Xtra Time Web Desk. Former India captain and former BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday lauded Indian cricket’s move to give Duke balls to train fast bowlers during IPL 2023 who will be part of the upcoming Test squad. World Test Championship final against Australia starting June 7 at The Oval.
The former BCCI president congratulated the Indian team for winning the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2-1. The left-hander sees no reason why Rohit Sharma and his boys can’t beat Australia in the WTC final.
“First let me congratulate India for beating Australia. Secondly, India beat Australia in Australia, they won here. So there’s no reason why they won’t beat them again (in the WTC final),” Ganguly told Xtra Time on the sidelines of Delhi Capitals’ practice session at JU University in Salt Lake on Tuesday.
Asked what will be the key for India against the Aussies at the Oval in June, Ganguly said: “You have to score runs. Put 350-400 on the board, you will be in a position to win.”
The former India captain heaped praise on Shubman Gill, who scored 154 runs, including a hundred, in two Test matches in Indore and Ahmedabad.
“He (Gill) has been brilliant over the last six or seven months. What else should he do? He is now a permanent player,” Ganguly said.
The former BCCI president also praised Virat Kohli for ending his long 1,205-day wait for a Test century, hoping the batting icon can continue to produce masterclasses in the coming months.
According to Sourav, “It is exceptional. 75 hundreds at this level… no one needs to say anything. Good to have him back scoring runs. He has spent the last four to five months for India. We hope it will continue.”
There has been talk of Ishan Kishan getting a chance in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad. But the Indian team management has selected KS Bharat for the test match.
“Depends on what Rahul (Dravid) thinks, how he wants to look at it. Ishan Kishan is an exceptional talent. My approach to the game is different from the management of the Indian team.
Talking about Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in the series, Sourav said. “He has been exceptional as a captain in this series.”