The Indians got ready for the match against Namibia with an eye on the weather and on their own personal form. They know that if they play to their potential it is hard to imagine the minnows actually causing an upset, though Namibia showed in their last game against England that they are capable of giving teams a run for their money.
Sourav Ganguly seemed confident of securing the four points against the African nation.
"It is not difficult getting pumped up for such matches (against the non-Test playing nations). We are a little worried about the weather but there is not much we can do about this. We are certainly not complacent and look to prepare for this game in the same way as we do for games against the Test-playing nations," he said, while addressing a press conference.
"We don't know much about the Namibians but they did play well against England. They play hard and are a good fielding side," the Indian skipper added.
To a query on star batsman Sachin Tendulkar missing the team's visit to Pietermaritzburg railway station on Friday, he said: "Sachin Tendulkar is fine; he just had a minor injury that comes from catching the ball in the same place all the time.
"Tendulkar and Sehwag will continue to open. There is no room for experiments in the Indian team now. We need every point we can get from the group stages."
Ganguly added that "Ajit Agarkar and Anil Kumble might find a place in the squad", which means there would be no place for Sanjay Bangar and Parthiv Patel.
Replying to a query whether India will stick to the same batting order for this match, Ganguly said: "The batting order does not make a big difference. The openers have to get the side off to a good start.
"We are a much better batting side than we have actually managed to show during our first three matches. Our application during the match against Zimbabwe was very good; Sehwag especially impressed; even when we score normally we end up scoring at around 5.5 runs per over."
Just yesterday, Javagal Srinath had criticized Indian commentators for being too harsh on the team. Today, Ganguly supported his views.
With the weather factor actually weighing on their minds, Ganguly was of the firm opinion that "reserve days should be allocated for rain".
"It happened in the last World Cup, why can't they do it this time round?" he asked.
Ashish Nehra was in prime form during the game against Zimbabwe. His rhythm was perfect and his pace was very good. His skipper felt this improvement can be attributed to "his improved fitness and his regular working out with the trainer, Adrian Le Roux."
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