Morale not down, says Ganguly

Kandy, August 21: Despite losing the first Test by a comprehensive 10-wicket margin, Indian cricket captain Saurav Ganguly today said his team was under no pressure on the eve of the second Test against Sri Lanka starting here tomorrow.

"There's no reason for our morale to be down. We haven't lost a series in the last one year. We've been in this position (trailing 0-1 in the series) before, and we have come back from it," he said.

Citing the example of the triangular one-day series, which preceded the Tests, Ganguly said India had won three games in a row and made it to the final. "We should keep fighting, always," he said.

Ganguly said the players needed to be a bit more consistent and the batsmen should be able to convert brief impressive knocks into big innings. "You can't win if you get all out for 180-odd runs."

"The 40s should be converted into bigger innings and those in form should go on to play big innings to compensate for the failure of a few others," he said. "That's how a team works."

Ganguly, who himself is under tremendous pressure to get back among runs, realised how important his own performance was for the team.

"I have been trying to make some runs for the last six Tests... I am trying everything possible... It (the lack of runs) is very frustrating and I am working hard.

"I must get the runs and I hope to get them here," he said.

India included left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi and paceman Harvinder Singh in their twelve for the Kandy Test with the final decision between the two to be taken only tomorrow morning.

Ganguly said Rahul Dravid, who was the only saving grace of Indian batting in Galle, would be back at the number three spot here. Mohammad Kaif, who had come at number three there, would drop down to number five with the captain himself coming in between, he said.

Ganguly felt that since Dravid was in a fine form it would be good for the team if he puts some runs on the board early on in the innings.

Defending the retention of Hemang Badani, who has been very unimpressive on this tour, in the team, Ganguly said, "We can't drop a guy after one match. He looks better than a few others and we have to back him."

Coach John Wright too defended Badani's inclusion and said there was no dearth of talent in the team but the players should perform up to their potential. "People should perform the roles for which they have been picked," he said.

Asked if the Indians had been too defensive against offie Muthiah Muralitharan, Wright said the problem was the batsmen were being denied runs from the other end too and Muralitharan was successful in taking advantage of the situation.

Muralitharan, meanwhile, sounded a warning to the Indians saying the pitch will be favourable to spinners from the third day. "It will turn by the third day or so," he said.

His captain Sanath Jayasuriya had however sensed the Indians' discomfort with the fast bowlers and said he would persist with a perdominantly pace attack here.

"The wicket looks harder than that for the first Test and is nearly as grassy," he said after a look at the pitch and predicted that it would be another good match for the fast bowlers.

However, it was still not clear whether all-rounder Suresh Perera, who was reported for suspect action in the Galle Test, would play tomorrow as the fourth seamer or Sri Lanka would prefer to play two spinners.

Both Jayasuriya and coach Dave Whatmore backed Perera.

"Its a little disturbing but he has to go through the review process," Whatmore said, adding that only an occasional delivery must have caused concern among the umpires.

"I can confirm that it will be no cause for concern to anyone in the near future," he said.

Jayasuriya also sought to ignore the fact that Sri Lanka have lost their previous two Tests at this venue - in the series against South Africa and England earlier this year - on both ocassions squandering a 1-0 lead in a three-Test series they had taken in Galle.

"We are aware of our record here... We were let down by the batting against England," he recalled.

"But if we bat and bowl well, I don't see any reason why we cannot win in Kandy.