'There was no pressure to include Sourav'

The decision was taken after the management assessed the conditions at Gaddafi Stadium.

The deposed captain Sourav Ganguly's inclusion in the team for the first cricket Test against arch rivals Pakistan was not because of any pressure from the BCCI top brass, a team official said on Friday.

HT Image

The official said the decision to include Ganguly was taken after the team management assessed the conditions at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Faced with a major selection dilemma ahead of the first Test, the tour selectors opted to include both Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh in the playing eleven and go in with one specialist opener in the form of Virender Sehwag.

"There was no pressure from anybody. The tour selection committee, after looking at the state of the wicket yesterday, decided to include two spin bowlers. The decision to play Ganguly was also taken at that meeting," team media director G S Walia informed a news agency.

There were intense speculation over Ganguly's inclusion in the playing eleven for the match since Thursday even though Dravid had refused to confirm or deny it. Dravid only said that he had decided on the playing combination and he knew what he was doing.