Tendulkar will get fit and play: Ganguly

India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday denied media reports about Sachin Tendulkar missing the early part of the Sri Lankan tour for reasons other than the "foot injury", saying the master blaster will get fit and assist India in the last two matches in the coming tri-nation series there.

Addressing a press conference in Madras before the team's departure for Colombo, Ganguly said: "Tendulkar is a great player. Injuries happen in cricket. We have not decided any game plan as yet. I met coach John Wright just now and we will have to sit in Colombo and decide after seeing the conditions. So, it is difficult for me to say from here what is going to happen."

On Tendulkar's absence, he said, "Obviously, we will miss Sachin, but it is good that he will be playing the last two one-day matches, and especially the final, if we qualify."

Asked why the team management did not reveal Tendulkar's injury during the Zimbabwe tour itself, Ganguly said: "I thought there is no point in making a hue and cry about somebody who is scoring a hundred, having an injury.

"We know he had a bit of pain before the final, but if a player of his calibre says that he is going to go through it with pain, we cannot object to it. He played the last game with pain," Ganguly said.

He added: "When somebody is a match-winner for you and has done great deeds for India in the past, we got to take his word. It is not a broken bone or dislocation of shoulder or ankle; it was just a bruise which was giving him pain. It was a final and he is a big strength to the team. Obviously, any captain or coach or selector will just carry on with that."

As for the coming tour, Ganguly said, "It is going to be a bit of a hard tour. Sri Lanka are a good side back home. New Zealand is also a good one-day side and have won the ICC mini World Cup. They have not played their best after that in limited-overs games, but still they are a good and strong squad."

Ganguly said he is not under any pressure though he faces a threat on his life from militant outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

On the possibility of cricketing ties improving between India and Pakistan after the 'Agra Summit', Ganguly said, "That is not for me to decide or say anything. We are on a tough tour to Sri Lanka and we are worried about that. The rest is up to the governments and respective cricket boards."

Asked whether he is unhappy over the lack of a full fledged opener and left-handers assisting the team for the Lanka series, Ganguly said: "We have picked Amay Khurasia. It does not matter whether it is a right-hander or a left-hander. One need to see the ability of a player. That is what matters in selection," he added.

Ganguly said it was difficult for Khurasia to get a berth in the team when he himself and Tendulkar were scoring runs.

"Khurasia had been playing well in domestic cricket in India. He played the Challenger series and batted very well -- like on his debut against Sri Lanka. The coach (John Wright) and myself regard Khurasia as a strong opener in one-day games," he said, adding, "We must have guys who have technique to play the new ball. I know (Sadagoppan) Ramesh and (Shiv Sundar) Das are good in Test cricket but I have a lot of confidence in Khurasia."

On India failing under pressure in finals, the captain said: "I do not have an answer for that. I do not know the reason. But the fact is that we lost four out of five finals in the last seven to eight months. We are still learning how to play under pressure to win final games."

Ganguly said the conditions in Sri Lanka are going to be different, adding: "When we tour England, Australia and South Africa, the ball does its bit around initially."

Mail Cricket Editor