NEW DELHI: Former captain Sourav Ganguly called for India to play “aggressively” if they are to break their 10-year drought in winning international titles.
India haven’t won international silverware since the 2013 Champions Trophy, crashing out of the last two Twenty20 World Cups. But later this year they will be a strong favourite to win the 50-over World Cup on home soil. They will also face Australia in the ICC World Test Championship final at the Oval in June.
“India have to play aggressively, especially in T20s. They have the team to do that,” Ganguly told the Times of India newspaper in an interview published Tuesday. “Indian cricket will always have talent and a big pool. It’s the ones who are more hungry go to the next level. It’s about how you prepare for the big tournaments,” he said.
Ganguly, however, declined to criticise India’s all-format captain Rohit Sharma or coach Rahul Dravid, saying they are “very balanced people and will do what’s best for Indian cricket”. But the former Indian cricket board chief hinted that he believed Hardik Pandya could be a future permanent India captain.
The all-rounder led Gujarat Titans to victory in the Indian Premier League in their debut season last year. He has also been stand-in India captain several times in the absence of Rohit.
“IPL is a good breeding ground. We have seen how well Hardik Pandya has captained in the IPL. That’s one of the reasons why he has been captaining India in the shorter formats also,” he said. “You can’t ignore wins and losses in the IPL because it’s a very tough tournament.”
Ganguly, who is widely regarded as one of the sport’s greatest captains, urged Pandya to return to Test cricket, calling him an “asset” in the five-day game as well. Pandya, a pace bowler and an attacking batsman, last played a Test in 2018 before a back injury forced him out.
YOKOHAMA: Harry Kewell has set his sights on making history with Yokohama F Marinos after guiding the Japanese club to...
RIYADH: Al-Ain advanced to the Asian Champions League final despite losing 2-1 to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal on...
ROME: A late goal by striker Arkadiusz Milik sent Juventus into the final of Coppa Italia with a 3-2 aggregate win...
ADELAIDE: LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said he is open-minded about the idea of moving to a traditional 72-hole format,...
MADRID: World number one Novak Djokovic is considering going without a coach after 20 years in professional tennis,...
LONDON: Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was left frustrated by his team’s inconsistency after their 5-0...
KARACHI: Zone-VI Blues moved into the final after beating Zone-IV Whites by 59 runs in the first semifinal of...
LONDON: Ruthless Arsenal threw down the gauntlet in the Premier League title race with a 5-0 thrashing of London...