Ganguly backs Gambhir, Yuvraj and others to make India return

Image
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Aug 18 2013 | 7:55 PM IST
Former captain Sourav Ganguly says the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan can still make a comeback to India's national team but they need to be "hungry" for that.
All the three players are along with Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh are out of favour these days as young guns such as Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Bhuvaneshver Kumar and R Ashwin have performed excellently in their absence.
"No player is completely out of the team. In 2011, the Indian team looked incomplete without these players. And now they are out of the team. So you cannot say what will happen tomorrow," Ganguly told Star Cricket.
"They are all very good players. They have won India world cup, Test matches, Test series. So if they have hunger inside them, they can surely be back. They just need to focus on cricket, train hard, be fit and make a comeback.
"...They are all great players. Sehwag is one of the greatest as an opener in Indian cricket. Zaheer is closing in on 300 wickets. Look at the performance of Yuvraj Singh in World Cups, be it 2007 or 2011. He has been the best. So you can't keep such players out for a long time. They would want to do better than what they have already done," he added.
Ganguly also endorsed Gambhir's decision to join English county side Essex, saying his focus should be on playing as many matches possible.
"It's a good decision, because it's an off season in India. And at this age, he should play cricket, as much cricket as possible, and find form," the 41-year-old said.
"He is only 30 now. So there is still 10 years of cricket left in him. Every player goes through a rough patch. I hope he learns from this and plays some good cricket to stage a comeback," he said.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 18 2013 | 7:55 PM IST

Next Story