Indian skipper Rahul Dravid’s decision not to bat at the crucial number three slot during the just-concluded ODI series against England was on Monday questioned by National selection committee chairman Dilip Vengsarkar.
In an exclusive interview to PTI, Vengsarkar wondered what made the think-tank try out Dinesh Kaarthick, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir at the slot when they had an automatic choice in Dravid.
Vengsarkar also rued that the team lacked a genuine all-rounder and felt neither Ajit Agarkar nor fellow Mumbaikar Ramesh Powar did justice to their batting ability. He, however, appreciated the healthy competition and team spirit and said a relaxed dressing room atmosphere during the lengthy UK tour was one of the key reasons for the turn-around in the team’s performance. Vengsarkar said cricket manager Chandu Borde too played an important role with his outputs during the tour. The Indian team vanquished South Africa 2-1 after coming from behind in the off-shore ODI series in Ireland, carried that momentum into the three-Test rubber against hosts England by defeating the hosts 1-0 and then narrowly lost the best-of-seven ODI series 3-4.