NEW DELHI: Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has voiced his confidence in the team's preparedness for the upcoming high-stakes five-match Test series against Australia, dismissing concerns about the team being "undercooked."
"Undercooked is a term used when you haven't played any Test cricket at all. They have just played five Tests in the last seven weeks so how does the question even arise?" the former BCCI president told PTI in an interview ahead of the marquee series.
Speaking about the recent Test series loss to New Zealand, Ganguly acknowledged the unexpected nature of the defeat but emphasized the challenging nature of the pitches.
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"I can understand that the defeat against New Zealand was unexpected but you have to understand we played on some extremely difficult tracks. In Australia, the tracks will be good for batting," Ganguly said.
He also highlighted the need for India to return to playing on balanced cricket tracks that foster both batting and bowling skills, suggesting that over-reliance on rank turners could hinder players' confidence and adaptability in different conditions.
"I don't think so. But I must say that we need to get back to playing on good cricket pitches at home.
"We should stop this habit of playing on rank turners. The batsmen lose confidence on such tracks and we have a team which can win Test matches on good tracks.
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"Also on turners, you need to learn to grind before you can attack. There are two types of tracks where you can't just hit through the line and get out of trouble. One is a seaming track and other being a rank turner."
Shubman Gill's thumb fracture is undoubtedly a setback for India, but Ganguly remains confident in the team's ability and mental strength to move past their recent shock loss.
Gill, who boasts five centuries in 29 Tests, played pivotal roles during India’s previous tour, scoring a half-century in Melbourne and a match-defining 91 in Brisbane, which contributed to two memorable victories.
However, the young opener sustained a left thumb fracture while fielding in an intra-squad simulation game between the senior team and India A, ruling him out of the first Test.
"Shubman's injury is jolt for the team no doubt as he is an in-form batter and has scored in Australia. A thumb fracture could rule him out for two Tests.
"But I believe the other batters would step up in absence of Rohit (on paternity leave) and Shubman during the first Test. I don't think New Zealand defeat would have any bearing on this series," the former BCCI president told PTI in an interview ahead of the marquee series.
With Hardik Pandya no longer featuring in Test cricket, India lack genuine pace-bowling all-rounders. While Nitish Kumar Reddy remains relatively inexperienced, one of India's most celebrated captains believes the Andhra cricketer should be given opportunities in conditions that suit his skill set.
"Look, there is absolutely no point in playing two specialist spinners either at Perth (Optus) or at the Gabba (Brisbane). You obviously need to find a way to play Reddy in these conditions. He is a good batsman and coming in at lower middle order, it will lend proper balance to the side," he gave his rationale for inclusion of a multi-skilled player.
Ganguly also felt that Mohammed Shami should have travelled to Adelaide and played the second Test starting December 6, which is a day/night game. Shami is not being fast-tracked immediately by the selectors, who want him to play in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament before taking a call on his travel Down Under.
"Shami bowled nearly 45 overs, fielded for more than 100 overs and also scored some runs. That's a good enough fitness test to be sent to Australia because you need a bowler of his calibre alongside Jasprit Bumrah."
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