Return of Tendulkar a major boost: Ganguly

Boosted by the comeback of Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble but still missing some key players, the Indian cricket team arrived in Johannesburg on Monday night on a gruelling assignment that is probably its toughest tour since the trip to Australia two years ago.

India are without V V S Laxman and pacemen Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, all of whom could have flourished on the fast and bouncy tracks in South Africa, but skipper Sourav Ganguly insisted it was a fine team which would give a good account of itself.

"We have a very good squad and the return of Sachin Tendulkar is a major boost", Ganguly told reporters on the team's arrival from Mumbai.

Ganguly, one of the few members of the team to have toured South Africa earlier, was hopeful of doing well as batsman but brushed aside suggestions that he was under pressure to perform.

"I have been under no pressure. I don't know where the media gets its information from", Ganguly said.

India will play in a triangular one-day series with South Africa and Kenya starting on October 4 and then engage the hosts in a three-match Test series.

All the three injured players are expected to join the team for the Test matches which start in November.

Ganguly said arriving ten days early in the country would help the team in getting acclimatised to the conditions.

"It's good to get used to the conditions. Each and every player needs about two weeks to get used to the conditions," he later told local radio.

The team will be based in the city for the next week and will play its first match against the Nicky Oppenheimer XI later this week.

Ganguly said his team was not worried by its past record in South Africa where it has been unable to win any Test match. "That's all in the past. Let's not talk about it," he said.

Mail Cricket Editor