Will Sourav Ganguly be fit to lead India in the TVS Cup tri-series final against Australia in Kolkata tomorrow? That is the hottest topic of discussion right now in this cricket-crazy city, and probably in the rest of India as well.
A fitness test due on Tuesday morning by team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus will decide whether Ganguly will take the field for the big finale.
Ganguly suffered a groin strain while batting in the last league match of the tri-series against New Zealand in Hyderabad on Saturday, a game that the hosts won handsomely.
Leipus said the captain is responding well to treatment, which includes massage and stretching exercises. Two doctors, Mrinmoy Nandy and Trideeb Banerjee, are also attending to Ganguly and are hopeful that he will be fit on Tuesday.
For his part, Ganguly said there is little chance of him missing the final. "I am recovering well and will see how the fitness test goes," he said.
The skipper is keen on playing even if he is only 70 per cent fit, because his missing the game will be a boon for the Australians, as rival captain Ricky Ponting admitted.
At the nets on Monday afternoon, Ganguly participated in a volleyball match between bowlers and batsmen and also warmed up with the rest of the team without appearing to be in any discomfort.
In the three games played between the two sides in the current tri-series, the side batting first has always won. "Australia batted first in Mumbai and Bangalore and won," Ganguly said. "India batted first in Gwalior and won.
"[But] whatever has happened is history. Anything can happen in a one-day game. We have batted well through the series and even scored 286 against them in Bangalore."
