Stripped of the vice captain’s armband, Rahul has failed to pass the 25 mark in his last 10 trials. The average score below 35 out of 47 Tests is not a realistic perception of his true potential.
“When you don’t score in India, obviously you get penalized. KL Rahul isn’t the only one. There were players in the past as well,” Ganguly told PTI in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the tournament. . Delhi’s capital‘ IPL pre-season camp.
Ganguly tried to explain why Bengaluru man persisted despite repeated failures.
“There’s too much focus and attention with so much pressure on the players. The team leadership thinks he’s an important player for the team. After all, what the coach and captain thinks is what matters. important,” said the 113 Tests and 311 ODI veteran.
KL Rahul (IANS Photo)
While Rahul has played some quality knockouts in the UK and Australia, Ganguly says it’s clear that people would expect more from a tennis player as talented as Rahul, who has only passed five hundred Tests. for nine years.
“He showed but obviously you expect more from a top player playing for India because the standards set by others are too high.
“When you lose for a while, obviously there will be criticism. I’m sure Rahul has the ability and I’m sure when he gets more opportunities, he’s going to have to find a way to score,” he explained. prefer.
So is Rahul’s problem technical or spiritual? “Both,” answered pat.
KL Rahul (AFP Photo)
But the former BCCI President also offers an interesting insight into Rahul’s lack of running as he’s been approaching pacers as well as spinners in all conditions lately.
“It’s also difficult if you’re playing on surfaces like this because the balls spin and bounce. The bounce is uneven and when you’re out of form, it becomes even more difficult.”
SHUBMAN HAS TO WAIT
There was a cry to include Shubman carries in the typical squad but Ganguly feels that the Punjab man will stand a chance and it won’t hurt if he has to wait a bit.
But what would you say to a Shubman who has to cool off his heels when he’s in a red-hot state?
“I’m sure when his time comes he’ll have a lot of opportunities too. I think the selectors, captains and coaches think of him and rate him very highly. That’s why. why he plays ODI and T20Is, and he showed as well.
“But at the moment, perhaps the message from the board of directors is that he has to wait.”
Shubman Gill (IANS Photo)
While India won in both Tests, the top order beaters except Rohit Sharma was flattered to deceive without getting a fiftieth.
Nowadays, does the concept of batters prevail against spinners seem so foreign? “I don’t think so. These are very tough players. I saw in the first two Tests and it wasn’t easy for the boss. Playing with Ashwin, Jadeja, Lyon and the new guy Todd Murphy, no. It’s never easy with weird balls spinning at right angles. There’s unevenness, there’s everything that happens to the spinner.”
THIS IS NOT STEVE WAUGH’S TEAM
India won two Test matches in the cricket’s five-day accumulator, and Ganguly is not surprised.
“India is another monster in India. They’re a pretty good team but in India they’re pretty hard to beat. When things started to change, they were a better side than anyone,” he answered sharply.
Is the score of 4-0 really possible for India?
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
“I think so. I don’t know how Australia can prevent that,” he was pragmatic in his assessment of Australia’s performance.
“The thing is, we keep comparing this Australian team to past teams and it’s not the same. You don’t have Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Steve and Mark Waugh, (Adam) Gilchrist, you name it. them You don’t have that quality.
“Steve Smith is a great player. (David) Warner hasn’t played, (Marnus) Labuschagne is a good player but these are also difficult conditions for him.
“The mistake we made with the Australian teams was that we thought they were Steve Waugh’s Australia but they weren’t. Different players were tested differently under different conditions.”
BE TOUCH WITH Pants
Ganguly is the Cricket Director of Delhi Capitals and one of the hardest challenges for him is to fill the gap due to the unavailability Rishabh pantswho had a horrible accident and recently had surgery.
“I’ve spoken to him a couple of times. Obviously he’s going through a tough time, going through trauma and surgery and I wish him well. In a year or maybe a few years. Next time, he will come back to play for India,” Ganguly’s voice was slightly sad as he talked about a player he loved so much.
Would he like to see Pant with the team for a while in the IPL, which could also help his recovery.
Sourav Ganguly and Rishabh Pant
“Don’t know. We’ll see,” said Ganguly.
DC has yet to announce a replacement for Pant, and Ganguly has yet to decide who is better between young Turk Abhishek Porel and domestic veteran Sheldon Jackson.
“We still need some time to find out. Next camp starts before IPL.”
While David Warner is set to lead DC, Axar Patel will be his deputy this season.
Ganguly watched a three-day camp in Kolkata that the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Ishant Sharma, Chetan Sakariya, Manish Pandey attended along with other domestic players.
“IPL is a month away and the new season starts. It’s hard to get all the players together because of the amount of cricket they play. There are four or five people playing Irani Trophy. Fingers Sarfaraz’s is injured and it’s not a broken finger. He will be fine for the IPL,” he concluded.
