'Fantastic to have Sourav in the side' - Dravid

Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain for the tri-series in Sri Lanka, has said that captaincy would not be an additional burden and that he would continue to bat the way he always did.

"I am really excited; it's an honour to lead the side. There is certain amount of pressure every time when one plays for India," Dravid was quoted as saying by PTI. He said that he would not feel the additional pressure of captaincy. "I think it [captaincy] is going to be a huge challenge. I don't see it as an additional burden. I have to obviously give time for my captaincy," said Dravid. "There will be a time when I will have to concentrate on batting and forget captaincy. I have done it before, so I am looking forward to it." When asked whether he was looking forward to a long stint as captain, he said that he had been named captain for just the Sri Lanka series and that he was looking at his captaincy with the same perspective as batting - one game at a time.

Dravid said that he was hoping for an improved performance when the tri-series gets underway in Sri Lanka on July 30 with the West Indies as the third side. "It's going to be a huge challenge. We have not particularly done well [against Sri Lanka] in one-day cricket. But we have a good chance to correct that," said Dravid "All the guys are very keen. With the new coach we are looking to put some new things in place and hope to start the new season on a positive note."

He said that the new faces in the squad had a good opportunity to showcase their talent in the absence of Sourav Ganguly, who is facing a six-match ICC ban, and Sachin Tendulkar, who is recovering from surgery for a tennis elbow. "Definitely, it's a good opportunity for youngsters to set a mark and show that they can do it at this level." Dravid added that if the ICC ban was lifted and Ganguly were to play it would be very good for the team. "Sourav has tons of experience," said Dravid. "He is a very experienced player; a very successful one-day player. It's fantastic to have him back in the side when he does come back."

Greg Chappell, the Indian coach, said India was geared up to play in Sri Lanka. He also said that the selectors had done a good job and he was happy with the squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka. "The selectors have done a very good job," said Chappell. "We have got a squad which is fully fit; that's always a good thing. We are ready to go and play some cricket now."