MR POPULAR! West Indies captain Brian Lara (wearing red cap) reaching out to thrilled youngsters during a visit to the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmadabad, India, yesterday. The West Indies cricket team will play their first cricket match of the ICC Champions Trophy against Zimbabwe tomorrow. (AP Picture)

MUMBAI – Indian captain Rahul Dravid says his team is looking forward to the excitement of the International Cricket Council's Champions Trophy, but is under no pressure despite having the tag of being hosts.

"The Indian team and the whole country is really excited about the ICC Champions Trophy and we cannot wait to get into the competition, to play and see the excitement of the crowds and the public," Dravid said in the ICC's Cricket Quarterly.

"It's exciting to be the home team in an event of this magnitude but we don't look on that as creating added pressure. All we are looking to do is play good one-day cricket and achieve the right results.

India, like South Africa and world champions Australia, have been installed as favourites for the October 15 to November 5 tournament.

However, the hosts' form in recent months has been disappointing. In addition to losing 4-1 to the West Indies in the Caribbean earlier this year, they failed to make the final of the recently staged DLF Cup in Malaysia.

Dravid said, however, that the team would be focusing on one match at a time, instead of putting emphasis on winning the tournament.

"Lifting the ICC Champions Trophy on home soil would be exciting, but doing that is a lot of matches away," Dravid said.(CMC)