'Dada' comes out in support of Yuvi, Laxman, 'Bhajji'

CHENNAI: Struggling captains V V S Laxman, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh  received support on Friday from former India skipper Sourav Ganguly, who indicated that a leader was only as good as his team and it was unfair to blame one person for a side's failures.
    
"A captain always depends on how the team performs. Obviously, if they have had the experience as captain, it would have surely helped them in handling pressure.
    
"But at the end of the day it all depended on how the 11 players in the team perform," Ganguly, captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, said, ahead of Saturday's IPL clash against Chennai Super Kings here.
    
The Twenty20 extravaganza, till date, has largely been dominated by foreign players - especially Australians - but Ganguly felt talented Indian youngsters would come into their own with time.
    
"It is too early to judge now. Once you judge the performances at the end of the tournament, it will balance out. (Virender) Sehwag set a good knock for Delhi, (Yusuf) Pathan performed well yesterday. They should be judged at the end of the tournament," the left-hander said.
    
The Knight Riders have had a splendid start to their IPL campaign, winning their first two games, and Ganguly said he was enjoying captaining the multinational array of cricketers. But the feeling was no comparison to leading India.
    
"It is okay. The feeling is good but it could never the same as captaining India," he said.
    
As for captaining a team with Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting in the squad, Ganguly said, "he will be leaving after four games. He has been fantastic in the team. His intensity on the field has been excellent. I hope he can get runs in the next two matches for us."
    
The stylish batsman felt big names did not necessarily guarantee success in the shortest format of the game.
    
"All the teams in the tournament are balanced. All the teams are strong. It depends on which teams play well on the particular day.
    
"You would never imagine Deccan Chargers with such players in their ranks losing all the three games. They have a good and balanced side. So, it does not matter who is in your team but how you play in the 40 overs," Ganguly felt.
    
Luck also played a major part in deciding matters, he felt.
    
"Twenty20 is a bit of a hit and miss game and it is not like Test match or a one-day tie where you have to be skilled and talented in all aspects of the game to deliver. Therefore, any body, even an under-19 player, could deliver."
    
The format is largely considered to be a graveyard for bowlers, but Ganguly said they were the key to a successful side.
    
"Bowling always is the key in this format. That is why when we picked the squad, we gave thrust to our bowling unit.
    
"But also you have to bat well and win games. Nobody has an upper hand in this tournament. It is not a Test or one-day cricket, where the time frame is lot more and you can get back into the game. It is not the case in Twenty20 cricket," the 35-year-old said.
    
But he felt the five-day version was the true test for a player.
    
"A good bowler or a batsman of Test cricket experience will do well in any tournament and in any kind of pitches. Test cricket is the best form of the game. That is the most challenging form of cricket. Someone who succeeds there will be successful everywhere." 
    
Ganguly was happy with the start his team has had in the IPL, but was keen not to rest on his laurels.
    
"We had two good games. We thought we bowled pretty well. We got Bangalore out for 80 and Deccan Chargers for 100, though it was a dodgy wicket. Tomorrow is going to be a new day. In Twenty20 cricket, anything could happen and we will
have to wait and see," he said.
    
The Chennai Super Kings have a strong batting line-up, but Ganguly felt he had the bowlers at his disposal to put them under pressure.
    
"We will bowl to our strength. Our bowling attack is good and our attack is under total control and conditioned. If the pitch seams around, we have got good pace bowlers and then if there is turn, we have three or four spinners to take control."
    
But he cautioned that the Super Kings "have solid batsmen in (Matthew) Hayden, (Mike) Hussey, (M S) Dhoni, Suresh Raina and (S) Badrinath. They have quality players."
    
Ganguly's team will have to counter the wiles of spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan if they want to succeed.
    
"He is a great bowler. He will also understand that it is going to difficult for him as batsmen will be coming down to hit him. One cannot underestimate him. He is the greatest spinner in the world. We will have to play him well."
    
The early start will not make the toss an important factor in the match, Ganguly felt.
    
"It is going to be a good wicket. It is a four pm start and not like the other two matches (8.00pm) when we experienced the due factor. I do not think that winning or losing toss will matter."