Zeecric Bureau
New Delhi: Rarely has the event of Indian team selection not been succeeded by controversy. The selection of 15 men for the Champions Trophy appears to be no different.
According to sources, selection of Rahul Dravid in the South Africa bound squad is a compromise between the BCCI and the aging veteran to provide the latter an honourable exit from international cricket.
Sources say that according to the deal brokered between the Indian cricket board and Dravid, he would bid adieu to one day cricket after the Champions Trophy in South Africa next month.
Dravid, who is a regular part of India’s Test set-up, last played an ODI for India way back in the October of 2007 in the home series against Australia where he managed just 51 runs from 5 innings.
Dravid’s re-induction is said to be a consequence of India’s Twenty20 World Cup debacle in June this year where the young turks were seen struggling against the short ball.
Dravid, it is said, was drafted in to bolster Indian batting in the pacer friendly conditions of South Africa.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that reports of ‘a golden handshake’ between an aging senior and BCCI have come to the fore.
Last year, former captain Sourav Ganguly too was reportedly offered a conditional selection into the Indian team for the Test series against Australia provided he hung up his boots after the series.
Though both the parties had vehemently denied the reports, Ganguly had eventually called it a day after the Australia series.
First Published: Sunday, August 16, 2009, 18:44