INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Sourav Ganguly finds it extremely baffling that Ajinkya Rahane has been handed Test vice captaincy after spending nearly 18
months on the sidelines as the former India skipper demanded "consistency and continuity" in the selection process.Rahane, 35, was out of
favour for one-and-a-half years but was India's best batter in the World Test Championship final against Australia, with scores of 89 and 46
at the Oval, earlier this month.Just one Test after making a comeback, the national selection committee headed by interim chief Shiv Sunder
Das re-appointed Rahane as Rohit Sharma's deputy for the West Indies Test series.So was it not ideal to groom someone like Shubman Gill for
the role?"Yeah I think so," Ganguly told PTI during an exclusive interaction from London.Ajinkya Rahane (AP Photo)While he didn't term
Rahane's ascendancy as a step backward, he didn't term it as a pragmatic decision."I won't say it's a step backward
You have been out for 18 months, then you play a Test and you become a vice-captain
I don't understand the thought process behind it
There is Ravindra Jadeja, who has been there for a long time and a certainty in Test matches, he is a candidate.""....but to just come back
and straightway become vice-captain after 18 months, I don't understand
My only thing is that the selection shouldn't be hot and cold
There has to be continuity and consistency in selection," Ganguly, one of India's finest Test captains, said.The Indian selectors have hit
the transition button by excluding a batter of Chetshwar Pujara' stature and Ganguly wants that communication channel to be clear with a
player, who has featured in more than 100 Tests for India."Selectors should have a clear idea about him (Pujara)
Do they need him to play Test cricket anymore or do they want to continue with youngsters and communicate it to him
Somebody like Pujara can't be dropped, then picked, dropped again and then picked
Same with Ajinkya Rahane also," the straight-talking Ganguly said.Sarfaraz Khan (TOI Photo)Sarfaraz Khan deserves a chance to prove his
mettleThere has been an overgrowing feeling that even to get a nod in Test cricket, one needs to have a solid IPL like Ruturaj Gaikwad had
Ganguly, though, disagrees with that notion.He said a prolific batter like Sarfaraz Khan, who could not do well in the IPL, should get a
chance to prove himself."I think Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored tons of runs in Ranji Trophy, Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy
I think that's why he is in the squad
At some point he should get an opportunity for the amount of runs that he has scored in the past three years."And same thing for Abhimanyu
Easwaran for the tons of runs he has scored in the last five to six years
I am surprised that both of them have been omitted but they should get a chance in future
But Yashasvi Jasiwal is a good selection."Yashasvi Jaiswal (IANS Photo)He has seen Sarfaraz from close quarters as Director of Cricket at
Delhi Capitals and he isn't amused with the perception that he can't play fast bowling."If you don't play him (Sarfaraz) against fast
bowling, how do you know?" he countered."If he had problems he wouldn't have scored so many runs all around (India)
I personally feel he has no problems against fast bowling and he should be given an opportunity."So does he feel that we need a big name as
chairman to stand up to big names in the Indian team management."I don't want to comment on that to be honest."No reason why one can't
manage playing both IPL and WTC finalThe World Test Championship final is always slated after two months of IPL and there is a school of
thought that BCCI should speak to IPL franchises in order to monitor workload of players.Ganguly, who has been on both sides of the fence,
feels it is not a practical solution."I don't agree with this theory
Ajinkya Rahane also played in the IPL and he played very well during the IPL and World Test Championship final
So I don't believe in this theory
Some of the Australian boys (Cameron Green, David Warner), played well in the IPL also and did well in the World Test Championship.""After
IPL finished, there was enough time to acclimatise to Test cricket
They went to England and they played
It used to happen in the past
You played ODI cricket and you played Test cricket, things used to happen very, very quickly and so I don't believe it's an issue
So I believe that even if you play IPL, you should have the ability to adjust your technique and temperament and do well in a Test
match."BCCI and ICC did good job with choice of World Cup venuesWhile a few traditional centres like Mohali and Nagpur have missed out,
Ganguly praised both ICC and BCCI bigwigs for good choice of venues."It's a great schedule and the allocation of the matches has been
BCCI and ICC have done a great job to give correct matches to correct venues and I know it is going to be a tremendous World Cup
I know how the BCCI organises the IPL, they will make it a spectacle," he concluded.
