Ganguly justifies inclusion of five seamers in team

Skipper Sourav Ganguly today justified inclusion of five seamers in the 15-member squad for the coming Zimbabwe series, saying the team has been picked keeping in mind the pitches that favour fast bowling.

"That's good (five seamers in the side). It's (pitches in Zimbabwe) going to seam around. It has always been the case. It's winter in Zimbabwe and it's going to be cold and damp. So we have picked the team according to conditions," he said, echoing selection committee chief Chandu Borde's remarks yesterday.

As the six-day conditioning camp for the Zimbabwe series was being wound up at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here, Ganguly told reporters that the Indian team was in a positive frame of mind and was determined to win.

"It's been a good camp. We have prepared well for the series. We hope to do well. We are going to Zimbabwe with a positive frame of mind. We want to win," Ganguly said.

Asked if there were any "nagging concerns" at the camp, he said: "I think we talk too many negative things. I am not that sort of person (who talks negative things)."

On his lean patch in the series against Australia, he indicated that it was nothing unusual. "I did not score much against Australia. That's past now. That was the first time I have not played well in the last five years.

Asked if he had taken any tips regarding his lean patch from Coach John Wright, who is also a left-hander, Ganguly replied in the affirmative.

"I had asked Wright and couple of other guys to share their experiences. At the end of the day, what I feel best and suits me, I will do on the ground since everybody has his own technique and own way of playing."

"I may nick a few balls outside the off stump. But 70 percent of my runs were scored in that area (outside the off-stump," he pointed out.

"It's (lean patch) going to happen to a lot of cricketers in future. You are going to do well and sometime you don't. But it's important to keep your head high and come back."

Ganguly said two warm-up games were going to be a good preparation for the two test matches in Zimbabwe.

On players practising Yoga in the camp, he said they were trying to get fit. "It's got a lot to do with stretching. Main reason to get body and muscle stretch."

"We have got a lot of cricket ahead. Nine months of non-stop cricket with just four weeks in between each series. It's important to keep fit and get strong."

"The team has been training hard".

Mail Cricket Editor