Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday spoke highly of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as he picked the current skipper to lead an all-time great Indian one-day side, says a report in Deccan Chronicle.
Talking to media at his residence on his 41st birthday, Ganguly said: "Dhoni has a phenomenal record (of winning all the world titles). If I were to pick a side, he would definitely captain an all-time great Indian XI because of his batting ability as a wicketkeeper."
"I've not seen any wicketkeeper with the batting prowess of Dhoni. I may give it a thought for a Test side, but Dhoni is an obvious choice for one-dayers," he added.
Ganguly, however, clarified that he would not figure in the XI as he was picking the side. Refusing to compare himself with Dhoni, who has become the most successful Indian skipper, Ganguly said: "I don't believe in comparisons. You can't compare eras, players, opposition etc. It isn't possible."
According to a report in Times Of India, it was his first birthday since his father Chandidas's demise in February this year, and Ganguly appeared sad and emotional. "I'm not celebrating this time, it's been a sad start to the year," Ganguly, who was very close to his father, said.
In his birthday message, he told his fans: "Try to achieve something in whatever you do. Go for something extraordinary otherwise life becomes mundane."
The cricket team of G B Memorial Institution, Sarsuna had arrived with a giant cake and bouquet, while about 30-odd members of the Sourav Ganguly Fan Club in Behala gifted the former cricketer with a watch made up of a gramophone record. "We have been greeting Dada (Ganguly) since he was made the Indian captain. It's a big day for us and we distribute sweets and cakes in the name of Dada," Ratan Haldar of the club said.
Meanwhile a report in The Tribune says that when asked whether Virat Kohli has the flair for captaincy in future, Ganguly said, "I'm not looking him as a captain yet. I'm more impressed of him as a batsman, whenever he scores India wins."
The retired cricketer reckoned India have a bright chance to reclaim the numero uno status in Test ranking with packed calendar ahead. "The series against South Africa later in the year would be a battle between one and two. More than the pressure, it would give us an opportunity to make a statement. On green pitches conducive to movement and pace, batting would be testing. We have a tough year ahead but it would determine the Test ranking also," he said.
According to a report in Hindustan Times, Sourav Ganguly predicted 3-1 win for England. “It’ll be 3-1 for England who are now a seriously good team. They are the favourites by far. I am giving Australia one Test because they are a competitive team,” he told HT in Kolkata.
“It’s not a question of Australia being unprepared or under-prepared. They are not the same side they used to be. If you don’t have the quality, you won’t get the results. It’s as simple as that. It’s not just about preparation all the time. Of course, you need to prepare but you also need to have the quality.”
Ganguly didn’t think it was unnatural that Australia, despite efforts to minimise the impact of losing key players to retirement, seem to have been caught on the wrong foot.