Sourav Ganguly Brings Out 'Off-Spinner' Reference Yet Again As Ravichandran Ashwin-Less India Struggle In WTC Final

09.06.2023 - 08:59 sports.ndtv.com

Team India have a huge mountain to climb in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia, with three full days of play left at The Oval.

After Australia posted a mammoth total of 469, India crumbled to 151/5 at stumps on Day 2 and trail by 318 runs. India were 71/4 at one stage before Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane added 71 runs for the fifth wicket.

However, Nathan Lyon dismissed Jadeja shortly before stumps to put Australia in the driver's seat. Highlighting Jadeja's dismissal of Lyon's delivery, former India captain Sourav Ganguly took a dig at the team management for dropping Ravichandran Ashwin from the playing XI. "Who says off-spinner can't play on a green pitch?

Left-handed batter [Ravindra Jadeja] and Nathan Lyon. He has more than 400 wickets in Test cricket. At this moment, he dismissed India's best batter. [It had both] Turn and Bounce," Ganguly said while commentating.

cricket Australia Cricket Team as Nathan Lyon Sourav Ganguly Australia India

One of the finest Indian cricketers ever, Sourav Ganguly raised a few eyebrows his comment as he claimed that winning the Indian Premier League (IPL) was more difficult than winning the World Cup. Ganguly's comments came as he was backing Rohit Sharma to continue leading the Indian team. Gagnuly's comments drew reactions from fans all across the globe. Even former Pakistan batter Salman Butt expressed his views on Ganguly's remarks, slamming the former BCCI president.

"Siraj Threw Ball Towards Smith...": Ganguly Explains What India Missed At Start Of WTC Final

Australia defeated India by 209 runs in the final of the World Test Championship to claim their maiden title last week. The game was dominated by the Pat Cummins-led side and India barely had their moments of joy. Australia ended Day 1 with a score of 327 for 3 and that put the side well ahead in the game. India did make a good comeback on the following day, but it was certainly late for them as the batting side still managed to post 469 runs on the board.

"Hope He Is Listening": Sourav Ganguly Issues 'Test Cricket Plea' To India Star

India's failure to go the distance in the ICC World Test Championship final 2023 has attracted opinions from all across the globe. While some have blamed the coach-captain pairing of Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma for the loss, others feel it's time for some veterans to make way for younger players. Sourav Ganguly, former India captain, giving his opinion on India's loss, feels there are many youngsters who can be gradually brought in. But, Ganguly also issued a plea to all-rounder Hardik Pandya to start playing Test cricket.

"Only He And MS Dhoni...": Sourav Ganguly Reasons Rohit Sharma's Selection As India Captain After Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was one the most successful captains that India had across formats. However, his reign didn't end well. He stepped down from T20I captaincy with the conclusion of India's 2021 T20 World Cup campaign. After that, he was removed as ODI captain of the side. A few months later, Kohli stepped down as Test skipper of India. Rohit Sharma was the man who was chosen the take up the role across formats after Kohli. The then BCCI president and former India captain Sourav Ganguly has reasoned the appointment of Rohit in a recent interview.

"After Virat Kohli Left, Rohit Sharma Was...": Sourav Ganguly's Big Revelation On Captaincy Saga

Virat Kohli's reign as captain of the Indian team came to sour end in the 2021 after he was removed as skipper of the ODI side. Kohli, who had taken over the leadership baton from the legendary MS Dhoni, announced his decision to step down as T20 captain after the T20 World Cup in Dubai following which the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI stripped him of ODI captaincy in December later that year. The whole episode had to speculations of a feud between Kohli and Ganguly.

"Winning IPL More Difficult Than World Cup": Sourav Ganguly Makes Debate-Stirring Comparison

Questions on Rohit Sharma's captaincy are bound to rise, with the India skipper failing to deliver in the World Test Championship final, having previously failed to help India bag the trophy in the T20 World Cup 2022. As the cricketing world questions whether Rohit is the right man to lead India, especially with the view of succeeding in ICC events, Sourav Ganguly has lent his support to the Hitman. Ganguly has no doubts that Rohit can succeed as India skipper, as he has helped Mumbai Indians bag the Indian Premier League title five times. For Dada, winning the IPL is more difficult than winning a World Cup.