By IANS,
Kolkata : Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh Sunday welcomed Rahul Dravid’s return to the Indian one-day side after two years, but said the team will miss opener Virender Sehwag in the Sri Lanka tri-series and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
“The presence of a seasoned campaigner like Dravid will boost the Indian team. Seniors like Sehwag and Zaheer Khan are not in the team. So, Dravid’s presence will be good for us,” said Harbhajan.
“We will miss Sehwag,” he added.
Sehwag and Zaheer have been ruled out of the twin engagements due to injuries.
Asked whether he would have to shoulder extra load to shore up the Indian bowling in the absence of Zaheer, Harbhajan said: “Seniors always have to take extra load. But there are other experienced bowlers like R.P. Singh and Ashish Nehra”.
The absence of some seniors has provided a good opportunity for youngsters to prove their mettle in top-flight cricket.
Harbhajan said India stood a good chance in the Champions Trophy next month.
“For the last two years, we have been doing very well in one-day cricket. Our failure in the T20 World Cup was only an aberration”.
On how long it will take India to claim the number one spot in limited over cricket, unseating South Africa, Harbhajan said if the team worked hard and played true to potential, “We will reach our goal fast”.