Indian legend Sourav Ganguly thinks Shubman Gill is going through the "honeymoon period" as the new Test captain, but expects more challenges to come for the young skipper.
Speaking at Eden Gardens on his 53rd birthday, Ganguly reflected on a recent interview he gave to PTI, where he expressed confidence in Indian cricket’s unending supply of talent.
“I’ve recently said in an interview to PTI CEO that there will always be players in Indian cricket after every generation. Whenever there’s a void, players will come and fill it,” he said.
Gill has been in sublime touch, scoring 585 runs till now in the current Test series in England. He is only 18 runs short of overhauling Rahul Dravid's record of 602 runs in a series in England (achieved in 2002). His batting fireworks, having scores of 269 and 161 in Birmingham, propelled India to an thumping 336-run victory at Edgbaston, tying the five-match series 1-1.
“This is the best I’ve seen him bat and I’m not surprised,” Ganguly added, lauding Gill’s progress.
The ex-BCCI president also underscored that Indian cricket keeps thriving thanks to its rich talent pool. "There is so much talent in Indian cricket. In each generation you will discover players. After the great (Sunil) Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, (Sachin) Tendulkar, (Rahul) Dravid, (Anil) Kumble came and then (Virat) Kohli, now Gill, (Yashasvi) Jaiswal, Akash Deep, Mukesh (Kumar), (Mohammed) Siraj… just look at the sheer quantity of talent."
In the same PTI interview, Ganguly also seemed to express his willingness to become India's head coach one day. But he was careful not to commit himself. "It's too early. Icche onek kichu thake, but reality is different. Do you wish to become coach? Let's see, don't know," he replied.
Gill has already hit three centuries in a mere two Tests, a double ton among them, and is averaging an astonishing 146.25. His innings have set record books ablaze, including the Indian batter with the highest match aggregate. With three matches remaining to be played, he is still on course to possibly surpass Don Bradman's much-esteemed record of 810 runs as captain in a single Test series, achieved during the 1936–37 Ashes.
It's incredible. I wish his career takes a fresh turn. And I feel he's a middle-order batsman. He has just become the captain, it's honeymoon time. But there would be more pressure later on. The pressure will mount in the next three Tests," Ganguly said, stressing the importance of consistency in the remaining series.
Pondering ahead of the Lord's Test, Ganguly asked India to start afresh at the match ahead of them despite the confidence boost at Edgbaston. "It's one-all. There's still plenty to play for with three matches remaining. India played a good game, and have played well. They might have lost at Headingley but played well. But again, you need to begin from scratch in the next game (at Lord's)."
The young crop under Gill has risen in a remarkable manner in the absence of marquee veterans such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin. Ganguly is optimistic that depth in Indian cricket will keep on guaranteeing the highest level competitiveness.
Indications are that the Lord's pitch could provide more life than the flat surfaces of Leeds and Edgbaston. Ganguly feels that will work to India's advantage. "It will be advantage India if it's a lively pitch. Because our batters will get runs and we'll be in a position to take 20 wickets. I've said before — if you give grass and life on the wicket, we can take 20 wickets."
Commenting on the conditions at Headingley, he noted, “Last week it was very hot in England, so it’s flat. But it’s a long way to go.”
Commenting on selection for the next Lord's Test, Ganguly opined that Kuldeep Yadav must play if the surface is worn. "If the surface is brown, Kuldeep must play 100 per cent. It depends on the surface. If it's green, you can have four pacers. If Kuldeep is included, he can come in place of Nitish (Kumar Reddy) or Washy's (Washington Sundar)."
India's revamped pace attack impressed at Edgbaston, particularly without spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for workload management. Akash Deep was one of the standout performers, claiming 10 wickets in the match. Senior pacer Mohammed Shami is also unavailable with an injury.
Interestingly, Akash Deep and Shami perfected their craft in Bengal's domestic circuit, though they are from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, respectively. On issues pertaining to local representation in Bengal cricket, Ganguly stated: "It's their hard work. They have come here, worked hard and with CAB's support have come this far. You have to give credit."
Having recently come back from England, Ganguly celebrated his 53rd birthday with a low-key celebration in Dubai. A viral video on social media showed a glimpse of him cutting a cake with his wife Dona and some close friends.
Born on July 8, 1972, Sourav Ganguly is one of the greatest figures of Indian cricket. He helped revive the national team in the wake of the match-fixing scandal and set the stage for future Indian success abroad. Stylish with the bat, Ganguly was renownedly nick-named the "God of the off-side" by Rahul Dravid due to his divine strokeplay.
Ganguly's Test career involved him aggregating 7,212 runs with 16 centuries from 1996 till 2008. In ODIs, he accumulated 11,363 runs, which placed him as India's third-highest ODI scorer and fourth-highest century-maker with 22 tons.
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