Forced on the defensive after his team was outplayed by Victoria Bushrangers in the tour-opener, Indian cricket captain Saurav Ganguly today said it was common for a visiting side to feel the blues in the first game of the Australian tour. ‘‘It is the first game of the tour and teams do take time to settle down,’’ said Ganguly before rushing off to the airport to catch a flight for Brisbane where they play a three-day game against Queensland on Saturday before the first Test starting on December 4. ‘‘The bowlers sometimes bowled good lines and at other times were too short. But it can happen to a team playing its first game in Australia,’’ Ganguly reasoned. The Indian skipper also backed Virender Sehwag despite the opener’s two failures in this game. ‘‘He is a proven customer. Obviously he failed in this game but he will have another dig in Brisbane,’’ he said. Ganguly also chose to overlook Victoria’s decision to continue their innings late on the third day. ‘‘There is no surprise in what they did today. They also obviously wanted to give as much time as possible to Brad Hodge to improve his chances for Test selection.’’
