“Gambhir deserves a place in the national team for the forthcoming Champions Trophy”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels that Gautam Gambhir’s performance in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) should earn him a spot in the country’s Champions Trophy squad.

India have yet to name their side for the tournament even though the deadline was April 25, but Ganguly’s advocacy for Gambhir stems from the fact that the Kolkata Knight Riders captain has scored 411 runs, which includes four half-centuries, in 11 matches at an average of 51.37.

While Gambhir may be excelling in the IPL, he has not played ODI cricket since January 2013. However, Ganguly believes that this shouldn’t stop the 35-year-old from being selected for the Champions Trophy, which will be held in England in June.

“Gambhir deserves a place in the national team for the forthcoming Champions Trophy,” Ganguly said. “He is in excellent touch. I am truly elated to have watched Gambhir’s dedication even after playing the game for so many years.

“More importantly, KL Rahul is yet to regain fitness following injury. So, it will be high time for the selectors to think over Gambhir for the Champions Trophy.”

Meanwhile, Ganguly also admitted that he was not surprised by Gambhir’s decision to make Sunil Narine his opening partner in the IPL.

“Narine had already started the innings before,” he said. “So, he has experience of batting as number one. But at the same time, the team captain will have to understand that the ploy might not click in every match. Narine did not get runs in the team’s last couple of matches.”