulkar lives in Bandra, in the north of Mumbai, Bollywoodville. But he often goes south to Colaba with family and friends, to eat in the Taj Mahal Palace hotel or the Oberoi.

"The Mumbai attacks were close to home and affected him deeply. The England players remarked on his extra patience and intensity at the crease. This time he was doubly determined to lift his people out of their pit," the article said.

Tendulkar wields a heavy bat unusual for his small frame, but he says he would not be the same batsman without his willow.

"I like a bow in it. I can't bat with anything else. I would not feel right at the crease," the master batsman said.

Bengal plays Goa in Ganguly’s swansong

NEW DELHI: Sourav Ganguly’s final appearance in first-class cricket would be the highlight of the Bengal-Goa Ranji Trophy plate league match at the Karnail Singh Stadium here.

A huge media turn out at the venue on the eve of the semifinal fixture indicated the significance of Ganguly’s presence in a match that would decide which of the two teams qualifies for the Elite grade next season.

Goa has never travelled thus far and a victory would mean making history for the underdog. But Bengal has much at stake.

“I had agreed to play this match to help Bengal qualify for the elite group. I vividly remember my debut season (1989-90) and have some fond memories of domestic cricket. It has been a long journey,” said Ganguly.

The teams (from): Bengal: Laxmi Ratan Shukla (captain), Sourav Ganguly, Rohan Banerjee, Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Avik Chowdhury, Ashok Dinda, Ritam Kundu, Sourav Sarkar, Dibyendu Chakraborty, Ranadeb Bose, Anustup Majumdar, Iresh Saxena, Avik Mullick and Soham Ghosh.

Goa: Swapnil Asnodkar (captain), Aditya Angle, J. Arunkumar, Saurabh Bandekar, Robin D’Souza, Shadab Jakati, Sagun Kamat, Advait Katkar, Ryan Ninan, Ajay Ratra, Santosh Shinde, Rohit Asnodkar, Harshad Gadekar, Ambey Parvatkar, Ankit Desai and Ryan D’Souza. — Special Correspondent

Ganguly gears up for his last Ranji tie

New Delhi, Dec. 17: Sourav Ganguly is gearing up for one last challenge on the cricket field. The former India captain, who retired from international cricket last month, will be out in the middle Thursday in a bid to take Bengal to the Super Division in the Ranji Trophy.
If Bengal manage to win their semi-final match against Goa then they are back again in the Super Division. For Ganguly a win will be a fitting farewell from his home team as he has decided not to play any more first-class games even if Bengal qualifies for Super Division.
The grass on the Karnail Singh Stadium pitch here is likely to inspire Bengal to take three pacers in the final eleven. Though the team will be announced before the match, Divyendu Chakraborty will retain his place. Either of Anustup Majumder or Rohan Banerjee will give way to Sourav who is set to bat at number five.
On the eve of the match, the 36-year-old became nostalgic and remembered his first-class debut 18 years ago. As a 17-year-old he came in as a replacement for his elder brother Snehasish against a formidable Delhi attack in the Ranji Trophy final in 1990 at the Eden Garden. Ganguly made just 22 runs as Bengal went on to win the trophy for the first time since 1939.
"I still remember my first Ranji match. It was tough as Delhi had the best bowling attack," recalled Ganguly on the eve of the match.
"Since then I have been playing for Bengal and also led them. Domestic cricket is very important for any international player. This is an important match for Bengal. Good to play cricket again," he added.
The day Ganguly retired from international cricket he said he was open to help his team. On a request from the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), he is here to play.
CAB's chairman of selectors Mr Sambaran Banerjee, who is touring with the team, also recalled the spring on 1990 when Ganguly came out to play under him in the all important Ranji final. "He was 17 that time and in very matured way he handled the formidable Delhi bowling led by Manoj Prabhakar. Sourav made just 22 but left an indelible mark as then chief national selector Raj Singh Dungarpur came down during the lunch to enquire about this new boy. And now rest is history," he said.
Banerjee is now banking on Ganguly's experience to help Bengal claw back into the elite group. "This is like final for us so his presence will matter a lot for the team. Though he won't be leading the side his experience will be of great help. He is a born leader," Banerjee said. All the bowlers, be it the experienced Ranadeb Bose or the young Ashok Dinda, everyone was eager to bowl at Ganguly who himself looked keen in the nets. For Ganguly it was like any other day in office. "I train with these boys during the off days. So it is nothing unusual for me."
Asked whether in-form Yuvraj Singh is his worthy replacement, Ganguly said: "After Gavaskar, Mohinder, Vengsarkar went, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid replaced them. So when we go there must be some replacement. He (Yuvraj) is a talented player and has established himself in ODIs and trying to do now in the Tests."

India ponder Dravid batting spot for second England test

Rahul Dravid walks back towards the pavilion after his dismissal on the final day of their first test cricket match against England in Chennai in this December 15, 2008

India to stick with Dravid at number three

India are expected to resist the temptation to drop struggling batsman Rahul Dravid down the order as they attempt to seal a series victory over England in the final Test.

India's former captain has scored only two half-centuries in his last 19 Test innings and although he was retained in the top bracket of India's central contracts for the next year, his future at the top level remains in doubt.

"VVS (Laxman) could bat at No 3 and Dravid could come down to No 5, but there is always a chance that if VVS gets a good ball and goes early then we could be three down and that would put extra pressure on Rahul," explained captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "We are not worried about Rahul's form. No-one can question his talent - he just needs to get past the 30-run mark and get a start."

India are expected to name an unchanged line-up at a ground where they trounced Australia by 320 runs in the second Test in October and where leg-spinner Amit Mishra claimed seven wickets on his debut.

Ganguly in Bengal squad

KOLKATA: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been named in the Bengal Ranji Trophy squad for the Plate division semifinal against Goa. L.R. Shukla will remain the skipper.

Bengal selectors, headed by Sambaran Banerjee, decided to retain the squad, which won the final league match against Vidarbha by virtue of first innings, lead and topped group B. To add muscle to the squad Ganguly has been added.

The squad: Laxmi Ratan Shukla (captain), Sourav Ganguly, Rohan Banerjee, Monoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Avik Chowdhury, Ashok Dinda, Ritam Kundu, Sourav Sarkar, Dibyendu Chakraborty, Ranadeb Bose, Anushtup Majumdar, Iresh Saxena, Avik Mullick and Soham Ghosh. Coach: Utpal Chatterjee; Manager: Sujan Mukherjee.

Dravid's time to take a call

NEW DELHI: A memorable victory isn't a good time to nitpick, but India's

recent success has come in spite of a crucial cog in the wheel coming unstuck. Rahul Dravid's poor form at No. 3 is clearly hurting the team. The unit's newly-acquired self-belief has failed to rub off on him.

Dravid seems increasingly isolated by failure in a side riding the adrenaline rush of fresh conquest. Since relinquishing the captaincy - and for a while before - it has been a steep downward curve. Skipper and coach seem reluctant to experiment with moving him down the order and that has not helped either.
Few are willing to take a call, though, on what lies ahead for one of the most cerebral, dependable batsmen of this generation.

Dravid has carved epic victories with mathematical precision and monkish calm so goodwill hasn't deserted him. He has been retained in Grade A at an annual retainership of Rs 60 lakh.

The team management is in denial mode, chirruping constant encouragement. Dravid is a modern great, and everyone assumes it's a matter of just one knock. But goodwill doesn't last forever.

Recently, Dravid has seldom looked in control, poking away at deliveries or pushing too hard, succumbing to rookie spinners, losing his calm, freezing his feet at the wrong moments, conjuring all his effort and intensity into compiling mere starts.

For the first time in a calendar year, his average has fallen below 30. At times, his rock-solid defence looks awry. Even knocks like the one at Perth, the ton against SA, or some good Ranji scores have not been harbingers of a return to the sort of Dravid the team needs. It has gone beyond mere poor form.

His competitors are gaining on him. The Grade B stars - the born-again Suresh Raina, the classy but raw Rohit Sharma and S Badrinath, the most obvious, experienced replacement - are breathing down Dravid's neck.

Cheteshwar Pujara, in Grade D, has been in the form of his life but untested at this level. Badrinath brings solid technique and sound temperament and is a much-improved strokeplayer. But none of these names can really fill a Dravid's shoes.

After single-digit scores in his last four innings, it may finally be time for Dravid himself to take a call on where he stands, and where he intends to go from here. Are there newer milestones to conquer? Demons to exorcise? Points to prove? Has the schoolboy enthusiasm for the game, so crucial for long-term success - just look at Tendulkar - waned a bit? Most importantly, can the mind be set right when fear of failure gnaws at the gut?

Every once in a while, even a batsman lauded for impeccable technique needs to ditch the science and rediscover the art and joy of batting.

Rahul Dravid's dubious record
Rahul Dravid has earned a dubious distinction with his dismissal on 4 in the second innings on Monday. For the first time in his career, he has registered single digit scores in four successive innings - 0 & 3 vs. Australia at Nagpur and 3 & 4 vs.England at Chennai.

Since the 2002 Headingley Test (52.76) against England, Dravid's career average (52.12) is the lowest ever.

Since relinquishing the captaincy, Dravid's country-wise Test record is as under:

Opponents	T	I	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	S.Rate	100	50	0
Australia	8	15	1	357	93	25.50	34.86	0	3	1
SA	3	5	1	178	111	44.50	36.10	1	0	0
England	1	2	0	7	4	3.50	16.27	0	0	0
Sri Lanka	3	6	0	148	68	24.66	41.34	0	1	0
Pakistan	3	6	1	191	50	38.20	42.53	0	1	0
Total	18	34	3	881	111	28.41	37.22	1	5	1
Home	11	20	2	496	111	27.55	39.39	1	2	1
Away	7	14	1	385	93	29.61	34.74	0	3	0
Last 10 Tests	10	19	1	342	68	19.00	38.99	0	2	1

Yuvraj rates his knock against England as best

Rajkot, Nov 14 (IANS) Yuvraj Singh, who made mincemeat of the English attack with a blazing century during the first one-day international here Friday, rated it as his best knock in one-day cricket.

Yuvraj scored an unbeaten 138 in 78 balls to carry India to an 158-run victory in the first of the seven-match ODI series.

'It is my best knock. I am very happy with the effort,' he said.

'I had a good last series but I was not picked for the Test series against Australia. The last couple of months were hard for me. I focussed on my cricket and worked hard and it paid off here.

'The openers gave us a good a good start. So I had enough time to settle down. We thought of staying till the end so that we could reach 350 plus.'

Yuvraj, who played with his back heavily strapped, said he pulled a muscle and will have to get fit before the next ODI Monday at Indore.

India's Virender Sehwag plays a shot during their fourth one-day international cricket match against England in Bangalore November 23, 2008 I

Virender Sehwag plays a shot during their fourth one-day international cricket match against England in Bangalore November 23, 2008

India's Virender Sehwag plays a shot during their fourth one-day international cricket match against England in Bangalore November 23, 2008