Sourav Ganguly celebrates after catching Michael Clarke on Thursday

Sydney: Indian captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday sought to drive home the importance of winning close matches on his young teammates and said they should learn to withstand pressure in big games.

“We might have competed well but we are going out of the park as losers. It is difficult to take these defeats because you get 296 and still don’t manage to win a game,” he said after Australia clinched the day-night game off the penultimate ball. “These boys are young and it is a big game for them. They have been under pressure and I hope they learn from it.”

Sourav looked for positives in the two-wicket defeat, saying his side had stood up well even in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Anil Kumble. “Somebody or the other has stood up and it is a good sign. I wanted Tendulkar and Sehwag to play in this game but if they are still required to rest I am not too pushy.”

Australian captain Ricky Ponting was delighted his side could keep their nose in front in Thursday’s match but was worried about the “thorn” V.V.S. Laxman had become for them this summer. “Laxman is becoming a bit of a thorn in one-day cricket. He has now hit four ODI hundreds against us. If somebody can tell us (how to curb him), he can join our coaching side,” Ponting said after his side had sneaked past the Indians by two wickets.

Sourav was also quite appreciative of the efforts of Yuvraj Singh and Laxman. “Laxman, the amount of runs he is scoring against Australia, might get their citizenship. Yuvraj played one of the best ODI hundreds I have seen,” he said.

Vermeulen surgery

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe batsman Mark Vermeulen has successfully undergone reconstructive surgery in Melbourne for a depressed skull fracture suffered while batting in a one-day International against India.