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Saurav Ganguly
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes Rishabh Pant is on course to become an all-time great in Test cricket but at the same time, the southpaw needs to raise his game in the shorter formats. Pant on Sunday returned to the Test side for the first time since his life-threatening car accident in December 2022. He is expected to the start the first Test against Bangladesh beginning in Chennai on September 19. Since his return earlier this year following the accident, Pant has played T20s and ODIs and has done well. "I consider Rishabh Pant one of India's best Test batsmen. I'm not surprised that he's back in the side, and he will continue to play for India in Tests," Ganguly said at a promotional event here. "He will be an all-time great in Tests if he keeps performing like this. For me, he needs to get better in the shorter formats. With the talent he has, I'm sure with time, he will become one of the best." Indian selectors have opted to give Mohammed Shami more time to recov
Former India captain and Delhi Capitals director of cricket Sourav Ganguly is in favour of continuing with the impact-player rule in IPL, but wants teams to decide their picks at the toss. The impact-player rule has become a hot topic of debate following the recently-concluded edition of IPL where scores in excess of 250 runs were notched up eight times. Ganguly added he wants the boundaries to be pushed further back in upcoming IPL editions. "I like the impact player rule. My only thing with IPL is that I just want the grounds to be a bit bigger. The fences should go a little behind," Ganguly told the media on the sidelines of the International Procurement and Supply Chain Conference organised by the Blue Ocean Corporation. "It is a great tournament. The only thing you can do with the impact player is decide before the toss, so it's a bit of skill there. "So, have the impact player revealed before because that will require a lot of skill and game plan. But, I am all for the impac
Axar Patel's promotion in Delhi Capitals batting order is being seriously contemplated by the management, team Director Sourav Ganguly said on the eve of IPL game against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday. Ganguly, however, expects DC vice captain to bowl a better line after getting some hammering from Kyle Mayers and Nicholas Pooran. "Yeah that's (batting) been discussed and he will bat up the order as his batting has improved. He has batted exceptionally well on difficult tracks against Australia and hopefully he can score runs for us," Ganguly told mediapersons. He was, however, sympathetic about spinners getting hit on a flat deck. "It's not easy when West Indian boys keep hitting you through middle. And they hit a long way. Mayers, Pooran, Russell and Powell they hit miles in T20 cricket. "Yes, he has to get lines right and most of the time T20 is about clever bowling and being aware of situations because you play on flat tracks and ball is almost new," Ganguly reasoned. "So it's no
Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly says India's star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant "must take his time to heal properly" from his injuries, before launching his bid for a comeback to competitive cricket. Pant was involved in a road accident in the early hours of December 30 as he was driving from New Delhi to Roorkee. He is currently recovering after undergoing treatment for his injuries. Former India captain Ganguly said that the Delhi Capitals franchise, of which Pant has been the skipper in last few seasons, will definitely miss the wicketkeeper-batter in the upcoming Indian Premier League. Ganguly is serving as DC's director of cricket. "I am sure that the national team is missing him as well. He's young and he has got a lot of time left in his career. He's a special player and he must take his time to heal properly. We wish him all the best and I'll meet him as well," Ganguly said in a release issued by the IPL franchise. Ganguly has been keenly observing all the players
Right after taking charge, new BCCI president Roger Binny on Tuesday said frequent injuries to top India players is a matter of concern and promised to "get to the bottom of it all". Improving the pitches for domestic cricket is also high on his agenda. "We will look to improve on what we can do to reduce the injuries to players," Binny told reporters here after taking over BCCI presidency from Sourav Ganguly. "Players getting frequently injured is a concern, and we wish to get to the bottom of it all and see how it can be changed for the better. "We have excellent doctors and trainers at the National Cricket Academy (in Bengaluru), but we must look to reduce the injuries and improve recovery." India have fielded as many as 40 players across formats in 2022, with injuries being the main reason, apart from multiple series being held simultaneously. The team will be without its premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah and star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, all thanks to injuries. While Bumrah