'Demands of Dravid's omission unjustified'

NEW DELHI: Coming out in support of the beleaguered Rahul Dravid, who is under fire for his poor show against Australia in the ongoing one-day series, former teammate Ajay Jadeja said demands for the ex-captain's omission were unjustified.

"It is wrong to demand Dravid be dropped from the final one-dayer to be played at Mumbai. You cannot count on two-three games. Just few matches ago, he was a great batsman and now some want him out of the team. It does not make sense," Jadeja said.

Reacting to a recent article written by former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad in which he had called on Sachin Tendulkar to retire from ODIs, Jadeja said, "Everyone has the right to quote his personal views but Sachin is still the best and has been making runs consistently for many years."

Speaking on the sidelines of a function, Jadeja criticised Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds' tirade against the Indian team's celebrations after their Twenty20 World Cup triumph.

"We have the right to celebrate. We have won the Twenty20 World Cup and it is a great achievement. I think nobody should complain about our win or celebration," he said.

Refusing to comment on Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy, Jadeja said, "It is too early to comment on his abilities as a captain. He has just started playing his innings."