Dravid hails appointment of Gambhir as ODI captain

Veteran India batsman Rahul Dravid on Friday hailed the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the skipper for the T20 and ODI teams for the series against the West Indies beginning next month.

Gambhir was on Friday chosen to lead the side in the absence of regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been rested along with batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan.

"Gambhir has done it before against New Zealand where we won handsomely. He is a good captain. There is no reason why he can't do it again," Dravid said on the sidelines of an event here.

The Delhi southpaw, currently captaining the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, had led the team to a 5-0 rout of New Zealand at home last year.

Dhoni had, at that time, left for South Africa to acclimatise for a Test series that began six days after the last ODI against the Kiwis.

To a query on left-hander Suresh Raina, who has been appointed Gambhir's deputy, the experienced Dravid said, "Raina is a good prospect. He does well. He is a very good player who has proved himself."

The 38-year-old former India captain said though the team for the T20 and five ODIs was young, it was by no chance weak and was capable of a good performance.

"The team is young but the youngsters are experienced so I am confident that they will do well," he added.