Sourav Ganguly

Sydney: Sourav Ganguly is still unwell, but is determined to play the second Test, at the SCG, from Wednesday.

“I’m feeling better than yesterday (Sunday) and certainly don’t want to miss the Test,” Sourav told The Telegraph.

Speaking at the Radisson Plaza on Monday evening, some hours after Team India’s arrival from Melbourne, he added: “The medicines are controlling the fever, but it hasn’t gone altogether...”

Sourav and his family, incidentally, skipped the New Year’s eve cruise organised for the players and the support staff.

“No point catching a chill and aggravating my condition,” he said.

Sourav’s illness has, of course, creased the Indian think tank’s forehead. On form, after all, he’s indispensable.

As it is, the men who matter have been hassled over the second opener’s slot.

Clearly, the Rahul Dravid experiment at the MCG left everybody cold and the buzz is that Virender Sehwag is being “strongly considered” as Wasim Jaffer’s partner.

Assuming Sourav makes a complete recovery, then Sehwag can only come in if Yuvraj Singh gets dropped.

Like most batsmen, Yuvraj was a flop in the first Test.

Manager Chetan Chauhan (a former India opener), however, has vowed that the team will bounce back and that too much shouldn’t be read into the thrashing in Melbourne.

It’s a big statement which needs to be backed up with a strong on-field performance.

Footnote: The team management, meanwhile, has strongly refuted a report in one of Australia’s leading dailies which (mis)quoted cricket manager (or acting coach) Lalchand Rajput as saying there was a problem with Yuvraj’s “attitude”. Chauhan and an agitated Rajput himself issued denials. As for Yuvraj, he quipped: “Attitude problem? Woh to mera bachpan se hai!”