Kolkata, Oct 04: Brushing aside the views of legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar that Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath were past their prime, Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has said the two veterans were needed as the bowling was "weak and inexperienced". "We need them both as otherwise our bowling is weak and inexperienced," Ganguly told reporters when asked about Gavaskar's remarks that the two bowlers needed to make way for younger and fitter players.
"With his record in both versions of the game, Kumble is our best bowler. He is a match-winner. So, I think there is no reason why I should not have him in my side," he said. In contrast Harbhajan Singh was still young and Ganguly said the seasoned Kumble would be a perfect foil to him.

On Srinath, who was flown to Colombo before India's Champions Trophy final against Sri Lanka to replace an injured Asish Nehra, Ganguly said one should not judge the speedster's form on the basis of his performance in the rain-aborted match on September 29.
"He had landed in Colombo after a tiresome ten-hour flight. So, one should not judge him on the basis of his performance that day," he said.
Srinath had come in for harsh treatment from the Lanka batsmen, conceding 55 runs from eight overs, and India left him out while including Kumble in the replayed final next day to exploit the spin-friendly track. Bureau Report