London, September 04:
The
mindgames that had started just after the third Test at
Headingley continued on the eve of the series decider between
India and England with the two captains once again indulging in
a war of words here today.
England skipper Nasser
Hussain repeated his statement that the pressure will be on the
Indians in the fourth and final Test starting here tomorrow.
"I think all the senior
Indian players desperately want to put an end to it," Hussain
said referring to India's 16-year long wait for a series victory
outside the subcontinent.
"It would mean pressure
on them," he said.
To which, Ganguly
replied by reminding Hussain that England were due to visit
Australia for the Ashes series and they would certainly not like
to lose before such a crucial tour.
"Whenever you play for
your country, there is pressure. But it would be the same thing
with Nasser. He would want to win before he goes for the Ashes,"
Ganguly said.
Hussain said it didn't
matter whether England went for the Ashes tour with a series win
or loss.
"The last time we
played Australia we had won four series in a row and it should
have been five. But all we got was a drubbing.
"I think when you play
Australia, all that counts is how you play them. You have to
play better than them to beat them," Hussain said.
Ganguly, who now has 11
wins in 25 Tests as captain including five abroad - the most by
any Indian captain - said it was obvious things were beginning
to look up for Indian cricket.
"Things have changed in
Indian cricket. It is lot more specific these days than they
were before," Ganguly said adding a huge credit for the team's
improved performance must go to its coach John Wright.
"Lot of coaches when
they lose, they get into a different frame of mind but it is
different with John.
"He has played the game
and he knows how it goes. Sometime you would have a tough day
and sometime good days. How you get your boys together when the
going gets tough, that's really important," the Indian skipper
said.
"He (Wright) himself
has gone through all this with the New Zealand team which didn't
have much success - so he knows it and works very hard with the
boys."
Hussain said even
though Indians won at Headingly, it would be wrong to say they
have the momentum going into the final Test. "I am not a great
believer in momentum. You are as good as you are playing on that
day.
"If they win the toss
and are 20 for five, the momentum is gone - momentum really
depends on how the game is going.
"We lost the momentum
at Headingley because that's how the game went. It is just who
plays better cricket on the day," the England skipper said.
Hussain said even
though his team lost at Headingley, they actually played the two
Indian spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh quite well. "We
played spin well there. It was a great surface to bowl spin on -
there was variable bounce as well," he said.
"They have got two high
quality bowlers and looking at that, I thought we did pretty
well," Hussain said.
Hussain, however,
admitted it would be more difficult this time around with his
team grappling with so many injury problems.
"With the changes in
the team, it is going to be difficult - Cork and Tudor haven't
been part of the squad to tour the subcontinent and they would
have to learn quickly.
"You don't get many
better combinations than Kumble and Harbhajan. You don't get
many better grounds to bowl than the Oval."
England relased Ronnie
Irani last morning and it means Derbyshire captain Dominic Cork
has a good chance of playing in the eleven.
"We might play seven
batters - it all depends on how selection goes tonight. But we
are down to 13 and we would have to get 11 out there in the
middle."
Hussain also made a
specific reference to tomorrow's decider as Tendulkar's 100th
Test and readily acknowledged he was the greatest contemporary
cricketer
"He has probably been
the greatest cricketer I have played against - he always is
under pressure and the way he has handled it is truly
remarkable."
Ganguly said his team
plans to present the maestro with a memento, autographed by all
members of the touring party, at the start of the Test tomorrow.
"He himself wants it
low key so we would not go beyond it so that he can get on with
the Test and do his best."
