Sport - Cricket

We need to lift our fielding standards: Ganguly

By Our Special Correspondent

ALL THE BEST: Captain Sourav Ganguly received a traditional farewell as the Indian team left for Holland from Mumbai on Monday night. — PTI

MUMBAI, AUG. 17. Sourav Ganguly had a sleepless night on Monday. Flying out of Dum Dum in the twilight hour for a host of tournaments abroad, including the prestigious Champions Trophy in England, he reached the Taj Lands End at 11 P.M., offered sound bytes to a restless horde of television crew, made a dash to the basement parking lot for a one-hour commercial shoot and made it to the customary press conference well past midnight.

Ganguly and his bunch will embark on a long, challenging and one-day specific overseas tour.

Not faring particularly well in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka disappointed Ganguly. He reiterated the age-old belief that a team that plays well on a particular day emerges the superior side. "All of us, No. 1 to 11, need to fire in the respective departments. We definitely need to lift our fielding standards," Ganguly said.

He said his team would have to take one tournament at a time. "I think it's good for us to have two tournaments because the Champions Trophy is important. After the off-season we were not up to the mark in the Asia Cup. So it's good that we get three games (assuming India reaches the Videocon tri-series final) in Amstelveen and three games in England (NatWest Challenge) before the Champions Trophy.

"It will help the team pick up the momentum. To be honest we did not play well in Sri Lanka and from the team's point of view, I should not think about the Asia Cup. It's not so much about the quality of the other teams, but it's all about picking ourselves up and focus on in this specific aspect."

Defending the decision of choosing Rahul Dravid as India's No. 1 wicketkeeper in ODIs, Ganguly explained that the team decided in the West Indies in 2002 that Dravid would keep wickets till the 2003 World Cup.

"We have worked out a combination with Rahul as the `keeper. In order to win, we need depth in batting in one-day cricket.

"If you look at good one-day sides, they bat right low, be it Australia or India. South Africa, under coach Bob Woolmer, had Mark Boucher and Shaun Pollock coming at No. 8 and 9. This is what I believe in and we had tasted success with Rahul doubling up as wicketkeeper."

Ganguly felt that one could not groom a wicketkeeper for international matches and that the seven batsmen formula has worked wonderfully for the team in a majority of the matches.

"In one-day cricket No. 6 and 7 are areas where you need quality batsmen because it's not easy to bat in those positions. We have Yuvraj and Kaif.

"They have won us games under pressure. We look at four specialist bowlers and then myself bowling eight or nine overs on a pitch that affords seam movement and Sachin or Sehwag bowling spin. They are as good as any on turning tracks. There is no need to play the fifth bowler."

Exploring it further, Ganguly said: "The issue is not about wicketkeepers alone; it's about `keepers who can score runs. Dinesh Kaarthick has scored a lot of runs in domestic cricket, Mahinder Singh Dhoni has just made a hundred for India `A' against Pakistan A. But we actually need someone who can deliver under pressure in international cricket.

"I still feel that there's a big difference between India's domestic cricket and playing against the best teams in the world.

"The selectors feel that Kaarthick is a quality batsman and hence he has been picked. If he can deliver we'll be able to find a solution to a problem."

Ganguly said Kaif should not to be judged by his failure in one tournament.

"He has batted at No. 7 for too long and has done his job. He has played some outstanding innings, but he needs opportunities. A hundred at the top of the order and a 30 off 30 balls at the end of the game are both of equal value to me."

On the dilemma he faces when it comes to picking either Anil Kumble or Harbhajan Singh, Ganguly said, "It's been difficult in the last two years because both are high-quality spinners. I just try to do what is best for the team depending on the surface."

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