Sharjah, April 17 : Depth in batting was a key element during Sri Lanka's remarkable World Cup success in 1996. And, now that the countdown to the 2003 edition has begun, Sri Lanka's Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga feels India must play seven batsmen, with Rahul Dravid keeping wickets. 'Dravid has been given the job on and off but, if you ask me, he should be readied as wicketkeeper... The wickets in South Africa (where India play five of the six pool matches) are true and, so, he won't be tested standing up... In fact, if I had to help plot India's campaign, I would slot Dravid at No. 6,' Ranatunga, now an MP, told The Telegraph Wednesday morning. Though Ajay Ratra is definitely promising, generally, it's been a struggle to field a quality wicketkeeper who can bat. [Incidentally, in the lead-up to the 1996 World Cup, there was a mild move to promote Sanjay Manjrekar as wicketkeeper. As it turned out, even that didn't quite take off and Nayan Mongia did the job.] Speaking at the Holiday International, in between his 'homework' on the Sharjah Cup 2002 final (Ranatunga, a major beneficiary, is part of the commentary team), he added: 'Remember, back in 1996, I had Roshan Mahanama and Hashan Tillekeratne at No. 6 and 7... In a crisis, just their experience made the difference. Dravid, I'm convinced, will do well as wicketkeeper-cum-No. 6...' Mahanama and Tillekeratne, it may be recalled, were preceded by Ranatunga himself, Aravinda de Silva, Asanka Gurusinha, Romesh Kaluwitharana and present captain Sanath Jayasuriya. An absolutely awesome line-up, really. Significantly, in Ranatunga's opinion, India shouldn't open with Sachin Tendulkar during the World Cup. 'Sachin can launch the innings in the sub-continent, specially, but not in South Africa. The wickets are different and, by way of some protection, I would prefer sending him at No. 3. My openers, then, will be Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag. With the No. 3 slot being taken care of by Sachin, I would send V.V.S. Laxman or Dinesh Mongia - though I haven't seen much of him - at No. 4, with Yuvraj Singh next... After Dravid, No. 7 could be Sanjay Bangar...' Respected for having been more than shrewd, Ranatunga maintained India ought not to be rigid about fielding two specialist spinners in every game. 'A horses-for-courses policy should be adopted (in the World Cup), wherein the two specialists can be played against teams like England. When up against some of the other sides, however, the XI should have one specialist spinner, with Sachin and Sehwag being asked to turn their arm over.' Ranatunga named Jawagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan as his first-choice quicks, but didn't specify who his sole spinner would be. If three quicks are to be fielded, Ranatunga indicated he would prefer Ashish Nehra over Ajit Agarkar. Besides India, pool A comprises world champions Australia, 1992 winners Pakistan, England, Zimbabwe, The Netherlands and ICC Trophy runners-up Namibia. Only the match versus Zimbabwe, scheduled for Harare, will not be played in South Africa. It's to be seen what the selectors (Chandu Borde, Madanlal, Shivlal Yadav, Ashok Malhotra and Sanjay Jagdale) back home have in mind. Also, one isn't clear to what extent John Wright and Sourav - though both have themselves flirted with the Dravid-option - will actually endorse Ranatunga's thoughts. Bottomline, of course, is that Ranatunga has given everybody something to think about.