Sourav Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh await their turn at the Adelaide Oval nets on Tuesday. (AFP)

Adelaide: Irrespective of where he is, it’s absolutely rare for Sachin Tendulkar to get upstaged. Moreover, nobody would believe it to be even remotely possible on Bradman territory.

Yet, that did happen at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday afternoon, with Sourav Ganguly emerging the cynosure.

Sourav was mobbed when he finished the fielding drills and there were repeated shouts of “Dada, Dada” as he took strike at nets. It was no different when Sourav finished (among the last to do so), having bowled too.

Indeed, the Weslo security agency’s guards had a real tough time whenever Sourav moved.

“Does make me feel a little better… What else can I say? I can’t control things like selection and it won’t do me any good if I can’t focus on the final Test,” Sourav told The Telegraph.

The Test begins on Thursday.

Asked how would he explain this frenzy, days after being overlooked for the ODI squad, Sourav said: “A number of reasons, perhaps… I was the captain when we won here in 2003-04, then I made a good comeback… It could also be because Greg Chappell’s roots are in Adelaide… Am not sure, but it’s possible…”

Sourav added: “It felt great returning to the Adelaide Oval… The first thought, obviously, was that we’d won (by four wickets) here the last time… I love this ground and, hopefully, can get a few runs.”

He didn’t the last time, managing 2 and 12.

Somebody who did score big in 2003-04 was V.V.S. Laxman, who had a superb 148 in the first innings.

“Some grounds bring back really fond memories… This is certainly one of them and good thoughts do help in one’s preparations,” Laxman pointed out.

Meanwhile, placed in a must-win situation if the four-Test series is to be drawn, the Indians are almost sure of playing Harbhajan Singh (as the fifth bowler) in place of Wasim Jaffer.

If Harbhajan plays, as is most likely, then Rahul Dravid opens with Virender Sehwag.

The wicket had some grass on Tuesday and, if the greenery remains and the surface is damp due to the watering, then it’s even possible that Dinesh Karthik could replace the out of form Jaffer.

Where the Australians are concerned, dangerman Matthew Hayden has recovered from a hamstring injury and Brad Hogg looks set to take Shaun Tait’s place.

Hayden will come in for Chris Rogers, who got dropped after the Perth Test defeat. He’d been Hayden’s “cover.”