New Delhi: Having been included in the Test team ahead of an in-form Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly today said it was a reward for consistently performing well in the side for the last few months.

"I've been in this situation even before. But I had best performance in the team in last eight to ten months... So when you perform you are rewarded," Ganguly told reporters after the first day's play in the opening Test against Pakistan at the Ferozeshah Kotla grounds here.

The left hander agreed Yuvraj was strongly pushing for a place in the team after his match-winning performances in the one-dayers and Twenty20 World Cup but said at the highest level of sports it was always like that.

"Yuvraj is pushing for a place... But at this level of sports someone will always be knocking at the door for a place. And that's how it should be. When me and (Rahul Dravid) were young we also were knocking at the door with seniors like (Navjot Singh) Sidhu, (Ravi) Shastri and others in the team," he said. It is good because it keeps you on your toes. It is a process and it goes on, he added.

Ganguly rated India's performance as good on the "typical Kotla" wicket on the first day of the Test.

Asked if there was anything wrong with the Indian bowlers as Pakistan were 142 or 8 and went on to cross the 200 mark, Ganguly gave credit to the ninth wicket partnership between Misbah-ul Haq (71) and Mohammad Sami (20).

Source : PTI