NEW DELHI: Former India captain Saurav Ganguly may quit international cricket “sooner rather than later” with him facing the ax for the upcoming home series against Australia, a report said yesterday.
The 36-year-old was left out of the Rest of India squad for the five-day Irani Cup match against Ranji Trophy champions Delhi in Vadodara from Sept. 24, seen as a trial match for next month’s Test series.
Ganguly’s omission from a virtual Test line-up that includes fellow seniors Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Venkatsai Laxman means he is unlikely to figure in the highly anticipated series starting in Bangalore on Oct. 9. The Telegraph newspaper, published from Ganguly’s home city of Kolkata, said the stylish left-hander might not attempt to make a comeback into the Indian team. “The fight may just have gone out of Saurav Ganguly,” the paper said in a front-page story.
“The former captain could decide to call it a day - sooner rather than later - instead of striving for a return to the Team India dressing room.” The paper quoted an unnamed person close to Ganguly saying: “I don’t think he is hungry the way he was, say, two years ago.” Ganguly, India’s most successful Test captain with 21 wins, was sacked in 2005 and later dropped from both the Test and one-day team after a public spat with the then coach, Australian batting great Greg Chappell.
But he returned to the Test squad in late 2006, emerging as the highest scorer in the away series in South Africa and making useful contributions against England and the home series against the South Africans. The selectors, however, ignored Ganguly for the Irani Cup after he averaged just 16 in three Tests on the recent tour of Sri Lanka, which the hosts won 2-1.
Tendulkar, who averaged 15 on that tour, and Dravid, who averaged 24, were given another chance by the five-man selection committee headed by former Test captain Dilip Vengsarkar.
“I have no reaction, no comments,” Ganguly told The Telegraph.
Court adjourns Akhtar
appeal against ban
In Lahore, fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar’s appeal against an 18-month ban was adjourned yesterday to allow the Lahore court judge to attend the swearing in of Pakistan’s new president.
“The honorable judge Zahid Hussain had to go to Islamabad to attend the ceremony of Asif Ali Zardari’s swearing in as president of Pakistan on Tuesday,” Pakistan Cricket Board lawyer Tafazzul Rizvi said. “Therefore, the proceedings of the case were not held today.” The new date for the hearing will be finalized within a week or so, Rizvi said.
Akhtar was fined and handed a five-year ban in April by a PCB tribunal for a disciplinary breach after he criticized the Pakistan selectors. The Lahore court suspended Akhtar’s ban on July 4, but did not give any ruling against the financial penalty of 7 million Pakistan rupees ($91,620) which was also imposed by an appellate tribunal of the PCB.
