Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who scored a flawless unbeaten 136 on Friday to put West Indies in a commanding position, said his team stood a fair chance to win the third and final Test against India.
Rating his sixth Test century, the first overseas, as his 'best' so far, the Guyanese said the imposing total of 446 for five had put his team in an advantageous position after the third day's play at the Eden Gardens.
Asked if West Indies, who now enjoy a 88-run first innings lead, had a chance to upset India's applecart, Chanderpaul simply said "yes, I think so".
He, however, refused to comment on the team's target for this innings and also their plan for the fourth day.
Team manager Ricky Skeritt, however, said "we will decide our strategy for tomorrow at our team meeting".
Appreciating his partner Marlon Samuels, who played his first match of the series and remained unbeaten at a career- best 89, Chanderpaul said "its always good to have a partner who takes off a lot of pressure off you".
Miscellaneous
As he has said time and again, Jagmohan Dalmiya is all for a players' association which will benefit first-class cricketers. Only, he would have done it differently had he been in the shoes of those who recently launched the Indian Cricket Players' Association (ICPA).
For example, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president would have led from the front at Thursday evening's fund-raiser.
"The founder members should have come ahead and donated generously. The top cricketers earn a lot and their gesture would have set a good example," Dalmiya said. "Instead, I found the list of donors being topped by sponsors. Sponsors are there and will be there."
He was only speaking as a cricket lover, he stressed repeatedly. "The BCCI president is not trying to be critical of the players. I am just saying what I - the individual - felt after attending the function," Dalmiya explained.
The high-profile dinner fetched about Rs 60 lakh, but Dalmiya is hardly impressed. "That figure could have been in crores if the players had contributed," he said.
World Cup
India's cricketers want the International Cricket Council to pay for any use of their images in promotional campaigns for next year's World Cup.
The Indian team members raised the issue with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which has forwarded the players' demands to the world body.
They want to be paid an "appropriate talent fee" in any promotional campaign and for the right to use their images - including television footage and still photos - to be restricted to a two month period.
The ICC's mandatory commercial contracts stipulate six months of "free use" of the images of cricketers playing in the World Cup. South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya are co-hosting the tournament in February and March.
The Indian board's ongoing discussions with the cricketers with the ICC and the players meant it did not adhere to an October 29 deadline to confirm the commercial contracts.
Match Fixing
India's cricket authorities have agreed to go to an arbitrator to decide whether a five-year ban imposed on Ajay Jadeja should be overturned.
The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) banned Jadeya, 32, and former all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar for their involvement in match-fixing.
At the same time, former skipper Mohammed Azharuddin and batsman Ajay Sharma received life bans after a BCCI probe, based on a report by India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
But Jadeja filed an appeal claiming that the report had no basis in law.
India's tour of New Zealand
New Zealand Cricket are prepared to select reserves for the forthcoming home series against India unless the country's senior players accept an improved pay package.
They have now set aside NZ$5m (£1.56m) to pay more than 100 international and provincial players, a $300,000 increase on their previous offer.
The New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA), which has called for a NZ$7.2m payment pool, has been given a 5 November deadline to accept the revised offer.
If they do not, reserve players may be used for the Tests and one-day internationals in the forthcoming home series against India, and the 2002-03 domestic season may be restructured.
England in Australia
Allan Lamb believes that England's middle order could be their undoing in their bid for a first Ashes series in 16 years.
Lamb, who scored 4656 runs in 79 Tests, was played for England when they defeated Australia at home in 1995 and on the tour of 1986/87.
Apart from opener Marcus Trescothick, he believes no England batsman is on a part with his Australian counterpart.
"They look very brittle in the middle order, and vulnerable for a collapse," said Lamb.
"Maybe they'll get one Test - Melbourne and Brisbane are the best chances because the ball swings a bit more there.
"But being realistic it looks like being 4-1."
Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has passed himself fit for the first Ashes Test against England.
Gillespie missed the last two Tests in the recent series against Pakistan because of a calf strain but will play in a one-day game for South Australia on Saturday.
"I'm fit, I've declared myself fit, so I'll be playing and playing as hard as I can," he said.
His confident assertion came on the same day that England were forced to admit that Darren Gough would not be ready for next week's Test in Brisbane following long-term knee problems.
Tour match, Brisbane, day one of three: Queensland v England
Andrew Caddick spearheaded England's revival as they curbed Queensland's bright start in their final warm-up match before the Ashes.
The Somerset paceman was the only England bowler to provide either control or penetration and took the only two wickets of the first morning session.
By lunch, Queensland were 92-2 after Caddick dismissed opening pair Jimmy Maher and Brendan Nash.
Maher had caused England problems early on and he especially punished the wayward Matthew Hoggard.
Pakistan in Zimbabwe
Pakistan Test legend Hanif Mohammad has agreed to work with the national team as a batting coach during the tours to Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The 67-year-old made 3,915 runs in 55 Test appearances in the 1950s and 1960s and was followed into the side by brothers Mushtaq and Sadiq.
His innings of 337 against West Indies at Bridgetown in 1958, which lasted more than 16 hours, is still a Pakistan Test record.
He also made 499 in a domestic game the following year which stood as the highest first-class score of all time until Brian Lara beat it with 501 not out in 1994.
Hanif was asked to join the team in Zimbabwe following their recent 3-0 defeat by Australia.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who scored a flawless unbeaten 136 on Friday to put West Indies in a commanding position, said his team stood a fair chance to win the third and final Test against India.
India's cricket authorities have agreed to go to an arbitrator to decide whether a five-year ban imposed on Ajay Jadeja should be overturned.
Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie has passed himself fit for the first Ashes Test against England.