India keep Ganguly, Pakistan guessing ahead of first Test by AFP

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Player:	SC Ganguly
Event:	India in Pakistan 2005/06

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DateLine: 13th January 2006

 

India's captain Rahul Dravid continued the suspense over Sourav Ganguly's role in Friday's first Test against Pakistan by refusing to divulge his team for "strategic reasons."

 

Even as the media and millions of fans back home debated whether former captain Ganguly should play in the Test, Dravid chose to keep them on tenterhooks on the eve of the match.

 

"I know what our combination is going to be, but we will not be making it public till just before the toss," Dravid told a pre-Test media conference at the Gaddafi stadium on Thursday.

 

"It makes sense not to reveal our cards, it is a strategy to keep the opposition guessing."

 

Ganguly, who was sacked as captain in October after a damaging row with coach Greg Chappell and struggled to find his best form with the bat, was a controversial selection for the tour.

 

When India dropped Ganguly for the third Test against Sri Lanka last month, there was such a public outcry that cricket board chiefs were forced to step in to cool tempers.

 

Indian cricket board president Sharad Pawar met Ganguly and senior players such as Sachin Tendulkar before declaring that India's most successful Test captain was not a "disruptive

 

influence" in the team.

 

Chappell, who had accused Ganguly of being just that in a leaked e-mail to the previous regime in Indian cricket, took the hint and did not oppose the left-hander's selection for the Pakistan tour.

 

India will have to disturb a trusted batting order, which helped secure a 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka at home last month, to accommodate Ganguly in the playing eleven.

 

If picked, Ganguly will either open the innings with Virender Sehwag -- leaving two regular openers Gautam Gambhir and Wasim Jaffar on the bench -- or replace the in-form Yuvraj Singh in the middle order.

 

"All I can tell you is that all 16 players are available for selection," said Dravid, seated next to coach Chappell at the media conference.

 

Ganguly, 33, has the experience of 86 Tests and 5,150 runs behind him and remains India's most successful Test captain with 21 wins.

 

Pakistan, on the other hand, have no such selection worries with hard-hitting all-rounder Shahid Afridi taking the number six spot ahead of Abdul Razzaq.

 

Afridi's inclusion gives Pakistan the option of a second spinner behind leggie Danish Kaneria and a three-pronged seam attack of Shoaib Akhtar, Rana Naved and Mohammad Sami.

 

"We have a balanced side capable of playing on any surface," said Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq, whose team defeated Ashes-winning England 2-0 at home last month.

 

Both Dravid and Inzamam described the hard, brownish wicket as good for seam bowlers, but the Indian captain predicted it will take turn from the third day.

 

"There are some cracks on it but otherwise it looks a good track," said Dravid.

 

The second Test will be played in Faisalabad from January 21-25 and the third in Karachi from January 29-February 2.

 

India (from): Rahul Dravid (capt), Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly, Gautam Gambhir, Wasim Jaffer, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Dhoni, Parthiv Patel, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Rudra Pratap Singh, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh.

 

Pakistan (likely): Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Rana Naved, Danish Kaneria.

 

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (RSA) and Darrell Hair

 

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)