Ganguly believes people are judging Dhoni too quickly
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has voiced his support for current skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, stating that he has to stay strong by not listening to any of the criticism that comes his way and instead direct his focus towards leading the national team through their transitional phase.
Ganguly also defended Dhoni’s dismal record as captain over the past 18 months, saying that it was normal process every skipper goes through during their “tenure”.
“It comes in every captain’s tenure,” Ganguly said. “MS has to bide his time.
“It’s easy to comment from outside. You have to give the newcomers some time to settle down. Hopefully, they will do well in couple of years’ time.”
Ganguly added that it was easy for the media to keep criticising Dhoni, but in real fact they actually have no real knowledge of how much pressure he has been under, especially knowing that the entire weight of the country is on his shoulders.
“Captains are always criticised,” Ganguly said. “Even in my time, despite having players like Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman, the team took time to settle down. You have to be patient.”
Talking about the 2015 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup, Ganguly noted that pace bowlers Ashok Dinda and Shami Ahmed would play an instrumental role in the Indian side.
“They (Dinda and Shami) have 200 percent chance looking at the conditions in Australia,” Ganguly said. “It’s good for Bengal cricket. I am also confident that Tiwary will get a chance.”
The former captain further mentioned that batsman Cheteshwar Pujara would become a regular face on the ODI team soon enough.
“I’m sure he would become a part of the side soon,” Ganguly said. “It’s just a matter of time.”
He also stated that the Test side would be doing so much better if the national selectors were to include outcast duo Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh.
“The Test side needs Sehwag,” Ganguly said. “Sehwag and Harbhajan will get ample opportunities to get back to form.”
While Ganguly does not believe India will miss veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar in ODIs, he noted that it would not be the same case for Test matches.
“He [Tendulkar] was not part of the ODI side for quite a long time and the team is used to playing without him,” Ganguly added. “But it would become difficult without him in the Test side.
“In the next one and half years, we would play about 15 Tests and it’s not easy. It’s the selectors job to make a side keeping that in mind.”
According to Ganguly, batting duo Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma should be given ample time to prove themselves and not just cast aside if they fail to perform in two or three games.
“Hope they would do better,” Ganguly said. “In between, Virat Kohli has done an excellent job. We have to give them some time.”
When asked if there was any chance that he would consider becoming the next coach of India, Ganguly said: “I would cross the bridge when I come to it.”