Former India captain Sourav Ganguly said that Mohammed Shami should be on the next flight to Australia even if he misses the first Test of the series Down Under. Ganguly also added that Shami doesn’t need to play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament before his return in blue. However, Shami has returned and picked up seven wickets while representing Bengal against Madhya Pradesh in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
Ganguly told RevSportz (via India Today): “Yeah, I will send him to Australia. He doesn’t need to play the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. I’ll send him to Australia, even if he misses the Perth TestI’ll send him to Australia, even if he misses the Perth Test.” “He keeps bowling, he should be on the flight, he has bowled today as well. He should be on the next flight to Australia,” he added.
Sourav Ganguly further named Prasidh Krishna over Akash Deep in his playing XI for the Perth Test due to the height factor as well. He also backed R Ashwin to play.
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“He (Shami) may miss the Perth Test, but that will be bowling friendly conditions. I think Prasidh will play ahead of Akash Deep, because of the height and conditions. So, Shami should be on the flight and should be ready to play the Adelaide Test,” he stated. “There is no debate. Ashwin must play. Your best spinner must play. In Test cricket, play specialists. Also, against the number of left-handers in the Australian line-up, Ashwin is certain to have an impact. Yes, there is [Ravindra] Jadeja and Washington [Sundar] and both bat well, but you must go in with your best spinner in the first Test. Play with specialist batsmen and bowlers, and that’s where Ashwin is my choice.”
However, he has shared his views on KL Rahul as well who has been struggling with form lately.
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“Yeah, confidence. He has to speak to himself. He has to speak to himself and say, just put everything behind. Ups and downs are part and parcel of sports. Confidence will go up and down. You have to bring it back by working hard in the nets. I know he has gone through a lot. Lucknow Super Giants have released him…” Ganguly said.
“In and out of the team, he is seeing young players play well in T20s. You see what they have done in South Africa. He has to change and cannot keep playing the same way and expect to be picked all the time, because somebody else will come and get picked. So, I think he has got to sit with himself and get away from everything, all his friends and family, team and IPL owners, auctions and self-discover,” he concluded.
