Before the fifth Test, Shastri had praised the current lot of players and said in the past 15 to 20 years, no Indian team had managed what Kohli’s side had achieved in overseas Tests
New Delhi: Former captain Sourav Ganguly has slammed coach Ravi Shastri for his “immature” comments on past Indian teams and asked people to ignore them.
In the ongoing Test series against England, the Virat Kohli-led side has lost the rubber 1-3 and the fifth and final game is currently being played at The Oval in London.
Before the fifth Test, Shastri had praised the current lot of players and said in the past 15 to 20 years, no Indian team had managed what Kohli’s side had achieved in overseas Tests.
“If you look at the last three years, we have won nine matches overseas and three series. I can’t see any other Indian team in the last 15-20 years that has had the same run in such a short time, and you have had some great players playing in those series,” Shastri had said.
When asked about Shastri’s views, Ganguly told India TV, “These are immature comments. You should not pay much attention to what Ravi Shastri says. What he says and when he says things, no one knows. Whichever generation is playing for India, be it Chetan Sharma’s or when I played for India or when Dhoni played or now when Virat is playing, we are all the ‘Indian Team’.”
The 46-year-old was of the opinion that players of different eras should not be compared.
“I will say don’t compare. Players like Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman or Anil Kumble come once in a generation. If you look at that team, from the opener to number eight, players played 100 Tests. Out of the 11, say seven to eight have played 100 or almost 100 Tests. So, one shouldn’t compare,” Ganguly explained.
The former left-handed batsman praised skipper Kohli’s attitude.
“During the press conference, when Mike Atherton asked Kohli about the reason for India’s defeat in Southampton, Kohli had said that had he played a little bit more, India would have won the Test match. Big players like him take responsibility on themselves and they will never come up with excuses. Kohli’s attitude towards the game is and has always been different from others. I would like to say that isn’t it strange how the captain and the coach think different,” he said.
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Ganguly added, “A captain has to make a player. He has to say that you are my trump card and you will win us games. There is no doubt that Kohli is a champion batsman, but as a team where he takes them is what will be something worth seeing. The way Kohli speaks shows self-introspection is there. He needs good guidance and has to have people around who will tell him that there are areas that need to be looked into."
Ganguly, who is now the president of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), said it was the captain and coach’s responsibility to take the team forward.
“Be it Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul or Ajinkya Rahane, they have the capability. The captain and coach must ensure the team moves forward. Dravid wasn’t Dravid when he came in 1996. People said don’t take Viru (Sehwag) to South Africa as the ball will hit his head. But he changed Test cricket. So it is important to ensure people have to move forward, not go back,” he said.
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