The Champions Trophy is set to hail the comeback kings as Shane Bond, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Asif and Ashish Nehra return from the international wilderness.
The quartet will be playing their first major one-day tournament
after spending more than a year on the sidelines.
New Zealand paceman Bond has already shown in a couple of recent
one-dayers in Sri Lanka that he had been sorely missed, rattling
the home side with three wickets in his comeback match.
Injuries and a stint with unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL)
forced Bond out of action for more than two years before he
returned for a tri-series in Sri Lanka -- only to prove he had not
lost his sharpness.
"It's been a long time coming and it's something I never thought
would happen again," Bond said ahead of the triangular series.
"It feels like I am starting all over again. I think I set
myself pretty high standards and it's up to me to meet those. I
always strive to be the best bowler in the world, nothing's changed
there."
Dravid, 36, was axed in favour of youngsters soon after Mahendra
Singh Dhoni led a young side to the Twenty20 World Cup trimph in
South Africa two years ago.
Nicknamed "The Wall" for his solid technique and sound
temperament, Dravid has been the mainstay of India's batting for
more than a decade, having scored more than 10 000 runs in one-day
internationals.
The selectors felt the need of an experienced batsman in the
middle order after some of the younger players looked vulnerable
against short-pitched deliveries in the Twenty20 World Cup in
England this year.
Dravid, who figured in a recent tri-seies in Sri Lanka, said he
had nothing to prove at this stage.
"I have never played my cricket that way, wanting to prove a
point," Dravid said after being recalled in nearly two years.
"All I can say is that I will do my level best for the team's
cause. I have always believed in preparing well before a match or a
competition and it will be no different this time."
Pakistan's attack has been strengthened with paceman Asif's
return after serving a one-year drugs-ban because he has the
ability to test the best with his sharp seam and swing bowling.
With Pakistan missing fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, Asif is
expected to provide early breakthroughs with Umar Gul.
"You can say that it's a sort of rebirth for me. I was
performing well but then suddenly my career derailed and it was
tough to get over those difficult days," Asif said.
"I am fit and have been bowling in the best rhythm. South Africa
is my favourite place and I did well when we went there to play a
test series in 2007, so this time around, again I want to help my
team win the trophy."
India's left-arm fast bowler Nehra has been making the most of
every chance since returning to the one-day side in June after
nearly four years.
Nehra, considered one of the best Indian bowlers in death overs,
will have added responsibility on his shoulders in the absence of
injured paceman Zaheer Khan.
"The perception was that I couldn't make a comeback at the age
of 30, but in Indian cricket you cannot write anyone off. It's just
a matter of grabbing your opportunities and I did that," he said.
"I like bowling with both the new and old ball. I enjoy the
responsibility that comes with bowling in the death overs and in
the powerplays."
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