'Grass is good' - John Wright

John Wright has said that he hopes for a good pitch for the match against Australia at Bangalore. He said: "The wicket was good during the Challenger Series, which was held in October, and I expect the same on Wednesday. There is a lot of grass and it is good. And I also hope that the toss would not play a big role in deciding the winner."

When asked about the composition of the side he said, "it is up to the selectors and the management to decide on the eleven and we will have a look at the wicket and name the squad." He said that the team had been playing well so far but added, "I know they can play better."

He was happy with the teams' practice and said, "We had a thorough practice session on Sunday and Monday. We had three days here and it was good. But looking at the teams in the tri-series it is always going to be tight."

Ashish Nehra - who Wright said was bowling well in the nets - come into contention for a place and it was also confirmed that Rahul Dravid will keep wickets. "It allows us to add one more batsman in the line-up. Also Ganguly is fit again and so are the other members of the squad. Zaheer had a chest infection but is alright now," Wright said.

Except Harbhajan Singh - who is suffering from a cold - the rest of the team went through a training session on Monday evening at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Wright was not unduly concerned about the sudden spate of injuries. "There have been situations in the past where we had to play without Sachin Tendulkar and others. But we still won. Such things should not bother us. Instead, it gives an opportunity to the youngsters, " he said.

When asked about India's tour to Pakistan next year, Wright said, "There is always great anticipation of an India-Pakistan match, as it was evident in the World Cup. I know the significance of the tour...it is a challenging tour, but first we have to do well in Australia. It is the first hurdle. The tours to Australia and Pakistan are a huge challenge."