Sourav Ganguly bats for rotation policy
MUMBAI: Former skipper Sourav Ganguly on Friday came out in defence of the much-debated rotation policy adopted by the India team in the ongoing tri-series in Australia, saying it would help the players to be 'mentally fresh' before the final stages of the tournament.
"It's a good thing and should happen. It has been a long tour and India lost four consecutive Test matches, which can be mentally very draining. For the guys who have been there from the 8th of December, its been almost two and half months," the 39-year-old cricketer told reporters.
"It's good that every one is getting a chance. All players will be mentally fresh for the final stages of the tournament."
The elegant southpaw, however, felt that players in every spot in the team should be rotated and not just the top order, and hoped the talented Bengal batsman Manoj Tiwary gets an opportunity soon.
"Rotation should happen everywhere. I hope Manoj Tiwary gets a chance. He got a hundred in his last game. So why he can't get a chance in this team is difficult to understand."
Ganguly, who represented India in 113 Tests and 311 ODIs, scoring over 7,212 and 11,363 runs respectively, felt the management should not get carried away by the team's show in ODIs and should address the poor performance in Tests.
"It's still early days, its a different format. India will have to address their Test issues. They have suffered eight losses in eight games and they have been hard losses.
"So they will have to address the issue whatever happens in the one-dayers. I have always said India is a good one-day side because the captain is a good one-day player. So from that point of view, we expect them to play well."
Ganguly, who is also BCCI Technical Committee chairman, denied that any recommendation has been made to shift the Ranji league matches to neutral venues, and said he was in favour of the 'home and away' format that is being used currently.
"No such recommendation has not been made. At the end of the day the BCCI decides, but I feel the home and away system should persist."
Ganguly was here to attend a meeting of the Technical Committee.
Among issues discussed in the meeting was making the Ranji Trophy knockout games a five-day affair, Ganguly said, adding the BCCI Working Committee will take a final stand on the issue.
Asked whether the Duleep Trophy had become redundant, he replied in the negative and expressed happiness over the East Zone winning their maiden title this year.
