Former team leader and current BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly possesses solid confidence that India will sweep the ongoing Test series against England with a 4-0 or 5-0 victory.
As it stands, the initial Test in Hyderabad finds itself perched on the edge. The visitors, England, find nail-biting success in their fight back on Day 3. England starts Day 4 with a 126 lead, operating on 316/6 in their second innings on what seems to be a surface offering more resistance.
Yet, Ganguly sees England’s first-round score of 246 as potentially pivotal to the game’s final result.
Regarding the complete series and the current Test in progress, Ganguly’s thoughts were captured in India Today’s report:
“India will win the series, the matter is whether they will win it 4-0 or 5-0. Every Test will be decisive. England could have won this Test match had they batted well. One cannot win against India by making 230 or 240 runs on Indian soil. Had they made 350 or 400, they could have beaten India, but they weren’t able to do that. It’s a tough series for England. Any team other than the Australia of that era could not create any impact here.”
Sourav Ganguly
Ganguly also said that England’s ‘Bazball’ strategy would not work in the spinning Indian conditions.
“Bazball is an approach where the match is played in a fast manner. India have spinning wickets and so, Bazball will not be applicable here.”
Sourav Ganguly
England holds the title of the final team to beat India at home in a Test series. This happened in the 2012/13 season. Yet, Stinging losses marked their last two visits. They faced defeat 0-4 and 1-3 respectively. This was during their 2016/17 and 2020/21 tours.
“India have a good chance in the T20 World Cup” – Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly feels Team India has a great opportunity to win the forthcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States in June.
Despite promising to end their ICC championship drought with strong runs in recent tournaments, the Men in Blue have struggled to reach the final since winning the Champions Trophy in 2013.
“India have a good chance in the T20 World Cup,” Ganguly said. “Recently, India played in the World Cup final, and it was miserable that they lost against Australia. I didn’t expect that after playing in a very good manner throughout the tournament they will lose, but it happens in sports.”
Sourav Ganguly
He added:
“India is a very good side. There will be another opportunity for India as the conditions in the West Indies and America are like India. The IPL will serve as a preparation for the World Cup.”
Sourav Ganguly
Ganguly also suggested that young Indian players like as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, among others, should seize their opportunity.
“They deserve to play for India. It is also a good opportunity for youngsters to cash in. Yashahvi has played well and Subhman has to play well. There is a lot of competition for spots in the batting lineup. According to me, Yashasvi is an all-format player. Rishabh Pant is also a huge player when he comes after recovering from an injury. Shreyas Iyer, Pant, and Shubman Gill have to adapt a lot.”
Sourav Ganguly
While Yashasvi Jaiswal produced an impressive 80 in the current first Test against England, Gill struggled, batting only 23 from 66 deliveries.
Team India is in Group A of the T20 World Cup, alongside Pakistan, Ireland, the United States, and Canada, and will face Ireland on June 5.