FAISALABAD, Jan 21: India captain Rahul Dravid said it was a tough decision to drop former skipper Saurav Ganguly for the second test against Pakistan on Saturday.

Batsman Ganguly, 33, a veteran of 87 Tests, was axed to accommodate an extra bowler.

“It’s very difficult to drop someone like Saurav, with all his experience,” Dravid told a news conference after Pakistan had piled up 379 for four by the close.

“Such a good player that he is, I thought we picked the right combination that will give us the best chance to win this test.

“Our aim is to try and win test matches, irrespective of the conditions, and we need to look at the best combination to win. We thought we needed five bowlers to get us 20 wickets and to have a serious chance to win this test,” added Dravid.

Ganguly played in the drawn first test in Lahore but did not get a chance to bat in a high-scoring game.

Dravid said five bowlers were picked here to rotate the attack and keep them fresh on a good batting wicket.

“We struggled a bit in Lahore in that aspect and with a long season coming up we need to keep all our bowlers fit,” he said.—Agencies