Maharashtra opening batsman Dheeraj Jadhav on Monday said filling the slot left vacant by the withdrawal of Sachin Tendulkar was a huge task but he would make the best of the opportunity on the two-Test tour of Zimbabwe.
"Sachin Tendulkar will definitely be missed. But it is an opportunity for me and I would play to the best of my potential," Jadhav said before departing for Harare, in Mumbai on Monday.
Boarding the early morning flight along with Jadhav would be V V S Laxman, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Laxmipathy Balaji, Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik who would be joining the squad for the two Tests.
The seven players would replace Ajit Agarkar, J P Yadav, Rudra Pratap Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Murali Kartik, Suresh Raina and Y Venugopal Rao who will return after the limited overs tri-series final to be played on Tuesday.
The Test team would open with a three-day warm up game from Sep 8-10 at Mutera. The first Test starts on Sep 13 at Bulawayo and the second at Harare on Sep 20.
Jadhav said he hoped to do well in the familiar conditions of Zimbabwe. "I have toured there with the 'A' team last year, the conditions there would not be difficult for me," he said.
Tamil Nadu pacer Balaji said he hoped his bowling to click in the helpful conditions of the African nation.
"The month-long camp at Bangalore was of great help. Having several experts including pace guru Dennis Lillee really helped. I am looking forward to the Zimbabwe tour."
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