Home > Cricket > World Cup 2003 > Reuters > Report
Namibia can't beat us: Ganguly
February 21, 2003 20:37 IST
Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has dismissed any chance of a shock defeat by Namibia when the sides meet in a World Cup Group A match on Sunday.
"I have followed their games and we should beat them comfortably," Ganguly said, as his team practised at the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Friday for their fourth game of the tournament.
India bounced back from a crushing nine-wicket loss to Australia at Centurion last week with a commanding 83-run victory over Zimbabwe in Harare on Wednesday with Sachin Tendulkar top scoring with 81.
The win lifted India to joint-second place in the Group A standings on eight points, level with England and Zimbabwe, and kept them well in the hunt for the Super Six stage.
But Ganguly has called for further improvement in India's batting, which crumbled in the face of high-quality Australia bowling on Saturday when the 1983 champions were dismissed for just 125 -- their lowest World Cup total.
"Although a win always raises a smile in the dressing room, we were still only up to 80 per cent of our game against Zimbabwe," he said.
Tournament debutants Namibia have lost their first three group matches, but have impressed all their opponents with their determined approach to the game.
They rattled England in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday by bowling them out for 272 and then managed to reach a respectable 217 for nine in reply.
An inspired knock of 85 by Jan-Berry Burger gave the Namibians hope of causing the biggest shock of the tournament before England held on to win an entertaining encounter by 55 runs.
© Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
|