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Captaincy no problem: Dravid

By Harish Kotian in Bangalore
July 19, 2005 18:33 IST

Rahul Dravid says there will not be any additional pressure on him after taking on the mantle of captaincy for the tri-series in Sri Lanka.

"I have done it before, so it's not something new. It's an honour to lead the side," he told newspersons in Bangalore on Tuesday.

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"I am really excited to be the captain. It's the start of a very long season for us and we are very happy with what we have achieved at the camp."

Suresh Raina, Venugopal Rao were named in the Indian team for the first time, while J P Yadav returned to the squad after nearly three years. Dravid felt the tri-series, involving Sri Lanka and the West Indies, is a good chance for these youngsters to make a mark.

"A couple of youngsters will get a chance to play in the series and we will see how it goes," he added.

He also preferred not to comment too much on Sourav Ganguly, who has been included in the side as the 16th member, subject to his ban being overruled by the ICC.

"Sourav is a very experienced player. It will be fantastic to have him in the side," said Dravid.

Coach Greg Chappell was also happy at the way the team shaped up at the three-week conditioning camp in Bangalore.

"The squad is fully fit. It is the start of a new season and it is very good to have a fully fit squad. Ashish Nehra was the last player to get a fitness clearance, but now he is fully fit and has done well in the couple of practice games that he played here," Chappell said.

The tri-series in Sri Lanka will be unique for Australians. The coaches of the three teams -- India (Chappell), Sri Lanka (Tom Moody) and West Indies (Bennett King) -- all hail from Down Under.

"It's coincidental that all three coaches are from Australia. I know King and Moody well, and it will be exciting to play against them," Chappell said.

The former Australia captain expressed satisfaction with the effort the fast bowlers put in at the camp.

"The bowlers worked very hard at the camp. It was good that I had time to interact with the team here. I have been able to stay back and watch them closely. It was particularly good since I knew the senior players, but didn't know much about the youngsters," he said.

The Indian team leaves for Colombo on July 23 for the tri-series, starting July 30.

Harish Kotian in Bangalore

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