Give me three months to train, I will score runs in Test cricket for India: Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly, the former Indian skipper, reckons that he still has the potential to score runs for the national team in Test cricket. The Prince of Kolkata last played in the format back in 2008 against Australia at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. Though he bagged a golden duck in the second innings, in the first, he gave a glimpse of his stupendous self, getting 85 runs with eight fours and a six.

Come 2020, Ganguly is the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Prior to that, he was also the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president. Ganguly, who turned 48 recently, said that he needs only three months of training to be back in shape to play Test cricket for India.

The veteran also said that he could have piled more runs for Team India in ODI cricket. In the 50-overs format, he last played in 2007, the very year when India crashed out of the World Cup after defeats to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the first round.

Let me play three Ranji games, says Sourav Ganguly

“If I was given two more series in ODIs, I would’ve scored more runs. If I hadn’t retired in Nagpur, I would’ve scored runs in the next two Test series too. In fact, even now give me six months to train, let me play three Ranji games, I’ll score runs for India in Test cricket. I don’t even need six months, give me three, I will score runs,” Ganguly was quoted as saying in Sangbad Pratidin.

“You might not give me an opportunity to play but how will you break the belief inside me?” Ganguly questioned. In his ODI career, Ganguly racked 11,363 runs from 311 matches with 22 tons and 72 half-centuries.

He also talked about the time when he was dropped from the side in 2005 with Greg Chappell as the coach. “It was kind of unbelievable. I was dropped from the ODI side despite being one of the highest scorers of that calendar year. No matter how good your performance is if the stage is taken away from you then what will you prove? And to whom? The same thing happened with me,” he added.