Ganguly takes retirement in his stride

Sourav Ganguly claims he has lived with pressure throughout his career

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India batsman Sourav Ganguly insists his impending retirement will not put him under extra pressure in the Test series against Australia.

The 36-year-old announced yesterday that he will bow out of international cricket following the Border-Gavaskar series, which gets under way tomorrow in Bangalore.

Despite the announcement, Ganguly insists the series is no different from any other.

"There is always pressure, whether you're a youngster or an experienced player," he said.

"When we started we had greats like (Mohammad) Azharuddin, (Dilip) Vengsarkar, Sanjay Manjrekar and several others who had been playing for India for a long time.

"So we came in and performed and cemented our place in the side. That process will go on. It’s all about performances.

"Every year of your career you would have someone pushing you for your place in the side. But that's the way sport goes. There is always pressure to perform.

"Look at the pressure on the Australian players. They always have someone who is waiting who is as good.

"Look at (Mike) Hussey. He had to get 10,000 to 15,000 first-class runs to get into the Australian side.

"From the day you start to the day you retire, there will be players putting pressure on you at different stages. You have to live with that."

Australia were outplayed in a drawn warm-up match against a Board President's XI, but Ganguly is not putting any stock in that performance.

Ganguly used the example of Mike Hussey to highlight Australia's fierce competition

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"You should never judge a touring team on the basis of a practice game," he said.

"As a team you try a whole lot of things in a practice game before you get to the Test match. This Australian side will be formidable, as they always have been in the past.

"They perhaps lack a quality spinner, but there are other players who can make up for it.

"Matthew Hayden has a superb record against India. Ricky Ponting is one of the best and Michael Clarke plays spin very well. We have all seen what Hussey can do.

"They are a very good side and they are not the best team in the world for nothing. They have players who can deliver.

"I don't think anyone can say we would start favourites. They will be a hard side to beat and we would have to play well to beat them."

Australia triumphed the last time the sides met in India in 2004, but Ganguly feels the tourists will have to alter their approach this time around.

"They played differently last time, but they had bowlers to execute those plans," he said.

"They had Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie, who is as good as anyone else.

"Both teams have plans for this series as well, but it's the way you execute the plans that matter.

"Whichever team puts runs on the board is going to put pressure on the opposition, whether it’s India or Australia."