With pressure mounting on Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly to perform with the bat, he skipped a media briefing on Monday and left it to his deputy Rahul Dravid to field questions and defend the skipper.
"Ganguly is busy in net practice. We thought we should show you a new face," said an ever-smiling Dravid when asked about the captain's absence.
The Indian and Pakistani teams will be playing the second game of the six-match one-day series on Tuesday. India are 1-0 up in the series, having wrested an 87-run victory in the first match at Kochi.
Batting at number three, Ganguly was bowled off the very first ball he faced. The captain has had a poor run in the Tests too and there have been suggestions that he be replaced.
Officials in Visakhapatnam had earlier announced that Ganguly would address reporters after net practice at the Port Stadium.
Dravid denied there was any pressure on the team due to Ganguly's poor form. Stoutly defending the captain, Dravid said he was confident Ganguly's form would soon return.
"There is no pressure on the team. Each one has a role to play and a job to do. There are times when some players are in form and others are not in form. It is a challenge for the team to carry people who are not in form and still ensure good results," Dravid contended.
{{/usCountry}}"There is no pressure on the team. Each one has a role to play and a job to do. There are times when some players are in form and others are not in form. It is a challenge for the team to carry people who are not in form and still ensure good results," Dravid contended.
{{/usCountry}}"There is no concern in the team over Ganguly not making too many runs of late. We are sure that he will come with a good performance sooner than latter," he maintained.
Dravid also ruled out change in the batting order due to Ganguly's lacklustre performance. "I don't think there will be any change in the batting order," he said.