India has enormous reserves: Sourav Ganguly optimistic about India’s future in Test cricket

Ever since India’s defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, the team’s form and performance has been a matter of much discussion among fans and pundits alike. Of late, there has been a lot of chatter and discussion around how India should blood in new faces and there are quite a few players whose names are being discussed as potential members of the squad. Given the fact that India has a wide pool of talent at its disposal, ideally, it shouldn’t be a challenge but one needs to understand that the introduction into the Indian side needs to be subtle and smooth.

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly had an important message for the Indian selectors and a few players too. He believes that despite the loss in the WTC Final, some of the senior players in the team should not be overlooked.  

Talking about India’s current line-up, Ganguly said, “Let's not jump to conclusions due to just one loss, India will always have talent. And I don't think it is time to look beyond Virat (Kohli) or (Cheteshwar) Pujara. Virat is just 34.”

However, Ganguly also mentioned how he would like to see certain youngsters also introduced into the team sometime in the future. He said, “India has enormous reserves. When you look at some of the performances. I don't consider IPL performances if we are sticking to Test cricket. In domestic cricket, there are some fantastic players and you will only find out when you give them opportunities. Whether it be Jaiswal or Patidar, Abhimanyu Easwaran from Bengal scores a lot of runs. Shubman Gill is young, Ruturaj Gaikwad and I hope Hardik Pandya is listening. I want to see him play Test cricket, especially in these conditions.”

Pandya last played a Test for India back in 2018, and given his run-in with injuries, the talented all-rounder has said he will return to the longest format when he feels it’s the right time for him.