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Ganguly praises youthful contribution to Indian win

Sourav Ganguly praised his young Indian side after their victory over Sri Lanka at The AMP Oval which took them to the top of the table in the Nat West triangular series with two wins out of two

Stephen Lamb
30-Jun-2002
Sourav Ganguly praised his young Indian side after their victory over Sri Lanka at The AMP Oval which took them to the top of the table in the Nat West triangular series with two wins out of two.
Yuvraj Singh, 20, again played a crucial part in guiding the side to victory after Sachin Tendulkar had been dismissed for 49. Mohammad Kaif, 21, shared a crucial partnership of 60 with Yuvraj to put India in sight of victory.
"We always want to improve and I will be satisfied if we can win this tournament," said Ganguly.
"We have a young side, who have done very well and if we stay in good form then we will be in with a chance. This is just the beginning, we are doing well, I am happy and I hope it continues.
"I think everybody is performing, Rahul has been a revelation in his dual role and is keeping like a wicketkeeper. Playing him in that position helps us to play four bowlers and bat deeper down.
"Batting at six and seven is never easy in one-day cricket, but Yuvraj and Kaif have done pretty well for us in our last few series."
Ajit Agarkar was made Man of the Match for his three for 44.
"There was quite a bit of bounce in the wicket and that helped, you just had to get the ball in the right spot," said Agarkar.
"There is healthy competition between us, we are good friends and that helps."
Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore is in no doubt of the importance of the next match, against England at Headingley.
"After we play England we will be at the half way stage and if we lose that one it will be very difficult to stay in the tournament," he said.
"But I know that if we just make slight improvements in key areas it will make a lot of difference and we can turn things around. We just need a few better contributions across the board. I don't think the turning point is very far away at all - it is quite evident that the team shows a desire to win."