Ganguly: Aussies deserving champs

JOHANNESBURG: Sourav Ganguly’s dream of emulating former skipper Kapil Dev’s 1983 World Cup triumph wilted under the impact of the Australian batsmen’s willow yesterday, but the captain was impressed with the effort - all around.

“The Aussies are deserving World Cup champions. It’s disappointing for us, but all credit to Ricky Ponting and his team,” Ganguly told reporters after Australia’s 125-run win at the Wanderers. “We’ve lost the final, but it’s been a wonderful World Cup,” Ganguly added. “This has been one of the highlights of my three-year tenure as captain. We’ve clicked as a unit, that was the key element to bring us this far.”

Nine of India’s 15 players were playing in their first World Cup and Ganguly said they’d proven to be worthy of representing India’s one billion people. “For many of the Indian players this was their first World Cup, and they did us proud by standing up to the pressure,” said Ganguly. India had not reached the final since Dev’s team upset the West Indies to claim the 1983 title. Ganguly said the Australian run-riot had put the game out of India’s reach. “It wasn’t an easy wicket to bat on early, but they did it. They played like world champions,” he said.