Dravid will play key role as leader - Jennings

Ray Jennings, the Bangalore Royal Challengers coach, expects Rahul Dravid to play a key role as a leader and a batsman for the second IPL in South Africa. The franchise had replaced Dravid with Kevin Pietersen as captain last month but Jennings said Dravid would still be crucial to the team's tactical planning in the short period that he is available.

Jennings expects Dravid to reach Johannesburg, the team's training base, on April 12 or 13 and be part of the setup till his return, possibly early in May, to be with his wife who is expecting a child around that time. There has been a considerable amount of speculation on Dravid's availability for the tournament, especially against the backdrop of his removal from the captaincy, and the kind of role he would play.

"He (Dravid) is positively looking forward to the IPL and making sure he makes an impact in the tournament," Jennings told Cricinfo. "I expect Rahul to play a huge role in the team in the short period of the time he is with the team. I would like to believe that during his time with the team he is into its tactics and thought processes. It is not only one Kevin Pietersen running the show as Kevin has a few international captains around him (Dravid, Kumble, Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher) and each one of them would like to contribute in a positive way."

Jennings, the former South African coach, said that he would look at slotting Dravid anywhere from No.1 to 6 in the team's batting order, depending on the situation. Even last year, Dravid batted in almost every position, from opening right down to No. 7.

"With our sort of batting order, each one of our top six or seven guys should be able to bat in any role," he said. "Rahul has played so much cricket that he can adapt to any position. He can open and bat at No. 6. So it depends on the situation he walks in and how he adapts. To be unpredictable is a good thing in any form of cricket."

Dravid has just completed a successful three-Test series against New Zealand, scoring 314 runs at 62.80 with four half-centuries, as India completed a historic 1-0 win on Tuesday. His IPL performance last year, as a batsman was reasonable, coming as it did in the middle of a lean patch - Dravid scored 371 runs in 14 matches - but his captaincy came under the scanner after his team finished seventh.