India batsman Rahul Dravid felt that his teammates can't approach the final two days of the second Test against Australia with the goal of pulling off a draw.
India batsman Rahul Dravid felt that his teammates can't approach the final two days of the second Test against Australia with the goal of pulling off a draw. Gautam Gambhir (68) and Sachin Tendulkar (8) were unbeaten at stumps with India on 114-2, trailing Australia by 354 runs.
Rahul Dravid
"I don't think we can think about saving this game right now. We need to go out there, show some fight and bat as long as we can. Who knows what can happen? We have got quality batsmen who can bat long periods. It's hard to think about two days from now right away. I am sure the guys will go out and fight and do the best they can. We will take from there," he said.
Dravid, put under immense by Peter Siddle with few sharp balls that nipped back minutes before drinks, was bowled through the gate by Ben Hilfenhaus just three balls after the interval. Following that, there was a period when India batted through eight maidens. The hosts gave nothing away.
Happy for Gambhir
On 66, Gambhir was dropped by wicketkeeper Brad Haddin when James Pattinson drew a thick edge from around-the-wicket. Dravid was glad to see Gambhir put an end to his poor run in the series. "I am happy for Gautam. He has worked very hard. He's been under pressure obviously.
He wants to score runs. He is very keen to do well. It was nice to see he came out and played some shots. He played positively and got it going. Later on, towards the end of the day, when things were tough, he gritted it out, and hung in there. We know he enjoys batting for long periods of time. Hopefully, he can convert into a big one," Dravid said.
Dravid felt India could bat play freely today. "We are so far behind (in the match), there is almost nothing to lose. We just have to go out there and look to play. Just bat as long as we can. The key for us is to keep them on the field for a long period of time. If we can keep their bowlers and fielders on the field for more than 100 overs, then we can put them under pressure and see some of their bowlers wilt," he said.
Tendulkar took 30 balls for his first three runs. His only boundary was through an inside edge that almost struck timber. But the little master will get another opportunity to get that anticipated hundredth international ton today.
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