We can beat Pakistan: Ganguly

With the Indian government having given the go-ahead for the tour of Pakistan, Sourav Ganguly insisted that it was one that he and his players would look forward to. Speaking to the Mid-Day newspaper in Mumbai, Ganguly said, "Most of the team members have not played any Test cricket in Pakistan. So we are kind of keen to go there." Apart from Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut there in 1989, none of the Indians have played a Test match in Pakistan.

The go-ahead for the tour came last Saturday after intense media speculation that the home ministry would seek a postponement until after India's parliamentary elections were completed in May.

Ganguly had been quoted earlier as having concerns about the security, but he appeared to be satisfied following the visit of a three-member BCCI delegation last week, one of whom was a security expert from the home ministry.

There had also been much innuendo about several top players skipping the tour, but Ganguly suggested that wouldn't be the case. "I will not force anybody to come," he said. "If any cricketer is concerned about security in Pakistan, I think we should accept that." According to Mid-Day, All the senior players they spoke to, including Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, were prepared to make the trip.

Ganguly's biggest headache will be putting together a penetrative bowling attack, with several frontline bowlers nursing injuries. Harbhajan Singh will miss the tour, having had surgery on his bowling hand just over a month ago, while Ajit Agarkar and Anil Kumble are doubtful with shin and shoulder injuries respectively. And it remains to be seen whether Zaheer Khan will recover in time from the hamstring injury that cut short his Australian tour.

"I think if we go at full strength, we can beat Pakistan," said Ganguly. "Pakistan will be formidable rivals at home. We have to seriously think about the fitness of the bowlers. We should go with an off-spinner. In the absence of Harbhajan, we should find one off-spinner who can produce big turn."

The itinerary for the tour has yet to be finalised, and it's understood that the Indians aren't too thrilled with the prospect of having to play in Karachi and Peshawar. The Indian squad will be finalised later this month, and it's expected that the players will assemble for a short training camp before crossing the border.