Indian captain Sourav Ganguly was the man in the line of fire after his side's 46-run defeat against South Africa in a crucial match of the Standard Bank tri-series at Buffalo Park on Friday.

He was the Man of the Match for his 85 off 95 balls, with six fours and four sixes, yet he had to spend a better part of his time explaining his team's inexplicable collapse rather than reaping the praise for his own brilliant run with the bat. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

Q: Time and again, India make a mess of a winning situation when they are chasing a target in a one-day international. Why do you think this happens?
A: Well, the team is short on allrounders and a wicketkeeper/batsman who is effective under pressure. When there is no pressure, anyone can score runs but it is when you do so under pressure that it really counts.

Q: Could you please elaborate?
A: Well, if you look at the teams around the world, only those who are blessed in these two respects seem to do consistently well. Look at Australia, they have Adam Gilchrist and Ian Harvey. Or Pakistan who have Rashid Latif and three allrounders in Wasim Akram, Azhar Mahmood and Abdur Razzaq. South Africa too have Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener and Jacques Kallis supported by Mark Boucher. That's why they are top sides.

Q: What is the answer then?
A: We have to look at a wicketkeeper who is really good with the bat in a pressure situation. And also find an allrounder who can chip in at critical moments.

Q: Youngsters like Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag do well in a match and then don't seem to perform in the next 10 games. How do you drill the importance of consistency in them?
A: Well, you can talk and talk but what matters is how you perform in the middle.

Q: But surely there must be a way of telling them that the team expects more from them?
A: Well, what alternatives have you got? (Hemang) Badani, for instance, is such a talented cricketer but he had a prolonged lean run.

Q: The team is unable to bat the full 50 overs...
A: What can you say? If you do not do so regularly, you are in trouble. It is almost criminal.

Q: Do such failures by the batsmen who follow upset you to a point where you also lose focus on your own batting?
A: There is no point in doing so. If your performance goes down, then the team tends to suffer more.

Q: Sehwag has just one innings but a succession of failures in his one-day career. Isn't it time he was told his career is on the line?
A: The problem with youngsters is they play one good innings and they are compared to Sachin Tendulkar. Class must be proved over a period of time.

Q: Don't you think Jacob Martin deserved a chance because he had batted well in the last game?
A: Shiv Sunder Das has been the first choice on this tour only because he has such a fantastic Test record. He is a quality player and deserved his place ahead of Martin.

Q: And what about our bowling options? Are you happy with our bowling strength on this tour?
A: Look at it this way. In this game against South Africa, I needed to employ four spinners in the middle overs. You can make your own judgement from that.

Q: What are your impressions about this South African side?
A: They are a very good one-day side. They have some quality fast bowlers. They really never let you take it easy. The pressure is always sustained.

Q: You seemed to be at the receiving end of a verbal assault from Andre Nel...
A: If he said something, I didn't listen. He is a young boy and at his age you do tend to get excited.

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