Ganguly and Hooper ready for showdown

Georgetown, April 10: Sparring has become a part of international cricket and rival skippers Sourav Ganguly and Carl Hooper indulged in some before the first Test between India and the West Indies here on Thursday.

Ganguly dismissed the threat of West Indian fast bowlers saying he was not unduly worried about them.

"I am not worried. We have faced a couple of them before and are quiet confident."

Hooper though had a word of warning for the Indians. "I must say they must look out for Adam Sanford. He is young, genuinely quick and aggressive as the Indians would find out.

"I saw him bowl in a Busta shield game and he worked up great pace on a flat wicket," the West Indian skipper said.

Sanford, a young fast bowler from Dominica Islands is the first player of indigenous Carib descent to represent the West Indies in a Test match. He took 41 wickets in the Busta shield on a flat and docile pitch 

Hooper said anyone who bowled well in this series were going to be winners. "I think the people who would decide this series are the bowlers and not the batters. Whoever bowls well will win the series."

Ganguly did not differ on this and echoed a similar feeling while recalling the 1997 series which India lost by virtue of just one defeat - a heart-wrenching loss by 39 runs in the Barbados Test when India needed just 120 runs to win the game.

I am aware what happened last time but we are keen to play aggressive and positive cricket all through," said Ganguly.

Hooper said the return of wicketkeeper Junior Murray and opener Stuart Williams, both well past 30, did not mean he was giving up on his policy of rebuilding the West Indies team with youngsters.

"Rebuilding does not mean you keep losing. But these players have been exceptional in the Busta shield this year and deserve a chance," Hooper said.