Ganguly or Yuvraj? Form the key - Imran

Imran Khan believes form should decide whether Sourav Ganguly or Yuvraj Singh occupies the No. 6 spot in the Indian batting line-up. Speaking on a show in the news channel CNN-IBN, he said: "Form is the real thing. If Yuvraj is playing better then obviously he gets in."

Imran believed it was right to strip Ganguly of captaincy but said he supported his inclusion in the touring party. "I am not equipped to know what his form is like because I haven't seen him playing. As a captain he can only command the respect of the team if he performs well himself. If a captain does not perform, it is very, very difficult to expect or get the best out of the team.

"So, in that sense, if Ganguly's form has gone, and Greg Chappell is someone I respect a lot, then perhaps it was the right thing not to make him the captain. But in dropping him from the team on a tour like Pakistan, where there would be a tremendous amount of pressure, with his experience I think it was the right decision to take him with them."

He added, however, that it would be difficult for a former captain to play as an ordinary member and that care should be taken to ensure that team spirit is not affected. "It is always difficult for a captain to then start playing as an ordinary team member. I never knew what this was like and I don't think I would have wanted to really because here you are the captain and then suddenly you are just one of the team.

"Very few players adapt to that and actually sometimes they can become disruptive. I don't know the situation of Ganguly and Dravid but it can be disruptive. When I had become the captain, there were four ex-captains and about three ex-vice-captains and it was a very difficult situation for a while [...] You do not allow any disruptive thing. Everyone sort of realises that the best player plays. If that happens, that's a happy situation to be."

Speaking about the pitches for the Test series, Imran stressed that the prevalent weather in Pakistan would be conducive to fast bowlers. "It's the best time for fast bowling in the subcontinents. They will be fresh, they will be able to bowl long spells, there will be moisture in the wickets especially in the morning. The ball will swing in the evening. So in my opinion these wickets will favour fast bowlers more than spinners."