Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly today said the triangular series in Bangladesh would be “a good challenge” for his wards, but the team would feel the absence of physio Andrew Leipus during the championship beginning on April 11. “We will miss Leipus. It will be hot there so we do need a physio,” Ganguly said. Leipus, who was slated to accompany the team, was forced to change his plan as his wife had met with an accident in Johannesburg. 

Ganguly, who was speaking to newspersons minutes before emplaning for Dhaka, said the triangular tournament would be challenging considering the strength of the main rivals South Africa. “Both India and South Africa have a lot of young blood and the tournament would be good challenge,” he said.

The 15-member Indian squad, sans several big names, included new faces Avishkar Salvi, Gautam Gambhir, Abhijit Kale and Amit Mishra while offie Sarandeep Singh got a national recall after a fairly long gap. Ganguly said despite the tournament being an entirely day-night affair, heat and humidity would be crucial factors. “But, that won't affect us that much as we are used to such conditions.” Asked about his back problem, the skipper said he was struggling with it. Ganguly had initially expressed the wish to skip the tournament to recuperate from the back problem, but changed his decision following a request from BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya.

The stylish southpaw, who was accompanied by wife Dona and one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Sana to Bangladesh, said the batting order of the team was yet to be finalised. While vice-captain Virender Sehwag would open the innings, his partner was yet to be decided. “Let's see how it goes. Sehwag's opening partner would depend on conditions there,” he said, when asked whether he himself would open the innings. Queried if the vice-captaincy would put additional pressure on Sehwag, a free wheeling stroke maker, Ganguly said “I don't think so. He should play the way he plays.” On whether players like Yuvraj Singh would have to take some additional burden with a number of seniors opting out, he said, “why only Yuvraj? All of us will have to shoulder the responsibility.”

The Indian team left for Bangladesh on a Biman flight from the NSC Bose international airport at 1100 hrs.

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