Under-fire Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday got some backing from former captain Saurav Ganguly, who said the team has to cope with a transition.
Responding to widespread criticism of Team India's repeated below-par performance, Ganguly said, “It comes in every captain's tenure. MS has to bide his time…It's easy to comment from outside. You have to give the newcomers some time to settle down. Hopefully, they will do well in couple of years' time.”
Ganguly said it is easy for everyone to criticize a captain.
“Captains are always criticized. Even in my time, despite having players like Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman, the team took time to settle down. You have to be patient,” said Ganguly, who took over the captaincy from Tendulkar in a difficult phase in early 2000.
About the 2015 World Cup in Australia, Ganguly said Bengal's pace duo of Ashok Dinda and Shami Ahmed would be an integral part of the side, alongside batsman Manoj Tiwary, who is nursing an injury.
“They (Dinda and Shami) have 200 percent chance looking at the conditions in Australia. It's good for Bengal cricket. I am also confident that Tiwary will get a chance,” he said.
An in-form Cheteshwar Pujara might have been benched in the first ODI against England but Ganguly said the Saurashtra batsman would be part of the side soon. “I'm sure he would become a part of the side soon. It's just a matter of time,” he said.
Ganguly said the responsibility lies with the selectors to make a team with future in mind and added that the discarded duo of Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh would get ample opportunities.
PTI
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