BANGALORE, Jan 2: Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid says though team did not perform well during last Pakistan tour of India, but this time “boys have geared up to put tough fight”.

About upcoming Pakistan tour, Dravid said the team was looking forward to the series involving three Tests and five One-day Internationals. “It is very competitive, it would be a tough one and we have to perform well.”

Stating that day’s performance will produce a winning team, he said no team is “a favourite and none is an underdog. I don’t want to term any team as favourite or under dogs, since past performance will not count. How we perform on the day of play matters rather than how we performed earlier”.

Asked whether Pakistan, which won series against England, would be the favourites in upcoming Indo-Pak series in Pakistan, Dravid said “may be they have performed well and won against England.

“We too have won against Sri Lanka recently, the win was really a moral booster, but at the same time we cannot consider Pakistan as having upper hand and we don’t.

“It does not matter what happened for last one month, what matters is how we play on the day of match”, Dravid said while adding, “though India did not perform well during last Pakistan tour of India, this time boys have geared up to put up a tough fight.”

To another question whether paceman Shoaib Akhtar would be a crucial factor, he said “we are not focusing on any individual, for us whole team is a factor. If you go on focusing on any individual it is not good for team and we will be committing mistake.”

Dravid welcomed inclusion of former skipper Saurav Ganguly for Pakistan tour. “Ganguly’s inclusion is good and it will encourage other players as well.”

Meanwhile, Ganguly is determined to revive his faltering fortunes in Pakistan after enduring ‘worst’ year of his career.

He told Mid-Day: “It was worst year as far as my cricketing career is concerned. I’m really happy that 2005 has passed.”

“The bottom line is I have to make lots of runs. I don’t want to be distracted and I don’t want controversies.”

Ganguly has lost captaincy and his place in India’s one-day squad. He even travels to India on fringes of Test side having found it difficult to adjust to new regime instilled by coach Greg Chappell.

After being dropped for India’s most recent Test match against Sri Lanka, the country’s most successful captain ever has turned back the clock 10 years.

“In 1996, it was tough to break into team,” he said of year he made his debut and scored centuries in his first two Tests against England. “Now it’s tougher. But I am ready to accept it. That’s challenge of 2006.”—Agencies