“I hope he is listening” - Sourav Ganguly’s advice to Gautam Gambhir after a 30-run loss vs SA

Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President and former Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly, has advised the Indian team head coach, Gautam Gambhir, to play on good wickets in the longest format of the game after India suffered a 30-run loss to South Africa at the Eden Gardens.

For the unversed, Gambhir, who attended the post-match press conference, admitted that the Indian team requested a bowling wicket at the Eden Gardens and went on to state that there were no demons on the pitch.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV, the former skipper, Ganguly, stated that India should play on good wickets, giving an instance of the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England, which India went on to draw by 2-2.

Also, Ganguly noted that the Indian head coach should take the wicket out of the game, and if the Indian batters do not score more than 350 runs, they will not manage to win Tests in the future. 

“Play on good wickets. I hope Gautam Gambhir is listening. He needs to take the wicket out of the game. Because if his batsmen are not putting up 350–400, he will not win Test matches. That’s the reason they won in England, because his batsmen put runs up on the board. He must play on good wickets. And trust his people. And win Test matches in 5 days. Not in 3 days.” Ganguly told NDTV.

“I have got a lot of time for him. A lot of regard. He is a competitor. He has done well for India as a coach. But he must play on good wickets. Because he has got Bumrah, he has got Siraj, he has got Shami, he has got Kuldeep, and he has got Jadeja,” he added.

India will next lock horns with South Africa in the second Test of the two-match series, starting on Saturday, November 22, in Guwahati.

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