Dravid to play in Chennai league

Rahul Dravid will play in the Chennai first division league to get into match form ahead of the Champions Trophy to be held in South Africa.

Dravid will represent Vijay CC (India Cements) in the league which begins on Thursday.

Vijay CC coach S. Suresh said the move would provide Dravid the perfect opportunity to find serious match practice. "I have talked to him and he is extremely keen to play," Suresh told the Times of India. "This is a perfect opportunity for him to get into the groove even before the KSCA and the Buchi Babu Invitational meets in August."

"The local league is very competitive and Dravid had played here back in the 1990s. We're looking forward to having him in our team," he said.

Suresh, however, said that the India batsman will not play for the team immediately, and it was likely that Dravid would join for the later games.

Dravid will play alongside India internationals Subramanium Badrinath and Laxmipathy Balaji, and promising Tamil Nadu Ranji opener KB Arun Karthik.

"To play alongside Dravid will be a great experience for the young boys in the team as well. We hope Dravid's association with us will help him as well as the team," Suresh said.