Pathan sent home to work on form before World Cup

DURBAN, Dec 25 (Reuters) Indian Fast bowler Irfan Pathan will leave South Africa early to ensure he rediscovers his form in time for next year's World Cup, captain Rahul Dravid said today.

Pathan performed indifferently in the three one-day internationals he played against South Africa, and he was not selected for the first test in Johannesburg.

Pathan took just one wicket and conceded 136 runs in the 21 overs he bowled in the one-dayers.

In a two-day practice match against a modest KwaZulu-Natal Invitation XI in Durban last week, Pathan went wicketless and conceded 74 runs from 11 overs.

Dravid said Pathan would return home immediately to get some practice in domestic matches.

''Because Pathan is a key player in our one-day side, and because we won't play any more one-day cricket on this tour, it makes sense to send him home where he can play in Ranji Trophy games,'' Dravid told a news conference.

''He's an important player for the World Cup and we need to try and make sure he is in form for the tournament.'' Pathan will be available for a couple of Ranji Trophy matches next month before India face West Indies and Sri Lanka in a home one-day series in January and February.

India, who hold a 1-0 lead in the series, have named an unchanged squad for the second test against South Africa which begins in Durban tomorrow.

India squad: Wasim Jaffer, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth, Vikram Singh, Munaf Patel.

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