Sport - Cricket

Confident Ganguly joins team

By Our Special Correspondent

GEORGETOWN APRIL 4. Sourav Ganguly showed no signs of jet lag as he joined the team for nets ahead of the three-day match against the Guyana Cricket Board President's XI here.

"It's the best opportunity for us to win a series in the West Indies. They are a good side at home but then we are well-prepared, too," said the Indian skipper on the forthcoming five-Test series.

Ganguly was aware of the fact that the West Indies might rely more on pace then spin. "They are not going to give us pitches which would help the spinners. Why would they? For that matter no team would give any advantage to the visiting side. I know we have to expect grassy and fast tracks because the West Indies are known to rely on their pace bowlers," said Ganguly.

The Indian skipper joined his team two days late as he had to stay back in Kolkata to attend to his ailing wife. "She is better now," he said with relief.

The Indians will have to be at their best, conceded Ganguly, to beat the West Indies in its own backyard. "We have to take care of all the aspects of the game if we have to win in the West Indies. Batting, bowling and fielding will have to be organised. It is simple. We have to excel in all departments of the game to win the Test and one-day series on this tour," he added.

Ganguly did not make much fuss over the fact that the Indians would get a very weak opposition in the only preparatory match before the first Test at Bourda starting April 11.

"It can't be helped if Guyana is playing in the Busta final," he said. "We have to make the most of it and get the maximum advantage of the match. We have to get used to the weather and playing conditions. The batsmen will have to spend as much time in the middle as possible," he added.

Ganguly accepted the fact that the team was faced with the problem of sorting out the openers and the wicketkeeper. "Well play the best option available he concluded.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

Athletics

• AAFI rejects four National records
  
  Chess
  
• Anand, Ivanchuk bow out
  
  Cricket
  
• Series win for Australia
• Tour opener may not be challenging enough
• Roy Dias: an immense joy to watch
• Confident Ganguly joins team
• It's Sarandeep Singh's day
• South Zone manages to take lead
• Laxman in Wisden's top five
  
  Football
  
• LEGENDS: PUSKAS
• AP humbles Kerala
  
  Golf
  
• Arjun Singh wins a cliffhanger
  
  Hockey
  
• Punjab Police regains Beighton Cup
  
  Sports : General
  
• Sport Digest
  
  Tennis
  
• Ramesh Krishnan confident
• Samrita stuns Radhika
  
  

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu