Test meandering to a draw after Dravid ton Rahul Dravid might not inflame fans the way a Sachin Tendulkar or VVS Laxman would. But the Indian vice-captain can certainly hold his own against any bowling attack in the world. He proved it again on Sunday, when with India facing the threat of follow-on he forged a match-saving partnership with Sarandeep Singh. Dravid’s unbeaten 144 and his record 120-run partnership with Sarandeep (39*) saw India reach 395 for seven before the rain came down and ended play. With just a day’s play remaining, it also ensured that the first India-West Indies Test on a Bourda Oval pitch, tailor-made for the batsmen, is destined to end in a draw. Earlier, VVS Laxman too got among the runs, making an attractive 69 before falling to Cameron Cuffy. Sachin Tendulkar, for his part, made yet another Test fifty in the Caribbean, being dismissed for 79 almost at the stroke of tea on the third day. The big Cuffy with three wickets was the most successful bowler for the home team. Adam Sanford, the first descendant of the indigenous Carib people to play for the West Indies, chipped in with two.

Dravid: It's one of my best knocks Rahul Dravid is a rarity - a player who boasts a better average abroad than he does at home. At Guyana, it was again India’s Mr Reliable who saved his team the blushes on the fourth day. The dismissals of VVS Laxman, Sanjay Bangar and Anil Kumble in quick succession left India facing the threat of an impending follow-on. But the calm and assured 29-year-old Indian vice-captain in the company of a gutsy Sarandeep Singh guided India to safety by the time the rain came down and ended play. "The West Indies had already scored 501 and it was an important knock," Dravid told reporters later. "It was important for us to first avoid the follow-on and then bat for as long as possible to get into a position from where we could ensure a draw." His unbeaten 144 was his tenth Test ton in what has been a glittering 56-Test career, and Dravid had not hesitation in rating it among his finest. "It's one of my best knocks," he said. The Indian vice-captain was also full of praise for Sarandeep Singh, who made his highest Test score and now has a chance of notching up his maiden Test fifty. "I knew at that stage he came into bat we couldn't afford to lose a wicket," Dravid said. “All credit to Sarandeep for showing a lot of character, courage and discipline. It was important first to get to 302 to avoid the follow-on so I thought I'll play a little more positive. But after sometime I saw that Sarandeep was coping well so I just let him then do his batting."

Time to rest Zaheer? It has not been a happy first Test for Zaheer Khan. His bowling in the match was lacklustre to say the least. Michael Holding was furious. "How old is he? So tired in the very first two days of the first Test of a tour? I just can't believe it! A left-arm fast bowler without the ability to swing the ball can never be able to strike," the man once known as the Rolls Royce among fast bowlers said. Holding’s former fast bowling partner Colin Croft, meanwhile, felt that India would be better off playing Ashish Nehra in place of Zaheer. “I have seen him (Nehra) bowl in Zimbabwe. He has the ability to swing the ball and also extract bounce from the track. He is definitely a better bowler than Zaheer,” Croft said. Is the Indian think-tank convinced?

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