England have two good players in Hameed and Jennings: Sourav Ganguly

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly was in all awe for English opener Keaton Jennings. Jennings came in as a replacement for Haseeb Hameed in the Mumbai Test. The Durham batsman made a solid statement on his Test debut. Cashing on the opportunity, the opener slammed a brilliant 112 in the first innings. In the process, he became the 19th English batsman to score a century on Test debut.

The South Africa-born batsman has shown great character and no wonder why he is drawing praise from all corners. Sourav Ganguly was particularly impressed with the way Jennings played on a turning track. Ganguly also looked impressed with Haseeb Hameed, who opened for England in the first three Tests. “He (Jennings) batted superbly I thought. It wasn’t an easy pitch the ball spun and bounced. I think England have got two very good young players in Hameed and Jennings,” quoted Sourav Ganguly.

Speaking about Keaton Jennings to India Today, the former Indian skipper called his effort as a terrific one. He added that India has always been a good hunting ground for the English batsman. Elaborating his point, he said, “Terrific isn’t it. For a young kid coming to Mumbai and getting his first Test hundred, it’s a remarkable achievement. England have produced a few players on their first trips to India.

“Alastair Cook slammed his debut hundred in Nagpur, Joe Root when he came in 2012 and now Jennings, Hameed. So India has been a good hunting ground for a lot of these young kids travelling from overseas, especially from England.” Ganguly further cited that England has always had players from different countries doing well for them.

“There was a tweet on BCCI’s official page which had a picture of Hameed and his family saying ‘look who’s supporting England’. There have been a few instances of overseas players doing well for England. Jennings is one, Kevin Pietersen is one, Robin Smith, Allan Lamb… you name it,” quoted the former Indian captain.

“I saw a tweet from Harsha (Bhogle) which said – they needed another South African to see them through in India, and he’s (Jennings) done it for England so far,” Ganguly added further speaking on the same lines.

However, he did mention that there are a few English-born players as well to have done exceedingly well for the national setup. He cited the example of Jonathan Trott. “Yes there have also been a few English-born players who have done well, Jonathan Trott is one who scored a hundred on debut as well. England is such a country where people from all over the world come, settle down and then go on to play for England,” he conceded.