Dravid gets Ovalview from side game

Impressive Powar, Bose and Yuvraj force Dravid to look for fifth bowler option

England have announced an unchanged 12 for the third and final Test against India at The Oval beginning August 9. This means, in all probability, that they will walk out with the same eleven that played at Trent Bridge. But there is no such announcement yet from the Indian camp. Probably, the team8217;s think-tank is opting for the safer method of taking a closer look at conditions before arriving at a decision.

As India leave Leicestershire for London tomorrow, skipper Rahul Dravid is going with an open mind. Ramesh Powar8217;s bowling performance in the practice match here has thrown up an option for Dravid, if he were to look for a fifth bowler, who can bat a bit. Even the temptation to try out Yuvraj Singh 8212; a proven bat who can also roll his arm over 8212; looms large. Bengal medium-pacer Ranadeb Bose8217;s five-wicket haul in the warm-up game looks unlikely to fetch him a slot in the eleven. But everything depends on the conditions available at The Oval.

In the three-day practice match against Sri Lanka A, Powar claimed four wickets in the first innings and two in the second. Though Yuvraj went wicketless in the 11 overs he bowled, the left-hander looked comfortable with the bat, scoring a fluent 33 in the second innings.

Though the logic would be not to disturb the winning squad, it has become necessary for Dravid to check his weaponry for that missing fifth bowler, a responsibility that was shouldered by Sourav Ganguly in the last two Tests. Ganguly was lucky with his two wickets in the Tests and Sachin Tendulkar 8212; who hasn8217;t been able to do much with the ball on the flat English wickets 8212; going wicketless.

At Trent Bridge, Dravid faced a dilemma when Sreesanth was spraying all over, bowling the beamers and no-balls. The bulk of the bowling has been shared by the medium-pacers, with Anil Kumble being brought on frequently to give a breather to the pacers, with sufficient rewards. Between them, Ganguly and Tendulkar have been allowed only 35 overs for an economy rate of four. This could give the skipper some reasons to think again.

Kumble has nine wickets against his name in the two Tests from 77 overs, but his strike-rate of 52 and the economy rate of 3.91 should be a worrying factor for Dravid. In the game against Sri Lanka A, the veteran leggie went wicketless in the two innings, bowling 20 overs and giving away 84 runs. The Lankan batsmen appeared to be facing him with ease, often stepping out to have a go at the spinner.

The Leicestershire game has given Dravid an indication of the choices available. By the time he reaches The Oval, he would have made up his mind. With history beckoning 8212; India lead the series 1-0 8212; the skipper will have to seal the breaches, if any.