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LONDON, July 17: India captain Rahul Dravid said he was looking forward to facing England spinner Monty Panesar in the Test series starting at Lord's on Thursday. Dravid, the third highest run scorer in Indian Test history, got his first taste of Panesar's talent in March 2006 when he was bowled by the debutant left-armer in the second innings.
Panesar had earlier taken his first Test wicket in the match in Nagpur, none other than that of India's most prolific ever run scorer Sachin Tendulkar.
Since then Panesar, 25, has established himself as one of the best spinners in the world, taking 65 wickets in 17 Tests, although India's formidable batting order will present a stern test of his credentials.
“He's a threat as much as anybody,” the 34-year-old Dravid told reporters on Tuesday.
“He's been bowling very well and had a lot of success over the last year.
“He has improved since his first tour of India but we look forward to the challenge of playing him over the summer, it should be a good challenge for Monty and ourselves.”
Like Tendulkar, who is also 34, Dravid knows that this is likely to be his final Test series in England, while others such as 32-year-old Vangipurappu Laxman and former skipper Saurav Ganguly could also be saying farewell.
“We're really not too concerned about whether it's the final tour or not ... there is no additional pressure on us,” Dravid, who has 109 Tests under his belt, said.
“Every time you play for your country there's pressure and responsibility that comes with it. I'm not looking too much into the future, just the next three Test matches.”
While the batting order is packed with quality, India's bowling attack is relatively untested in England with Zaheer Khan the only fast bowler with experience of English pitches.
“There's no magic formula for inexperience, you've just got to keep playing them and that way they will get experience,” Dravid said.
“It's a great opportunity for somebody because they've got potential and talent and hopefully they'll be able to show it.”
—Reuters
