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| Sourav Ganguly: ‘We are not concerned with the security and we are here to play’© AFP |
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The Indian team has landed in Dhaka under moderately heightened security following the death threat from an Islamic militant group. They arrived without fanfare or scares, but to a throng of curious locals who were waiting in the hundreds outside the Zia International Airport. They emerged first from the aircraft and were taken to a VIP room, where the necessary paperwork and formalities were completed. They then boarded a bus through a private exit, and, with police escort, were driven to their hotel.While the security arrangements were slightly more elaborate than those in India, it was not quite to the dramatic scale of India’s recent tour to Pakistan. There, the streets were cleared each time the team ventured from their hotel. In Pakistan the motorcade was an imposing one, with motorcycle outriders, police jeeps and army rangers with mounted submachine guns flanking the team bus. Here, a couple of simple escort vehicles sufficed, and at no point was the normal flow of traffic interrupted by the local police.Sourav Ganguly spent a quick few minutes on arrival, answering questions. “We have just landed and we have no idea about the security situation. We are here to play the game,” he said, when asked what he thought of the security situation.Ganguly also dismissed suggestions that this series would be merely preparation for India’s home series against Pakistan in the beginning of next year. “We have to play to our potential and take it series by series. [Pakistan’s visit] is still a long way off. We have a lot of time to think about it.” This is India’s first full series in Bangladesh, and he added that his team would have no trouble motivating itself even against a relatively weak team like Bangladesh. “Test cricket itself is a motivation for everybody.”
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| Sachin Tendulkar: one century away from Sunil Gavaskar’s 34 Test tons© AFP |
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While India seem to have only the security situation to worry about,Bangladesh under no illusions that the Indians have arrived with plenty to achieve. Anil Kumble, equal with Kapil Dev at 434 Test wickets, is certain to make the record his own. Sachin Tendulkar is one century away from drawing level with Sunil Gavaskar, on 34 Test tons. But, as Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh captain, said recently, Bangladesh have a few kinks to iron out. “[Our] batting is the main worry. The top order have not put up scores when they should have,” he said. “Also, Harbhajan [Singh] and [Anil] Kumble take plenty of wickets in every Test.”This left Bangladesh with a tricky dilemma when it came to the type of pitch they wanted. Mohammad Rafique and Manjural Islam, the two left-arm spinners, have been the most penetrative of Bangladesh’s bowlers. But, with Kumble and Harbhajan in such fine form in the recent past, the Bangladeshis were wary of preparing a track that would turn. To complicate matters further, their batting has struggled so much against swing and seam movement that it would be disastrous to prepare a strip that assisted the seamers. Hence, as local sources suggest, it seems inevitable that the pitch will be a flat, batting beauty.With the Indian team safely tucked away at its hotel, the Bangabandhu stadium wore a desolate look. Groundstaff pottered about attending to the pitch and outfield, and other officials sorted out advertising hoardings, facilities for players and the media, and similar last-minute details. There was no evidence of the massive security presence recently reported in sections of the media.The first Test is scheduled to start at Dhaka on Friday, a day behind the original date.