India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly vowed to give his best during the "pulsating tour" of Pakistan and said batting would hold the key to success in the high pitched battle between the arch-rivals.
"It's going to be a pulsating tour with both the teams showing good form. Playing Pakistan has always been different for us and we have tried to give our best. We are sure to do the same this time," Ganguly told newspersons after a brief work-out at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.
Asserting that India are "probably going with the best of form", the skipper said, "batting will hold the key" to success for the traditional rivals during the 45-day tour, beginning on March 10.
Asked to comment on the itinerary, Ganguly said he is happy with the fixtures, which put the five One-Day Internationals before the Test series.
The deferment of the tour, in fact, was welcomed as "it would give much needed rest for players, particularly bowlers like Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Ajit Agarkar and Anil Kumble," Ganguly said.
About possible replacements for 'offie' Harbhajan Singh, the captain said the selectors are considering a number of players like Railway's Kulamani Parida, Sarandeep Singh of Delhi and Bengal's Sourashis Lahiri for the tour.
Ganguly, however, dismissed any security concerns during the historic tour, saying, "We want to concentrate on cricket only and not anything else."
The security arrangements, he said, is the concern of the governments.
Commenting on his own form, Ganguly said he is confident of doing well on Pakistan soil.
"I had done well in past against Pakistan. But having said that...it's a new series and all of us have to do well. The team is well aware of that," he said.
Ganguly, who reposed faith in the capability of youngsters like Irfan Pathan, said, "He had delivered against the Aussies, the best team in the world. It will help him to bowl well against Pakistan."
On the omission of practice matches in Pakistan from the itinerary, Ganguly said, "It will not pose any problem as most of the players are engaged in domestic cricket."
