Cricket: Ganguly Feeling the Pressure

Sourav Ganguly appears to be travelling incognito when he is blinking boyishly behind his Harry Potter specs, unrecognisable from the gnarled and uncompromising cricketer and captain who stared out Steve Waugh in India three years ago.

He seems to be doing a lot of blinking lately, because he seems bewildered by the pressures on his own position.

India will officially become the second best Test side in the world if they beat Australia in the current series, whose second Test started this morning at the Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk. And they have had the measure of Australia, the world's best team, in recent series, drawing in Australia last winter after winning, famously, in India in 2000-01.

Meanwhile Ganguly's form as a free-scoring left-hander with a gift for timing and an ability to hit the ball not only over the ropes but out of the stadium seemed undimmed. Eight years after his Test debut, against England at Lord's, he has scored more than 4,600 runs at an average of 41.76.

But the Prince of Calcutta, now halfway through his fifth year as captain of his country, will come under increasing pressure if India lose this series on top of four indifferent performances in one-day tournaments.

"We've played Australia five times since 1996 and beaten them three times, with a draw last time. We've also played well in Pakistan, in England and in the World Cup.

"This team has huge potential. I have tried to give them confidence, I've tried to back them, to tell everyone he will get a fair chance to prove himself and won't be dropped on the basis of one or two performances.

"But this February it will be five years as captain and it never gets any easier. We have done well in the past two years but expectations have gone higher. We've not had a good three-to-four months and if you want to be considered a good side you have to turn up every time.

"It could be a hangover after Pakistan, but that was a long time ago and I don't think it should be a reason."

Ganguly, 32, who has expressed an interest in moving into coaching, hopes to carry on playing. "I'm still young. I'll keep on playing till ... 35?" But he admits he prefers playing outside India because the pressure is less intense. "Here, everyone has an opinion on what I should do and what I should not do.

"Cricket in India is big cricket. It's much easier going out outside this country because people are not harassing you."

He believes the future development of the India side may rest with an England-style central contracts system. "We've got the contracts system going in just the past couple of weeks," he said.

"We got 17 players on contracts after we got back from England. Before that it was match fees and endorsements from the board. It's improved a lot from what it used to be."

Despite the defeat in the first Test in Bangalore, Ganguly feels there were plus points to emerge from the match.

"When Matthew Hayden came here last time, we bowled him a different line. He just kept on sweeping, sweeping, sweeping. We bowl to him differently now. We want him to hit it through the off side because that is not his strength. His strength is everything straight and through midwicket."

He would like to see county cricket becoming a finishing school for some Indian players. But when it comes to next year's Ashes series he still feels England will have their hands full. "It will be hard work for England. They are a good side now but the guy who makes the difference is Steve Harmison, a quality bowler. He makes the big difference. You wait and watch when he is not fit.

"And England must bat well because Australia will bowl well. Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Shane Warne is a good attack. McGrath bowled really well in the first Test and has got experience behind him."

But right now it is not England, Pakistan or even Australia he is thinking about. It is India, and his own position at the head of the team, which dominates this intelligent and singular mind.

Captain's log

Born July 8 1972

Test debut England v India at Lord's 1996

First Test as captain Bangladesh v India in Dhaka 2000

Test appearances 74

Tests as India captain 39

Tests won as captain 15

Tests drawn as captain 12

Tests lost as captain 12

Tests won as captain 38.46%

Test runs average 41.76

Average as captain 38.05

Average when not captain 45. 54

Hundreds as captain 4

Hundreds when not captain 7

Fifties as captain 10

Fifties when not captain 12