NEW DELHI, Feb 26: Indian cricket skipper Sourav Ganguly said he believed batsmen hold the key to India's success in upcoming historic series against arch- rivals Pakistan.
"We have to bat well and put runs on board. This will be key in both the series. Pakistan have a good bowling department. But just being fast will not help them pick wickets. They should have quality," he said.
Indian captain conceded that both sides would be under pressure during the series. "India-Pakistan cricket is always about pressure and there will be pressure on both sides."
Ganguly did not lay much importance on reverse swing, an art of fast bowling which Pakistan bowlers use regularly to unsettle the opposition batting. "It is a part of Pakistani attack. Only Wasim Akram could do it both ways. Once it starts going in both ways, it is a problem. But I don't think any of current bowler can do it both ways."
"Reverse swing is part of modern day cricket and we are confident of handling it," he added. Asked whether Indians expected a lot of sledging from the Pakistanis during the series, he said "sledging has reduced a little bit now a days but as professionals you have to get used to it. That cannot be an excuse."
On whether the team was apprehensive of adverse crowd reaction in India, if they did not perform well, he said "expectations are bound to be there. That's charm of an India-Pakistan series. At end of the day we should remember that it is only a sport. But we have to play inspite of every thing."
Ganguly was not unduly worried that many of his teammates had not played in Pakistan before. "Sachin (Tendulkar), Rahul (Dravid) and myself have toured Pakistan. The conditions there are pretty similar to India and I don't think it will be a problem for boys to adjust. We play all over the world and know what conditions to expect at different venues."
He said strict measures by International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit for the series would not put any psychological pressure on his players. "Preventing match-fixing and taking such measures is ICC's job. They have a job to do and we have our work and that's to play the game." -PPI
