Coach John Wright ruled out any major changes in the Indian team for the second Test against Bangladesh, pouring cold water on the hopes of youngsters who were looking to make the grade against the minnows.
"There are a few youngsters in the team but the players must remember that they represent India and have to win their places," Wright said on Wednesday, after a full practice session at Chittagong, where the second and final Test begins on Friday.
The New Zealander's statement was in contradiction to skipper Sourav Ganguly who had hinted at giving youngsters a look-in after his side registered a huge win in the first Test earlier this week.
Wright was forthright in his disagreement with the opinion.
"I do feel for [Mohammad] Kaif and [Murali] Karthik who have done well against a tougher opposition. It is tough on them. And the others in the squad, who are learning about being on tour with the Indian team, have shown great attitude and work ethics.
"I will have a chat with Sourav, and it is possible that the fringe players might play, but you have to put a value on the India cap. It is not something to be shared around," he said.
Wright said not being able to deliver the killer punch after cleaning up the hosts' top order in both the innings of the first Test was one area of concern for the team.
"In the first innings we had them 50 for five but did not nail them there. No matter whom you play, you have to be consistent. You have to set your own standards.
"We played Australia and South Africa, up next we have Pakistan. I feel this is one area we were not probably good at."
The coach backed his top order batsmen who were troubled by the new ball on the second morning on a juicy wicket, but warned them not to fall in "comfort zone".
India were in a spot of bother at 36 for three, with Mashrafe Mortaza exploiting the conditions to the full.
Vice-captain Rahul Dravid was stunned when he offered no stroke to a delivery that held its line and knocked his off stump.
Sachin Tendulkar proved to be the saviour with his record 34th Test century but he too had an anxious start when he was dropped thrice before crossing the 50 mark.
"Laxman's was a beautiful innings ... the young fast bowler [Mortaza] did pretty well and the ball moved around a bit. But we all know what Dravid is capable of.
"As I said, had they held those catches, it would have been a different game. So we have to make sure that we are not falling into a comfort zone."
Wright was full of praise for Zaheer Khan and the tailenders in general who he said had risen to the occasion everytime this season.
"The contribution from the tail is one aspect that has been impressive with this team. Anil [Kumble], Harbhajan [Singh] and Irfan [Pathan], everyone has done well throughout the season, starting with the Bangalore Test (against Australia). We need to keep working on it," Wright said.
For Bangladesh, the tail was the chief contributor to runs in the first Test.
Their coach Dave Whatmore wished his top order batsmen learnt a few things from the lower order.
In both the innings, Bangladesh lost their top five wickets for 50 or less runs. But they recovered on both the occasions with some resilient batting from the non-recognised batsmen.
In the second innings, Manjural Islam Rana and Tapash Baisya added 69 runs for the ninth wicket to stretch the match into the fourth morning.
"The tail has done well, both the batsmen got their personal best scores. Hope it wags a little longer," Whatmore said.
He said the Chittagong wicket looked a good cricket pitch similar to the Dhaka track.
"There will be rewards for bowlers and batsmen both," he said.