10 July 2004	Saturday	21 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

ISLAMABAD, July 9: Aggression is one of the keys to the successes of the Indian cricket team, according to skipper Sourav Ganguly. Ganguly said he has always tried to inculcate a sense of aggression in his team-mates which was beginning to show in their performances.

"I have been the captain of the team for quite some time and I have realised that when my players perform well, that has been only when they are up for it and aggressive. This is what I try to instil in the minds of the players," Ganguly was quoted as saying in reports available here.

"To be honest I do not believe in sitting back and taking things which are not right. If it is right, I am up to it and listen to you and try to rectify. But if you are not, I am not a sort of person to sit back and listen."

On how could India become the number one team in the world, he said, "it is simple. We have to have the consistency of the Australians who are the world number one. They have been a pretty consistent side over the years. To be the number one side, we need to beat teams more consistently.

"It is true that we played very well against Australia in Test matches and we have shown better results over them for the last four years in the longer version of the game. But we also understand that they have dominated over us in the one-dayers," said the captain who turned 32 on Thursday.

"I think it is because of the manner we played in India in 2001 and also due to our performance in Australia in 2003, that probably made people respect us as one of the best teams in the world," Ganguly said.

The skipper was, however, not willing to take all the credit for India's resurgence in recent times. "... it is just that we have started to play better since the time I have taken over as captain. It is just a coincidence. It is the right combination of the team, the quality of the players has been very very good."

The left-hander said increased level of fitness of the players had also played its part in the team's success. On his man-management skills, he said, "the players know that they have to give their best when they are on the field. It is the job of all team members when we travel as a team.

There cannot be any compromise on that. But I also realise that at this level everybody wants to do well. Some may be blessed with abilities, some may not be. "Once I am on the cricket field my relation with the person does not depend on whether he is a cricketer or not.

It just depends on my personal terms and how good a human being he is. Ganguly said although the upcoming season would be hectic, his players were geared up for the challenges including the ICC Champions Trophy in September in England. -APP