Tough contest ahead in Pakistan, says Saurav Ganguly

    Kolkata: Addressing a news conference in Kolkata today, former Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly described his present phase in the sport as different, and said he wasn't sure that being stripped of captaincy had affected his game in any way. "For the last five-six months, I have been making runs in both domestic and Test cricket. I've played well and batted well. I also scored runs as the captain in Zimbabwe, so I don't know whether I am playing better because I am no longer the Indian captain," Ganguly said at the Eden Gardens after scoring a decent 89 for Bengal in the Ranji trophy encounter against Tamil Nadu. Playing the Ranji for his state, he admitted that captaincy involved a lot more pressure. "But yes, it's a different phase. The responsibility is less because as a captain you have to do many other things. But it is the same for all other captains," added Ganguly. Asked about his inclusion in the team for the test series with Pakistan the left-handed batsman said that the Test series would witness some gruelling contests. "It will be a series between two good teams. Whoever plays well, will win," he added.

Cricket fans in Bhopal pray for success of Indian team

    Bhopal: Cricket fans in Bhopal today performed a fire ritual and expressed the hope that the Team India would return victorious from Pakistan and do the country proud. "We have organised this prayer ceremony here at the temple premises in order to pray for the success of the Indian cricket team so that they return victorious from the Pakistan tour," said Chandraprakash Vyas, a cricket fan. "We want that the way Sachin, Ganguly, Dravid and Sehvag are doing good in advertising, similarly they should do well in Pakistan tour and come back to India as winners," said Rajendra Gupta, another cricket fan. The Rahul Dravid-led Indian cricket team yesterday left for Pakistan on a 45-day long tour to play three Test matches and five one-day internationals there. The first Test match of the three match series will be played at Lahore's Qaddafi Stadium from January 13, second Test match from January 21 in Faisalabad and the third and final Test would be played in Karachi from January 29. The five-match one-day series will begin on February 6 in Peshawar. The second one-day international will be played in Rawalpindi on February 11, third one-day international in Lahore on February 13, fourth in Multan on February 16 and fifth and final one-day international in Karachi on February 19. In the last full-fledged series between the arch rivals in 2004, which had taken place after a gap of nearly 15 years, India had won both Test (2-1) and one-day series (3-2). However, with India ranked third and Pakistan fourth in the ICC Test rankings and both teams morale high after winning their last series, the contest this time is expected to be even more close.

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