Rahul Dravid feels it is time for Zaheer Khan to start GAME

Former captain Rahul Dravid feels it is time for Zaheer Khan to start deliberating on his future as it would be difficult for the senior pacer to survive the rigours of five Test matches when India tour England later this year.

Zaheer, who made a comeback to the Test team during the disastrous tours of South Africa and New Zealand after a long injury lay-off, failed to trouble the batsmen.

Although he bowled 51 overs and took a five-wicket haul in the second innings of the Wellington Test against New Zealand recently, he looked far from impressive.

“Can he survive five Test matches in England? I am not so sure,” Dravid was quoted as saying by‘ESPNcricinfo’

“I think it is a question he deeply needs to ask himself. He doesn’t want to end up being someone who struggles his way through to the end. It can be really hard. And we have seen, he struggled to back up time and time again in these two series. So that’s an issue he needs to consider, Indian selectors need to consider,” he said.

With 311 wickets in 92 Tests, Zaheer is the second most successful India seamer after Kapil Dev but his career has been plagued by injuries.

Dravid said he would hate to see Zaheer end his career on a low.

“He has been a great bowler for India, arguably the finest India fast bowler since Kapil Dev. I would hate to see Zaheer Khan end his career bowling 120-125 kph and limp away from international cricket.

“He has done a great job to get himself fit for these two series and to be fair, he has bowled well in patches, he has bowled consistently,” said Dravid.

Talking about Indian spinners, Dravid said in the past also they had struggled in overseas conditions and people need to be patient with them.

“We will need to show some patience with our spinners, whether it is R Ashwin or whether it’s (Ravindra) Jadeja, it’s early days for both in international cricket,” he said.

“We have seen some greats of Indian cricket, including Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, take a long time to get used to bowling with a Kookaburra ball in overseas conditions.

“I thought we were a little bit impatient with Ashwin. We haven’t given him as much a run as I would like, so I think there is an opportunity for him to get back into the side and play a few more games. He will only learn if he play more games,” insisted Dravid.

THE GAME : Dhoni is a defensive captain - Mohinder Amarnath

"A captain has to lead from the front. Not a single Test captain in the world bats at number seven" says the former India cricketer

Former India cricketer Mohinder Amarnath says the time has come to remove Mahendra Singh Dhoni from captaincy as his “defensive approach” has resulted in the country’s prolonged failure on foreign soil.

“Dhoni is a defensive captain who allows opposition to make a comeback in the game. His record is good at home pitches only like any other Indian captain. There is nothing special about it. We need aggressive captains like Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi to win matches abroad,” Amarnath said.

India had lost successive overseas Test rubbers in England (0-4) in 2011 and Australia (0-4) in 2011-12 and more recently in South Africa (0-1) and New Zealand (0-1).

India’s last overseas Test win came against the West Indies at Kingston in June 2011. Dhoni’s dismal away record stands at five wins out of 23 Tests, while losing 11 games.

“A captain has to lead from the front. Not a single Test captain in the world bats at number seven. What kind of example you are going to set. I sincerely feel that this is high time to relieve him from Test captaincy and although he is a match winner in ODIs, they should look at an option in shorter format as well,” said the hero of India’s 1983 World Cup triumph.

Asked about his choice for future captain, he said Virat Kohli looked good to shoulder the responsibility.

“Gautam (Gambhir) was an option who had the experience but since he is out of contention now, Virat is an obvious choice. He has shown leadership qualities at various levels. I think there should be different captains for different formats,” the 63-year-old said.

Amarnath also lashed out at India coach Duncan Fletcher whose appointment, he thinks, hasn’t yielded desired results.

“I don’t understand what is the use of having him (Fletcher) if he is not delivering. Everyone is talking about the players, captain but nobody is raising questions on coach and support staff. I think Indian team needs an Indian coach.

“A coach’s job is to help players to play to their potential and in the past we have achieved laurels with our own coaches,” the former selector said.

MSD N Team India returns home

The Indian cricket team led by M.S. Dhoni returned from New Zealand after losing both One-Day International and Test series, in what turned out to be a disastrous tour.

Soon after landing here on Wednesday night, all the team members took connecting flights to their respective cities.

India lost the five-match ODI series 0-4, followed by two-Test rubber 0-1 against a lowly-ranked New Zealand.

The Indian cricketers now have a short break prior to leaving for Bangladesh on February 23 to compete in the Asia Cup.

The Asia Cup commences on February 25 and India will begin its campaign against the host on February 26 at Fatullah.

Asia Cup will be followed by ICC Twenty20 World Cup, starting on March 16 in Mirpur.