India captain Rahul Dravid said it was a tough decision to drop former skipper Sourav Ganguly for the second Test against Pakistan on Saturday.
Batsman Ganguly, 33, a veteran of 87 Tests, was axed to accommodate an extra bowler.
"It's very difficult to drop someone like Sourav, with all his experience," Dravid told a news conference after Pakistan had piled up 379 for four by the close.
"Such a good player that he is, I thought we picked the right combination that will give us the best chance to win this Test.
"Our aim is to try and win Test matches, irrespective of the conditions, and we need to look at the best combination to win. We thought we needed five bowlers to get us 20 wickets and to have a serious chance to win this Test," added Dravid.
Ganguly played in the drawn first Test in Lahore but did not get a chance to bat in a high-scoring game.
Dravid said five bowlers were picked here to rotate the attack and keep them fresh on a good batting wicket.
"We struggled a bit in Lahore in that aspect and with a long season coming up we need to keep all our bowlers fit," he said.
TOUGH DECISION
"It was a tough decision to make and Sourav is unlucky to miss out."
Dravid praised the efforts of his bowlers on day one.
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"We bowled well with the new ball and showed a lot of discipline with the old ball.
"At 216 for four on a good pitch after having lost the toss I thought we were in control of the game but they played positively. I thought the game ran away from us in the last hour."
Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan was not happy with the behaviour of the crowd and advised them to refrain from making personal remarks about players.
"It is not right and such things upset the concentration of the players," said Younis. "We have a good game of cricket on our hands and they should enjoy that."
Indian players were heckled throughout the day by sections of the sellout crowd.
