Indian skipper Rahul Dravid said the team management had no plans to change the line-up for the sake of a change, especially in a two-Test series. Dravid was answering a question whether the pair bagged by Wasim Jaffer would make any difference to the opening combination.       
"The selectors were quite clear that irrespective of what happened in the first game, we would not be changing our opening combination. In a two-Test series, you would not be changing your openers after the first game itself. Wasim got a hundred in Cape Town. But the feeling was we were not going to change him if he failed for one game or for that matter it was agreed that Dinesh Kaarthick was going to open for a couple of games to prove his credentials as an opener," he said here on Thursday.

Kaarthick’s role
Clarifying Kaarthick’s role in the team, Dravid said, "I don't know in what better way to say this. Kaa-rthick is a wicket-keeper, but he is playing as an opening batsman and he has been scoring runs. It does not matter what you are, whether you are a specialist, regular, official, unofficial, non-regular, at the end of the day it is the runs that matter.
“In my ten years of playing for India, the guy who has been the most consistent and who has got runs for us as opener over the 10 years with consistency has been a middle-order batsman who has been converted to an opener. So it really does not make a difference what you are. At the end of the day, if you have the technique, if you have the courage, if you have the guts, if you have the willingness and if you go out and score runs, that’s what matters."

An opportunity
On the possibility of promoting himself as an opener, Dravid said, "We have gone down that road and tried that stuff in Pakistan, but we have seen that sometimes that doesn't really work for the team. Me batting at number three seems to work a lot better for the team, especially in big games and away from home. Yes, I could have done it here in this situation but that would not have solved the problem for us for the England tour. We gave someone an opportunity to try and stake a claim.”
On the non-selection of VVS Laxman, he said, "Laxman has been picked as a middle-order batsman. In these conditions, we are very keen on playing five bowlers. He is fighting for one of three slots in the middle-order. Between myself, Sachin, Yuvraj and Sourav, we are fighting for three spots. On some tours, it might be four slots. It is unfortunate that both Yuvraj and Laxman are having to miss out. It is not an easy decision for me; it never has been and it never will be."

Kumble raring to go
Dravid said Anil Kumble, who had suffered high fever during the first Test, was recovering well. "Anil has been a big factor for India for more than a decade now.
“Him being fit and us being able to use him in situations where we probably need a few wickets might be something that helps us. Anil is shaping up well. He bowled well in practice today, so that is a very good sign for us.
"We know we can put Bangladesh under pressure and we know they are prone to situations where they can lose wickets quickly. They can bat well even lower down the order, but if we play to our potential, we should win."