Dravid will continue to keep, says Ganguly

Despite the presence of Dinesh Karthik, a specialist wicketkeeper-batsman in the squad, Rahul Dravid will continue with his role behind the stumps as India take on England in the NatWest Challenge. Sourav Ganguly comfirmed as much on the eve of the three-match series, as he defended his team's tactic of playing with seven batsmen.

"I think we need a good wicketkeeper-batsman," said Ganguly, in a tete-a-tete with the media. "Good teams have good wicketkeeper-batsmen and if you look at the one-day games we have played, we have won with seven batsmen. We don't have a genuine all-rounder as other sides have and so we cannot afford that liberty. It has worked for us."

He made it clear that the specialist wicketkeeper had been included as a fall-back option just in case Dravid suffered some sort of injury. "Rahul is doing a good job behind the stumps and we do not need to change something that is not creating a problem," said Ganguly. "It gives us an opportunity to include an extra batsman and increase the batting depth of the team. We travel with a specialist keeper in case Rahul gets injured but to start with we go with Rahul Dravid as our keeper."

India will face a selection dilemma or two in the run-up to the Trent Bridge game. With Sachin Tendulkar ruled out by tennis elbow, Rohan Gavaskar appears certain to be given a run in the middle order, and that leaves Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to fight for the lone spin slot, assuming that the team stick to the seven-batsmen philosophy.

Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathy Balaji - who bowled his way back into form in Amstelveen - are near certainties to play, and Ashish Nehra, who destroyed England with his swing bowling at the last World Cup, should edge out Ajit Agarkar for the final spot.

Ganguly suggested as much. "Pathan and Balaji have been bowling well. They are both good swingers of the cricket ball. It is a first trip here for both of them and I hope they do well. Ashish Nehra has been bowling well. The guys who will swing the ball in these conditions will do well."

While it's Pathan first tour with the senior side, he has been to England three times previously with various representative sides, including the U-19s last year.

India's last one-day assignment here resulted in a memorable triumph in the NatWest Series final, but Ganguly suggested that England - who have won 16 of their last 23 Tests - would pose a far sterner test this time round. "I think we have played well over the last two years but that does not guarantee we will play well in this tournament," said Ganguly.

"We will have to be at our best. That is the past and we will have to raise our game. Winning 10 out of 11 Test matches is an outstanding achievement. England are a good side and we will have to play well to beat them."