The Black Caps vice-captain, who caught the imagination of the Indian public with a belligerent 73-ball-158 against Team Bangalore in the IPL opener last season, is someone who is favoured by chief coach John Buchanan and perhaps, more significantly, by Shah Rukh as well.

If sources close to the team are to be believed, Buchanan is not too happy with Ganguly?s level of fitness and is actually apprehensive over the Indian captain?s chances of sustaining the rigours of a full-blown tournament in the T20 version. Dada is a few months short of turning 37.

McCullum, in contrast, is 27 and one of the fittest cricketers around. He is also on the top of his game, as the Indian team in New Zealand is discovering. "John is not a malicious person, he has no personal grudge against Sourav," a source said