Opening is Yuvraj's best chance - Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly has suggested that Yuvraj Singh could find a Test spot in an openers role for the upcoming series against Pakistan. When asked about the prospects of Yuvraj Singh opening the batting in Tests, he told the Times News Network, "Why not? There is no room for him in the middle-order in Tests and he is too good a player to be kept out. So if he is willing to open, this could be his chance. His presence in the line-up means we are 20-plus on the field."

There are a number of fitness worries in the bowling department and Ganguly may have to rely heavily on Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan and Lakshmipathy Balaji. He added, "It served its purpose during the Test series against Australia. Also we can look at Sanjay Bangar as a back-up bowler. He is quite handy to keep things tight and give a break to our frontline bowlers. We could not force a win at Sydney because our frontline bowlers had nothing left in the tank in the end."

Ganguly also spoke about the ability of the Pakistan bowlers to turn into reverse-swing mode at will. He said, "Yes, they have the pace, and even on dead tracks they can use to old ball to reverse swing. So I would rather play them on fast grassy tracks."

About the pitches that he expects to be prepared, Ganguly said, "Their strength is fast bowling and they will obviously look to maximise their strength by playing on fast tracks with some grass on it. Our batsmen have the technique to succeed on such surfaces. We have scored runs both in South Africa and Australia and I see no reason why we cannot do the same against Shoaib Akhtar, Abdur Razzaq and Mohammed Sami. In fact, I would be worried if they chose to play on flat tracks. Batsmen of either side will flourish on such pitches, but it will be very difficult to get a result. Our batsmen may pile up the runs, but our depleted attack may find it difficult to bowl out the opposition twice on lifeless tracks."

He praised for Virender Sehwag's batting and had complete confidence in him as an opener. "People tell me he is not technically correct and that he is susceptible to the short ball, but take it from me, he will continue to get runs. He has a very uncomplicated approach to batting. Irrespective of whether he misses or gets a knock or two on his helmet, he bats in fourth gear. He does not get upset even if he gets out cheaply, so he is under no pressure. Perhaps that is the secret of his success."

He concluded with another interesting remark about the wicketkeeping position. "I cannot see how we can relieve Rahul Dravid of wicketkeeping duties now that Laxman has cemented his one-day spot."