A Tendulkar-less India take on Zimbabwe at Faridabad India may have swept the Test series, but Zimbabwe’s stirring fightback on the last day of the second Test at Delhi meant that they cannot be summarily dismissed ahead of the first one-dayer at Faridabad. The Zimbabwean cause has been further helped by the fact that India have also suffered a couple of vital blows - Sachin Tendulkar has pulled out of the first three one-dayers, while his protege Virender Sehwag will sit out the matches because of an injured shoulder. Interestingly, out of the four one-dayers that the home team has played at the venue, their only win has come in the match against Zimbabwe in 1993, which they won by a handsome 67 runs. Skipper Sourav Ganguly will know that he will have a big role to play if India are to improve their poor record at the venue. Zimbabwe, playing for pride, will be looking to Alistair Campbell and the Flower brothers to ensure a winning start to their one-day campaign.

Ganguly sets his sights on conquering the Carribeans Sourav Ganguly has many reasons to feel delighted at the end of the two-Test series against Zimbabwe. His team swept the series and he finally scored a Test ton after 28 long months, to mention but two pluses. The Indian captain, though, was not prepared to bask in the glory of the series triumph against the lowly Zimbabweans; the leader that he is, he set his sights on winning the upcoming series against the West Indies. "It is important for us to win overseas, and the West Indies tour is coming up ,which will be very crucial," he told pressmen at the post-match press conference at Delhi. Ganguly has already led India to three away Test wins, and any further wins on foreign soil would make him India’s "winningest" captain abroad. Five Tests against the currently weak West Indies should provide him the best opportunity to claim that honour. It would also help the Indians to wipe out memories of their 1-0 loss in the previous series in the Carribean. Talking about the tight win that his side eked out on the fifth day of the second Test, Ganguly admitted that at one stage it did seem that India would falter in their chase. "It looked like a crisis, but it wasn't. We got two rough decisions, and we were a batsman short," he said referring to the dismissals of Anil Kumble and Shiv Sunder Das. "It is always difficult to bat on a fifth day pitch, and the ball was turning and bouncing," the Indian captain went on to add. Ganguly’s ninth Test win as captain also managed to bring a smile to Indian coach John Wright’s face. "It is good that we managed win despite losing the toss," the former New Zealand captain said.

The Kolkata connection After the win at Delhi, the perpetually aggressive look on Sourav Ganguly's face was replaced by a broad smile. And rightly so, because he had just become only the second Indian skipper after Mohammad Azharuddin to win back-to-back Test matches as captain. As the icing on the cake, furthermore, he had just made his first Test hundred in 28 months, a drought that not many would have predicted when he notched up two tons in his first two Tests. Even after the media briefing was over, the Kolkata scribes were in no mood to let go of the skipper. "Another question, Dada," said one, and Ganguly duly gave an answer. Another one, and Ganguly again did the needful. But the Kolkatans were looking for something sensational from the skipper. When nothing transpired, a scribe asked Ganguly, "Maharaj, interesting kichu bolo" ("Say something interesting"). Ganguly said that he would leave that for the one-dayers.

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