Runs may have dried up for Rahul Dravid but there is no dearth of support from his teammates including Zaheer Khan, who believes the right-hander is due for a big knock.
SYDNEY: Runs may have dried up for Rahul Dravid but there is no dearth of support from his teammates including Zaheer Khan, who believes the right-hander is due for a big knock against Australia.
A team man to the core, Dravid agreed to the makeshift opener's role, a move aimed at accommodating Yuvraj Singh in the playing eleven, only to cut a sorry figure in both the innings of the Boxing Day Test.
Zaheer, however, asserted that despite his poor show in Melbourne, Dravid continued to have the wholehearted support of his teammates and exuded confidence that the former captain would soon hit the purple patch.
"We always back our players. That's what is more important at this level. He's a great batsman and that's why he's ready to accept that," Zaheer said.
"He is definitely due and we are all behind him," he added.
Far from being the bulwark of the middle order, Dravid clearly struggled in the opener's role in Melbourne, crawling to a 66-ball five in the first innings and managing just 16 of his 114-ball stay in the second essay.
Zaheer was equally optimistic that India, trailing the four-match series 0-1, would make a comeback into the series.
"It's just the beginning of the series. There is still a long way to go. Three Test matches are quite a lot to do that. It (Sydney Test) is going to be a crucial game for the team," Zaheer said.
"We definitely think we can win the series. We did well here last time, so why not again?" he said.
The left-arm seamer said he wanted to have a crack at the Aussies in the second Test here even if it means going soft in the nets against his own batsmen here tomorrow.
"I wouldn't go flat out in the nets. I need to be fresh for the second Test," said Zaheer after he was asked if he wanted to give a good run over to his batsmen in the nets in order to prepare them for the second Test.
Asked about what sort of strategies and changes are being made with the SCG wicket in mind, Zaheer said "At the moment, I am just looking forward to our harbour cruise."
He also felt that it took time to adjust to the conditions here, which are quite different from that in the sub-continent.
"You need a different approach here. The grounds here are big and the outfields are sand-based. It does take time to acclimatise here. Apart from it, I don't see anything else major," he said.
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