Mahendra confident of Ganguly's return

Sourav Ganguly has found support in his hour of crisis with Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the president of the Indian board, saying that Ganguly could not be ruled out of India's plans for the World Cup in 2007.

"At present nobody wants to disturb the winning combination," Mahendra told Press Trust of India, "otherwise I don't think there's any problem for Sourav to return to the international team."

Asked specifically if Ganguly held a chance to be a part of the team for the World Cup, Mahendra retorted: "Who has ruled him out? Nobody has. This is the handy work of gossip-mongers who believe in sensationalism. He is a great player, he has also been a great captain. We are proud of him and he will definitely make a comeback to the team.

"In my view, even the selectors have not taken any negative view on Sourav's likely comeback," he added. Mahendra said Ganguly was dropped from the one-day side due to the problem with his elbow. "I don't think anybody believes Sourav does not deserve to be in the team. He was dropped due to pain in his hand. His performance in Zimbabwe and in Duleep Trophy has been good, I think he will definitely make a comeback."