'We will take nothing for granted,' says Wright

The caravan moved east, from Dhaka to the port city of Chittagong, and as it rolled into town, to a backdrop of ship-breaking activities, with tones of metal, life vests, boilers and other seafaring miscellany being sold on the roadside, it became clear that for some in this Indian squad, this trip would be merely an exercise in tourism.

Sourav Ganguly, at the end of the first Test, which India won comfortably by an innings and 140 runs, hadsuggested that some of the main members of the squad may be rested to give the fringe players a chance. However, it's becoming increasingly clear that this is highly unlikely. Zaheer Khan is on 99 Test wickets, and he will be desperately keen to bring up three figures. Irfan Pathan has just taken ten, and he can't be rested. This means that for Shib Sankar Paul - who has proudly worn his India training gear even well after practice at the team hotel - and Gagandeep Singh, the dream of playing for India must be put on hold for the moment.

Anil Kumble picked up only three wickets in the first Test, and Harbhajan Singh two, and both will be eager for richer pickings. This means that Murali Kartik will probably have to warm the bench a little longer.

The strongest indication that India would play the same team, however, came from John Wright, the Indian coach, as the Indians went through a full net session at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong on Wednesday. "I had a chat with Sourav, but we haven't decided on the team," said Wright. "But you have to value the Indian cap, it is not something to be shared around just for the sake of sharing around."

But Wright did concede that this made for an awkward situation for the reserves. "You feel for those players, particularly Mohammad Kaif and Murali Kartik, who put up outstanding performances against tougher opposition - it is tough on them," he conceded. "The other new boys look good prospects, have a good attitude. I've been very pleased with the way they've come on - they are learning what it is to tour with the Indian team. Players can learn a lot from each other."

But if a team is going to have a problem, then having to leave out players who have performed well is not the worst one. India put in a strong showing in the first Test, which put the smile back on Wright's face. "Bangladesh have probably learnt a lot from that game, so it may be tougher here," he said. Everyone is keen to play - I don't think there will be major changes, everyone is actually eager to play. We will concentrate on playing good cricket. We will take nothing for granted."

Bangladesh's coach Dav Whatmore, on the other hand, was certainly not best pleased with the way things went at Dhaka. His side dropped so many catches - including two off Sachin Tendulkar - that it was heartbreaking to watch for their supporters. "The ground fielding was OK, it was the catching that was not acceptable," said Whatmore. "The last game is over, it is finished and done and it is history now - we have to learn our lessons from that game. Our ground fielding is much better than that. The more you look backwards you don't cover much ground, and for us this match can't come quick enough."