***Official*** India in South Africa

[adharcric]

Ganguly returning will be a good move. Bounce on the South African tracks is an issue, but Ganguly is one of most mentally tough guys in Indian cricket.
We need him right now. I really don't think he's a genuine bastard - he had just gotten too full of himself as captain.

Subramaniam Badrinath and Joginder Sharma should also get a look-in if Pathan is heading back to the domestic scene (which is a good move as well).

 

[silentstriker]

Ganguly returning will be a good move. Bounce on the South African tracks is an issue, but Ganguly is one of most mentally tough guys in Indian cricket.
We need him right now. I really don't think he's a genuine bastard - he had just gotten too full of himself as captain.

Yea, him and chappell will go over well. They are professionals, so they'll be able to deal...but its no secret that people like Harbhajan are in Ganguly's camp. Do you really want to be opening that old would again and creating divisions within the team?

Its no secret that historically India has been more a collection of players, rather than a team. Ironically, it was Ganguly who was instrumental in forging that identity, and now he will be the one that helps destroy it.

And really, if he has to be recalled, South Africa is the last place you want him.

He averages 32 there, and in five tests his HS is 72.

 

[shankar]

It would be ok if Ganguly were called back for the ODI team. But to call him back for tests where he wasn't a world-beater even in his prime, on the basis of a couple of innings in domestic cricket is just ludicrous.

 

[Turbinator]

Having Ganguly back is not that bad (with Dravid gone)... I mean we need some experience and killer instinct in the side and Ganguly can offer that.

Honestly, I thought about this and changed my mind, I really think Ganguly SHOULD be given another chance. Without him, the team chemistry and ruthlessness hasn't been the same. A great player and captain like him shouldn't be sent off so easily...

Also, TBH, I love Dravid as a player, but not as a captain...

 

[Anil]

Having Ganguly back is not that bad (with Dravid gone)... I mean we need some experience and killer instinct in the side and Ganguly can offer that.

Honestly, I thought about this and changed my mind, I really think Ganguly SHOULD be given another chance. Without him, the team chemistry and ruthlessness hasn't been the same. A great player and captain like him shouldn't be sent off so easily...

Also, TBH, I love Dravid as a player, but not as a captain...

there was a reason why the "great player" was out of the team....

 

[Turbinator]

there was a reason why the "great player" was out of the team....

I know, but the guy has done so much for Indian cricket... just kicking him out with no recognition or anything is pretty harsh.

 

[silentstriker]

I know, but the guy has done so much for Indian cricket... just kicking him out with no recognition or anything is pretty harsh.

What do you mean 'no recognition'? Because of what he had done, he was allowed to stay much longer than a normal player going through a bad patch.

 

[silentstriker]

I know, but the guy has done so much for Indian cricket... just kicking him out with no recognition or anything is pretty harsh.

What do you mean 'no recognition'? Because of what he had done, he was allowed to stay much longer than a normal player going through a bad patch.

 

[aussie]

Haven't looked at this series to date, but the Indian side are going through hell at the moment. If Ganguly is picked i think it would be a good move for the test series, since the younger blokes in Raina, Mongia might not be able to handle the saffies.

 

[Perm]

I'm not sure whether recalling Sourav Ganguly is a good idea or not, I've never really been into Indian cricket and I have a fairly neutral view on the man in question, but the thing is are the selectors just doing a big u-turn? Selecting Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman and now possible Sourav Ganguly. I'm all for experience and class but it still seems a little odd that these guys were all left out of the team, then as soon as India start to struggle they get recalls which seems to be like the selectors don't have any confidence in the younger guys like Raina, Mongia, Powar etc. It does take a little while for new guys to warm to the task of international cricket and although they haven't been performing as well as we would like them to they are the future of Indian cricket.

 

[silentstriker]

Haven't looked at this series to date, but the Indian side are going through hell at the moment. If Ganguly is picked i think it would be a good move for the test series, since the younger blokes in Raina, Mongia might not be able to handle the saffies.

What, and Ganguly will? He was never all that good in tests, and in SA he was even worse. In ODI's you can make a bigger argument, but with Sachin, Dravid, Laxman, Kumble and now Ganguly, we make the Aussies look teenage by comparison.

Not the mention a significant difference: all their old players are still performing at a high level.

 

[viktor]

OK, ignore them, and it's 45.07 - good, but not top class in this day and age.

True, but where is the competition? Yuvraj and Kaif haven't made any position their own in Tests and even on the domestic circuit, nobody is scoring well enough to be considered a replacement.

 

[marc71178]

Lack of competition is irrelevant for an individual's form though isn't it?

 

[shortpitched713]

Those last 11 inning where he avgs 20 with a high score of 34 would bring down his avg over the past few years.

Why don't we take out all of his innings in which he doesn't score a century, and then we could call him better than Bradman.

The fact of the matter is that on current form he is not the batsman that he used to be, and if that was all we had to go by, he would be a very borderline selection for the Indian Test side. I don't want to see him dropped, but he should take responsibility soon and right his recent record.

 

[adharcric]

What do you mean 'no recognition'? Because of what he had done, he was allowed to stay much longer than a normal player going through a bad patch.

He had plenty of recognition but the reason he should return now is because he's the best option we have.

In our test middle-order, 1) Dravid 2) Tendulkar 3) Laxman 4) Yuvraj 5) Kaif 6) Ganguly 7) Badrinath IMO.
Dravid is doubtful and Yuvraj is out, so that brings Ganguly and Badri into the equation. As simple as that.

Ganguly's experience and medium pace are also factors and as I said before, he's a real fighter and it's worth a shot.

That said, I hope he scores a century in the Mumbai-Bengal Ranji match.

 

[silentstriker]

BUT he has never been that great in test cricket, let alone in South Africa. He averages 32 even in his prime. Surely you could give someone else who has been making more runs in domestic cricket a chance?

Like move sehwag down the order (which he prefers anyway) and open with Gambhir/Jaffer.

 

[Langeveldt]

Heard they are going to blindfold Robbie Peterson and get him bowling backwards in an effort to get the Indian score over 200...

 

[adharcric]

BUT he has never been that great in test cricket, let alone in South Africa. He averages 32 even in his prime. Surely you could give someone else who has been making more runs in domestic cricket a chance?

Like move sehwag down the order (which he prefers anyway) and open with Gambhir/Jaffer.

Personally, the stats don't mean that much to me in this case. We're in deep **** and we need someone with experience, class and motivation.
Ganguly has all three, though Badrinath also deserves a call-up.

As for moving Sehwag down the order in tests, that would be a stupid move - he's our best opener right now. Assuming Yuvraj will miss the test series, here's my squad.

Openers: Sehwag, Jaffer, Gambhir
Middle-Order: Dravid/Badrinath (injury), Tendulkar, Laxman, Kaif, Ganguly
Wicketkeeper: Dhoni, Karthik
Seamers: Zaheer, Munaf, Sreesanth, VRV
Spinners: Kumble, Harbhajan

 

[Turbinator]

My Test XI for first match (without Yuvraj)...

Sehwag
Jaffer
Laxman
Tendulkar
Dravid
Dhoni
Pathan
Kumble
Harbhajan Singh
Zaheer Khan
Munaf Patel

 

[irfan]

Heard they are going to blindfold Robbie Peterson and get him bowling backwards in an effort to get the Indian score over 200...

Nice one. I'd prefer if the pacers were blindfolded tbh.