Ganguly geared up for tough tours ahead

By Vijay Lokapally

NEW DELHI, MAY 9. Vacation at home. That is Sourav Ganguly's greatest gain, and joy too, from the time the Australians left the shores of his country. Time for himself and time to spare for his family.

Of course, he does visit the Eden Gardens for some training and plays the odd-match in Kolkata but mostly prefers to stay indoors. In the cosy comforts of his palatial house in south Calcutta, enjoying home food, catching up with friends, and answering very select calls, Ganguly is relishing every moment of this hard-earned break from cricket.

He may have earned the wrath of the Australian cricketers and their media but it does not matter as long as Ganguly performs his duties. ``My job was to lead the team to a victory and I'm glad I achieved it. The rest doesn't matter,'' he told The Hindu.

Ganguly had marked his, and each man's role. The plans were carried out to perfection under the guidance of coach John Wright. ``He has been a tremendous influence on us. The role of a coach has been made clear now and each of us knows what exactly is expected of us. As far as I am concerned, the team is in excellent shape for the Zimbabwe tour and that is what counts,'' said the Indian skipper.

When most predicted an Australian triumph over India, Ganguly and his men surprised everyone, including themselves, by taming the visitors. ``I always believed we could beat them,'' the Indian skipper emphasised. To be fair, he had been the most confident supporter of his side even after the defeat in the opening Test at Mumbai.

Ganguly confessed ``the series against Australia is history now. And I don't think we can just bask in the glory of that win. The forthcoming tours are going to be different and tough too. Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and South Africa are tough opponents. In international cricket, there is not much difference between the teams these days. It is the form which makes the difference.''

It may be too tempting for Ganguly to stay home but then he admitted he had to use even this break from cricket to improve his cricket. ``The emphasis obviously has been on training and improving fitness. This is the time when one likes to take stock of the season that has gone by. I know the others have also been using this time to good use,'' he noted.

Try and improve is the motto

What was Ganguly's effort aimed at. ``You have to analyse your game. The bowlers are trying to sort you out and similarly you too have to sort out your weak and strong points. Take a fresh look at the way you have been batting and try and improve. This self-analysis is a must for every professional cricketer.''

``I have been working on a few things. I have to add a few aspects to my batting and frame my game plan for the forthcoming season. It's not easy but we have to make a collective effort to bring a fresh approach to achieve our goals,'' he explained.

He was brusque when it came to dealing with the Aussies. Nothing wrong, since even Sunil Gavaskar supported him. ``I am happy he backed the team. We needed such support,'' admitted Ganguly.

Looking ahead, the Indian skipper said ``I'll speak to John at the camp. I don't really know what he has in mind. But the best thing is he communicates so well. I don't think anyone is uncomfortable in interacting with the coach because he is so approachable.''

Welcoming the break from cricket, Ganguly maintained ``the rest has done lot of good I think. A much-needed break for all of us. We are indeed looking forward to the Zimbabwean tour.''

What was on his mind? ``Obviously the aim is to win abroad. I think we have a big chance now. We have the team to win matches abroad and we have the team which is actually inspired to prove a lot of critics wrong. We'll have to play to our potential,'' he said with hope.

And what was this potential? ``The potential, as I understand, is to put up enough runs on the board for the bowlers to do their job well. We have failed in this department on most of the tours in the past decade. We have to give the bowlers runs to defend and I think this batting line-up can achieve the goal. The bowlers and the batsmen have to back themselves,'' he stressed.

Third seamer problem

In Ganguly's opinion, another shortcoming on tours had been the absence of an effective third seamer. ``We have lacked a third seamer to support the two main bowlers. With this in mind, the National selectors have picked so many seamers for the camp at Bangalore. I think they have picked the best available lot. This time we'll have a good, effective third seamer and that will make a lot of difference to the team's chances keeping in mind the kind of pitches we play overseas,'' Ganguly said.

The Indian skipper's statement regarding third seamer does put Ajit Agarkar and Venkatesh Prasad under a cloud for only these two qualify for the third seamer's slot. Neither can complain of any lack of opportunities since they have been part of the Indian team for a long time now. Agarkar continues to be on the list of `promising' youngsters and Prasad keeps talking of making a comeback.

The presence of Javagal Srinath is quite comforting for the Indian skipper though, not to forget the young Zaheer Khan, who should emerge the key bowler on the tour to Zimbabwe. Ganguly agreed ``you can see that Srinath is fit. He is very keen to do well because he realises this is the best chance. It can be a great start to a tough season. And then Zaheer has just won the Ranji Trophy for Baroda. His desire to bowl well never fades.

``I think we have the attack to get 20 wickets in a match and shape a win. A disciplined approach shall help us beat Zimbabwe. What is important is a proper line. Our bowlers have to learn to maintain the pressure,'' Ganguly added.

The skipper also accepted that Zimbabwe will not be a pushover. The Indians forced a draw in 1992 and lost in 1998 at the Harare Sports Club. ``We can't forget those two Tests but I'm confident this time. Zimbabwe is a much-improved side no doubt and will be difficult to beat at home. This time we may have to begin from scratch but we are better prepared.''

``It's a matter of reputation for us. The win against Australia has shown the way. We have the ability to transform the talent into reality. We have the players who can excel in all conditions,'' Ganguly said.

Laxman, Harbhajan - a big impact

The Indian skipper, emphasising the need to play well collectively, agreed that the sensational performances of V.V.S. Laxman and Harbhajan Singh were the tonic the team had been in search of for too long. ``Laxman and Harbhajan have made such a big impact. They have been the inspiration to the side. The fact that they have performed against a top side like Australia shows the talent they possess. Much would depend on their form too.

Laxman is a big scorer and I firmly believe he can play on any surface. Harbhajan too should be able to adapt quickly. That is his strong point, I must say,'' he praised the two.

As a captain, Ganguly admitted that he was learning. The criticism regarding his mannerisms has not perturbed him a bit. He signed off on a bright note ``I'm mentally too strong to react to every line of criticism. My job is to take care of the team and if that requires us to be aggressive, so be it. I don't think I should be losing sleep over what the opposition feels about me. I am more concerned with what my mates have to say. I think I can safely say that they are happy and pleased.''

Well, so are the crazy cricket fans who expect this bunch to add a new chapter to the nation's cricket history. Not just by beating Zimbabwe but using the tour to be in the best shape to squeeze the likes of Sri Lanka and South Africa, two tough destinations in this season of hope.

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