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Ganguly upbeat England captain rates India toughest foe on home turfPosted: Sunday December 02, 2001 6:28 PM
MOHALI, India (AP) -- England's captain Nasser Hussain on Sunday rated India the toughest opponent on its home turf and as he prepared to lead England for the series opener in the country of his birth. "It's a big moment ... There are certain special feelings involved," Hussain said. "But it's not about me any more ... It's about England, the challenge we face in the series and we start tomorrow." "India, without doubt, is the best side at home ... As Australia found out earlier this year," Hussain said. "The Indians know how to play in home conditions. Both sides are going to play hard. "It's going to be an event ... Fans in this part of the world are fanatical about cricket and it'll be an eye opener for our boys." This is England's first tour of India in eight years after losing 3-0 in 1993. Hussain said "discipline and focus" were the ingredients for success in the subcontinent. "You've got to stick to a plan if you're striving for success in this part of the world," said Hussain, who has momentous rubber triumphs in Pakistan and Sri Lanka to his credit. Hussain was born in the southern Indian metropolis of Madras and was five years old when his family immigrated to England. His father, Joe, who played club cricket in Madras, has said that one on his "cherished dreams was to see Nasser" lead England in India. "Come tomorrow and it should no different than any other test ... I always feel proud to lead my country," Hussain said. Indian captain Sourav Ganguly warned England not to read too much into India's lackluster performance on the recent tour of South Africa. Preparing for India's first home series against England that has overcome a series of stumbling blocks, Ganguly said India would always be a formidable side on home turf. Home conditions should spur India to reproduce the form which clinched it a rubber win over Australia this year, Ganguly said. "We didn't do well in South Africa but this will be a different ball game ... We've got a very good record at home," Ganguly said after the Indian team reassembled in the northern city of Mohali a day after returning from South Africa. Ganguly said the Indian team was not troubled at the thought of plunging into a home series within three days of finishing "a tough one" in South Africa as "we knew that England will be waiting for us when we get back." India had faced a similar situation eight years ago when it returned after losing the first-ever test series in South Africa to trounce England at home. The win over England had revived Indian cricket then, and Ganguly said he was "hoping for an encore." "This series will be keenly contested ... England will enjoy playing in India, in stadiums packed with our enthusiastic crowds," said Ganguly. "Visiting teams are always amazed at India's passion for cricket ... Nothing in the world matches it." Ganguly said he was not underestimating England as 'skipper Hussain and coach Duncan Fletcher had led England to rubber wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. "Ask any captain and he'll tell you how difficult it is to win a test series in Pakistan or Sri Lanka," he said. Indian coach John Wright, the former New Zealand captain, said India always presented a contrasting picture when it played at home. "The Indian team's always a different side playing on home turf," Wright said. "I think there are two reasons for that ... injudicious shot selection when playing abroad and the over-dependence on spin bowling," he said. "The batsmen are accustomed to playing strokes on India's low-bounce pitches and don't adjust easily when playing abroad," Wright said. "We've struggled with our seam attack this year in Zimbabwe and South Africa ... Have tried several combinations but didn't prove quite effective." The failure of India's five-pronged medium-pace attack led to all of five seamers being dumped by the selectors, provoking a controversy with skipper Ganguly expressing his annoyance at "not being consulted by the selectors when picking the side." "Yes, I wasn't consulted but I don't want to talk about it now ... I've been given a team and will play with it," Ganguly said. He said the Indian team was not affected by the raging controversy over Virender Sehwag's eligibility to play in the series opener against England that threatened to split world cricket after India defied the International Cricket Council's diktats. "I don't think the controversy affected us. We were busy playing cricket," he said. "We realized what was going on but knew the controversy will get over in the end and the focus will revert to cricket." Cricket will be in focus again Monday morning when Ganguly and Hussain step into the stadium for the toss on a wicket that traditionally helps pace bowlers. Teams: India (from): Sourav Ganguly (captain), Shiv Sundar Das, Connor Williams, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Jacob Martin, Sanjay Bangar, Deep Dasgupta, Anil Kumble, Iqbal Siddiqui, Harbhajan Singh, Sarandeep Singh and Tinu Yohannan. England (from): Nasser Hussain (captain), Mark Butcher, Marcus Trescothick, Mark Ramprakash, Nasser Hussain, Graham Thorpe, Andrew Flintoff, Craig White, James Foster, Richard Dawson, Matthew Hoggard, James Ormond, Michael Vaughan, Martyn Bell, Usman Afzaal, Ashley Giles and Warren Hegg. Umpires: Steve Bucknor (West Indies) and Srinivas Venkataraghavan (India). Third umpire: K.Murali (India. ICC match referee: Denis Lindsay (South Africa).
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