November 20, 2006	Monday	Shawwal 27, 1427

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NEW DELHI, Nov 19: Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly feels the South African tour will be a litmus test of his successor Rahul Dravid's captaincy.

“The South African tour will be the most difficult tour for Rahul as captain. When the team plays it is the responsibility of the captain but I also think it is not the sole responsibility of the captain that the team wins,” Ganguly said in an interview on Sunday.

The former skipper feels the Proteas will make full use of their home conditions and come up with green tops to neutralise the Indian spinners' impact on the series.

“Every team uses conditions that suit them, South Africa is known for using green top wickets and in that case the strength of our spinner is neutralised,” he said.

The Bengal Southpaw, who is currently out of favour with the selectors, said the new selection panel headed by Dilip Vengsarkar has given him ‘positive vibes’ and he was hopeful of making a comeback in the World Cup.

“Every team should be picked on the basis of performance. The new selection committee headed by Vengsarkar has given positive vibes about judging players and I am quite hopeful of making a comeback,” he added.

“I haven't lost hope and that is why I am still playing. I have never thought of quitting. I scored a century in a Duleep Trophy match and will try and do well in the upcoming Ranji Trophy matches,” he said.

Asserting age was no bar for him, Ganguly said if Sachin Tendulkar and Dravid could continue playing in their early 30's, so could he.—Agencies