Indian batting to remain unchanged

Indian cricket captain Saurav Ganguly said on Saturday that there would be no change in Indian batting order for the second Test against Australia, beginning Sunday at the Eden Gardens.

Talking to reporters on the eve of the match, Ganguly described batting as his team’s main ‘strength’, adding that he would prefer to make no changes in the line-up.

Ganguly said that the Eden Gardens track looked good for batting, and said that in his opinion, this would favour the home side. “I have seen the track. It looked flat and bastmen-friendly. We will fancy our chances on such a conducive track, and look to score as many runs as possible," he said.

Speaking of criticism that he has sought to interfere with pitch preparation, both at the Wankhede and here, Ganguly replied, “We never have a say in the preparation of pitches. We play on whatever track we are given.”

Would he miss Javagal Srinath, whose two wickets in the first over of the 1998 Test here against Australia opened up the visiting side, and Anil Kumble? Not really, replied the captain. “You can’t depend on both of them for long. I am sure the absence of Srinath and Anil would help the cause of the youngsters immensely. The youngsters should use this to their advantage by proving their mettle in order to cement their places in the national side,” Ganguly remarked.

Ganguly’s poor batting in the Bombay Test came under intense scrutiny from the assembled journalists. The captain, however, described his own performance at the Wankhede as a momentary phase every bastman goes through.

“People say I have failed as a bastman, allegations that really don’t hold water," Ganguly responded. "I have been batting for over five years and it is not as if I can always hit centuries, though I have tried my best to be consistent. Having said that, there is no denying the truth that I failed in Bombay and coincidentally, we lost the match. But I am hopeful of regaining my form at the Eden tomorrow."

Touching on crowd behaviour, which has been politely described as unruly on previous occasions, Ganguly said he hoped his fellow Calcuttans would behave sensibly during the upcoming game. "I am optimistic that sense will prevail, that too since I am captaining the side for the first time on my home ground," Ganguly said.

Meanwhile, for all that the Indian captain talked of an unchanged batting lineup, there is a bit of a question mark about vice captain Rahul Dravid. This afternoon, while the rest of the team headed off to the Gardens for the last serious practise before the Test, Dravid was asleep in his hotel room, with a Do Not Disturb on his door and his telephone.

Sources within the team indicate that the Indian vice captain has a fever, and is resting. At this point, it is not clear whether the ailment will keep him out of the playing eleven -- a decision on that will be taken only tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, Hemang Badani has been getting extra practise, in order to ready him for stepping into Dravid's shoes should the need arise.

In the event of Dravid not playing, either Tendulkar, or Ganguly, will go up into the number three slot.

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