Best possible team picked: Ganguly

Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly on Thursday said that the national selectors have picked the 'best possible' team for the Zimbabwe tour starting August 24 and rejected the notion that the side was chosen with the 2007 World Cup in mind.

- Schedule: Tri-series in Zimbabwe

"The selectors have picked the side. I was present (at the meeting). They have picked the best possible team," Ganguly told media persons in Kolkata.

Setting aside any controversy on the selection, Ganguly said, "Whenever a team is picked, there will always be questions about the players who have been dropped. Whatever team the selectors have chosen, we have to do the most of that."

The Indian team would leave for Zimbabwe on August 22 to play a tri-nation tournament with the hosts and New Zealand as the other team. Later, India would take on the African nation in a two-Test series.

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Ganguly, who was speaking to newspersons after inaugurating the first exclusive True Value Hub of telecom service brand Tata Indicom in the city, rejected the notion that youngsters have been taken into the side with the 2007 World Cup in mind.

"The selectors have taken some youngsters to give them a chance. The 2007 World Cup is too far (away). In the end, irrespective of juniors or seniors, those who perform will play," he said.

The Indian captain parried a query on V V S Laxman and Anil Kumble being left out of the side, "The selectors have decided this. They have to answer. But I don't think the decision has been taken with the World Cup in mind."

Ganguly said the real competition would be the one dayers in the tri-nation tournament, and hoped that India would be able to change the trend of losing in the finals.

"During the last four years, we have reached the final of every tournament we have played, whether it is the World Cup or some other fancied tournament. But we have mostly failed to do well in the final. Its time we change all that. I hope we are able to change it this time", he said.

Ganguly said he had not spoken to Sachin Tendulkar about his fitness. "John Gloster (Physio) will give the report. It is up to Sachin to say when he is fit. When he feels ready to play, he will play. But the selectors are hoping that he will be fit for the two-Test series," Sourav explained.

The captain sounded confident of winning the Test series in Zimbabwe, "I don't know what happened earlier, but when I went there as captain, we finished 1-1. But the way we have been playing in Tests for the last three-four years, we should win."