Target is to beat Bangladesh 3-0: Dravid

By Qaiser Mohammad Ali

IANS


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Chittagong : India captain Rahul Dravid Monday said he was keen on winning the third One-day International against Bangladesh here to wrap up the series 3-0.

India are 2-0 after winning both matches in Dhaka last week.

"We are very keen. That [to win 3-0] was one of our goals when we started the one-day series. We still have one game to play and that still remains our target," Dravid told reporters after the team's practice session held indoors due to rain.

"I don't think we can assume that [India will win 3-0]. We had to play very good cricket to make it 2-0 and we will continue to do that. We will not take anything for granted."

The outfield of the Bir Shrestha Shahid Ruhul Amin Stadium has become soggy following rains in this port city.

Dark clouds covered the skyline over Chittagong for the entire day Monday, casting doubts over Tuesday's match. It drizzled intermittently, preventing the covers to be taken off the pitch and its surrounding areas.

Dravid, however, saw the positive side of rains after the hot and humid conditions in Dhaka.

"It has been very interesting weather. Sometimes it has been raining and at times it has been hot. I hope we can get a 50-over match. We would like to play a full cricket match and that gives us a chance to give some experience to our players," he said.

Dravid said that left-arm pacer Rudra Pratap Singh and batsman Robin Uthappa have been included in the XII for the match. Pacers Sreesanth, who has been suffering from a calf strain, and Zaheer Khan, who played both matches in Dhaka, have been left out.

"We are monitoring Sreesanth's fitness. He won't recover for tomorrow's match, but we are trying our best to make sure that he recovers for the first Test. There is not much gap also, so we will try our best," he said.

The first of the two Test matches starts here Friday.

"In these conditions, we will make sure that he (Zaheer) is fully fit before he plays."

Dravid informed that Uthappa would bat at No. 3, a position at which wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni batted with success in the Dhaka matches.

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