CLT20: Winning and succeeding is not important if you play foul, says Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid's former Rajasthan Royals and India team-mate S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan were recently handed life bans by the BCCI for involvement in spot-fixing, a few months after spending time in jail. Dravid also praised Pravin Tambe for his hardwork in the 'free' time after IPL which is reaping him rewards.

Jaipur:  Former captain Rahul Dravid says the spirit of the game has become more "relevant and important" in the wake of the IPL spot-fixing scandal that plunged Indian cricket into a credibility crisis.

One of the most disciplined statesmen of modern-day cricket, Dravid said, "In times like these when the game is facing big challenges and some of the players get involved (corruption) the spirit of the game becomes more relevant and important.

"It is important that you play within rules and in spirit of the game. Selections should be consequence of what you are doing but not the goal. Winning and succeeding is not important if you play foul."

Dravid's former Rajasthan Royals and India team-mate S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan were recently handed life bans by the BCCI for involvement in spot-fixing, a few months after spending time in jail. A verdict on another accused cricketer Ajit Chandila, who was also a part of Rajasthan Royals, is awaited.

Dravid spoke highly of the initiative undertaken by two former England captains.

"In the late 1990s, two distinguished MCC members (and ex-England captains), Ted Dexter and Lord (Colin) Cowdrey, sought to enshrine the 'Spirit of Cricket' in the game's Laws. Their initiative proved successful when the current Code of Laws was introduced in 2000," he said.

As far as their semifinal match in the upcoming Champions League Twenty20 was concerned, Dravid said there would be no special preparations.

"It has been a good going. We are in semifinal and have one more chance. We were beaten in the semifinals of IPL-6 but now have another chance. We know things would become more difficult in knockout stage because all teams would be good since they were able to reach this far. There would be no special preparations and we would stick to our normal routine."

Asked how young players such as Rahul Shukla, Vikramjeet Malik and Pravin Tambe were able to deliver whenever needed, Dravid gave all the credit to his team-mates and support staff.

"It is up to the boys to deliver it on the field. No matter how many strategies you plan if a bowler balls on the leg when field is on off they won't work. It is for the boys to perform on the field. We have given the confidence to the players and it has worked so far.

"Look at Pravin Tambe... we talked to him and wanted him to work on certain areas. He went back after IPL, worked hard on those things and is doing so well now.

He said they were fortunate to have a good support staff.

"We have to be smart enough to plan and we are fortunate that we have the likes of Paddy Upton, Monty Desai and Bharucha and a good support staff. It is not that the wicket here gives us some extraordinary support but it is a good wicket and we have the players who can excel on such kind of lively surface."

Yuvraj Singh set for comeback in India squad for Australia series

CHENNAI: Star batsman Yuvraj Singh is all set to make a comeback into India's limited overs squad following some good performances when the selectors meet on Monday to decide on the team for the lone T20 International as well as the first three ODIs.

It is still not clear whether the selectors would choose a separate squad for the lone T20 International which will enable them to be flexible and include a few more players in both formats.

While there would be few surprises in the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led squad that has performed admirably winning the Champions Trophy and tri-series in the West Indies, the return of the stylish 31-year-old left-hander is all but certain.

Yuvraj last played for India on January 27 against England at Dharamsala and was dropped subsequently due to a poor run of form.

Having undergone a rigorous physical training in France, a fitter Yuvraj made his comeback into the competitive cricket with a bang scoring 123, 40 and 61 in three List A matches against the West Indies A followed by a quickfire 52 against the same opponent in a T20 game.

He carried on with his good form in the Challenger Series where he scored 84 against India Red and a 29 in the final.

According to reliable sources, the selection committee is impressed in the manner Yuvraj has scored.

There won't be much change in the batting line-up with Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Dhoni being automatic selections. While Yuvraj will be the sixth specialist batsman in the playing XI that is likely to have Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja as the spin-bowling all-rounders.

The choice for three pace bowlers slot will be Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.

One among the trio of Jaydev Unadkat, Mohit Sharma and R Vinay Kumar will be the reserve pacer in the line-up.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra is expected to be the reserve spinner having got 18 wickets in the series against Zimbabwe. His challenger Perveez Rasool, who recently had a match-haul of seven wickets in an unofficial 'Test' against the West Indies A, might find it tough to make it into the squad as Ashwin is all set to return after being rested during the Zimbabwe tour.

The 14th and the 15th slots are the ones which will be up for grabs. While Dinesh Karthik might be retained in the squad of 15, it will be interesting whether Mumbai all-rounder Abhishek Nayar is considered as a replacement for Irfan Pathan.

Dhoni has long wanted an all-rounder who bowls medium pace. While Irfan fitted his bill perfectly, injury to the Baroda all-rounder might open the door for old domestic workhorse Abhishek, who has scores of 102 no, 57, 91, 75 no and 12 in his last five innings. The first two were in first-class games while the last three innings were in List A matches.