Ganguly criticises "negative" Nasser

The two rival captains arrived for a press conference -- and their attitudes were a study in contrast.

Winning captain Saurav Ganguly was apologetic, while losing skipper Nasser Hussain walked in with head held high.

While Ganguly defended his side's performance, Hussain spent much of his time at mike defending the tactic of bowling side outside leg stump in an obvious bid to restrict the flow of runs -- a practise that has been roundly criticised in the Indian and international media.

“They have their own way of playing the game, which I thought was negative," Ganguly said, setting the stage for the controversy. "Test cricket is about taking 20 wickets, and about having the bowlers who can take those wickets.”

Ganguly felt that Hussain was extra-cautious, and more intent on stemming runs than taking wickets.

Hussain for his part acknowledged the opinion that his strategy was negative, but said that the opinion of others did not matter to him. "I bowled the Indian team out for scores of 291 and 238 in the two Tests. Australia came here this year and was taken for 570-odd runs with Laxman getting a huge 281. So you be the judge now, and tell me what’s wrong with our gameplan?” argued Hussain.

He jokingly added, “Maybe next time we come here, we will ask the bowlers to bowl where the Indians want them to.”

Hussain added that the noise factor in India was huge and unnerving, making it imperative to have a gameplan beforehand.

“If you have a purpose and focus and you stick to it, that helps. The noise factor is huge in India,” said Hussain.

Ganguly blamed the toss for the results of the last two Tests, and said that had the coin fallen in his favour and had the Indians batted first, things could have turned out differently.

Coach John Wright, however, differed with his captain and said that the reason for the slump in performances by the Indian team was failure to adhere to the basics.

“Cricket is a simple game. By executing the basics we could have done much better," Wright said. "I thought that at Ahmedabad we didn’t catch well, and in Bangalore our dismissals were sloppy. I don’t ever interfere with the captain’s role to lead the side on the field, that is not my style," Wright added.

Wright also applauded England and said that they had done very well in the Tests, and that their lower order had been held together well by keeper James Foster. Referring to left arm spinner Ashley Giles' ploy of bowling well outside leg stump, Wright pointed out that Shane Warne had tried it earlier this year but failed because, in his opinion, Giles got more bounce than the Aussie leggie could.

“If the best batsman in the world is struggling to score freely then I think it is a great challenge. I don’t know about the spectator’s entertainment value, but yes, the trick worked,” Wright said.

Ganguly dismissed the volatile atmosphere in the middle during the course of the Bangalore Test and said that when there is pressure, aggression is very important.

Hussain agreed with that thought, and added that it is always difficult to hold tempers in check out in the middle. Australians had, from the days of Lillee and Thomson, played cricket that way, he pointed out.

Talking about his personal form, Ganguly accepted that it had been a tough year for him and said the coming break would help him recoup and come back stronger. “Yes, I am worried about my form in the longer version of the game but I have done well in the ODIs," Ganguly said. Refusing to accept that he had slumped, the Indian skipper said, “It is just that I don’t have a big score. I’m getting the starts, but just not converting them.”

Hussain for his part praised Foster's performance in the series after a forgettable first Test at Mohali. “The camaraderie that has built up on this tour amongst our players has helped youngsters like James Foster to come through the ranks with ease," Hussain said. "And though I think he can improve with his batting as well as his keeping, I don’t think he needs to be the next Alec Stewart.”

Hussain also pointed out that it was a great move by coach Duncan Fletcher to call for Andrew Flintoff -- named Man of the Match in Bangalore -- to join the tour midway to strengthen the bowling.

Defending his own keeper, Deep Dasgupta, Ganguly said that with the gloves, he had only had one bad game in Ahmedabad. "Apart from that he has kept well, and also performed exceedingly well with the bat," Ganguly said.

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