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| March 23, 2003 | Sunday | Muharram 19, 1424 |
Indian captain rules out major changes
JOHANNESBURG, March 22: India captain Saurav Ganguly ruled out any major changes in either his team or his tactics for Sunday’s World Cup final.
Ganguly was asked at a news conference whether he would consider a batting reshuffle to try and counter striker bowler Brett Lee.
“I don’t think so, no,” he said. “We haven’t changed anything, we have stuck to what has brought us here and I hope we can pull this through.”
India collapsed to 125 all out in the teams’ first meeting in the first round, with Lee, who had made early inroads regularly during the Cup, taking three for 36.
Rahul Dravid, India’s top batting technician apart from Sachin Tendulkar and nicknamed ‘The Wall’ for his defensive qualities, has been relegated to five in the order and used as a ‘finisher’ at the World Cup, reducing his chances of building a major innings.
Mohammad Kaif has been used at four but has failed to impress, averaging 22.75.
Ganguly said Dravid was having no problems with a finger on his left hand which he bruised while wicket-keeping against Kenya.
He suggested India would also stick to their successful combination of three quick bowlers, backed up by one spinner.
He said the Wanderers’ pitch appeared damp on Saturday, adding: “The way our fast bowlers have bowled, it would be a difficult task to leave any one of them out.”
Javagal Srinath and left-armers Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan have taken 49 of India’s 80 wickets during the tournament.—Reuters
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