Regaining the Indian cricket team's captaincy is not priority for Sourav Ganguly; instead, he says he just wants to concentrate on his game and win matches for India.
Ganguly said it is inappropriate to talk about a change in captaincy since the World Cup is round the corner and Rahul Dravid needs full backing from all quarters.
"I am not in the race for captainship, at least at the present time. I think we all should back Rahul and should not even talk about these things when the World Cup is just two months away," the former India captain said.
"My mission is just to perform and be a part of the winning team. I will try and play well under pressure if I go to the World Cup, that is if I am included in the World Cup squad," he added.
Ganguly said he would like to regain his opening slot in the batting order, but would go with whatever the team decides.
"It is for the team management to decide, but if you see my record, I have played almost 250 matches as an opener. If they (team management) were to ask me I would like to open, but, as I said, I am ready to play at any position for the country," he told television channel Aaj Tak in an interview.
Asked about the loss in South Africa, Ganguly said, "We should have drawn the series at least, but we lost it; but every member of the team is responsible for the same (for the defeat). It is not the captain or the coach alone."
Ganguly, who emerged the highest run scorer for Team India in South Africa in Tests, defended the team management's decision to send back Irfan Pathan midway through the tour.
"Irfan was dropped from the eleven and not the fourteen. But since there was no cricket left as we were playing back-to-back matches, and there was a domestic cricket series on in India, the team management and all of us believed that instead of sitting there and bowling at the nets, it was necessary for him to come back and play cricket."
Ganguly said it was both his good performance and the team's requirement that brought him back to the side.
"I think I played well in domestic cricket and the team did not do to well in South Africa, so there was a place in the team for me.
"...if somebody is doing well in the domestic cricket and the team is also doing well, in those circumstances the player may not get a chance, therefore it has to be a combination of both good performance and requirement from the team."
