Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly has raised a question mark over Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma’s inclusion in the team for the opening Test against South Africa that India lost by 72 runs. The likes of Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul were left out from the team, that landed the Indian batting in a spot of bother.
While speaking to India Today, Ganguly said, “History of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan in overseas conditions are not very good. You look at their records, it’s like chalk and cheese when they go away and when they are in India.”
He also picked Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli as the two best players for India in overseas conditions.
The 45-year-old also expressed confidence in the Indian captain and hoped that the performance will improve in the second Test. “So you are basically depending on Murali Vijay and Virat Kohli as the two best performers in overseas conditions. Look at Cheteshwar Pujara. His 13 of 14 Test hundreds have come in subcontinent conditions. I was not surprised by the result. I have tremendous regard for Virat Kohli and we will see an improved performance in the next game,” Ganguly added.
Though Dada didn’t forget to add that KL Rahul will do well in such conditions.
“I keep saying about KL Rahul because he has scored runs in Australia, he has scored runs in West Indies and Sri Lanka. It’s not just about form, it’s also about where people score runs. But let’s not panic too much,” the former captain concluded in style.
Well, the second Test begins on January 13 at Centurion on a track which is even more renowned for its pace than the one which Cape Town offered. Following that, the series moves to Johannesburg, a pitch very similar to that of Centurion, for the final Test.
