‘Sarfaraz, a fine example for budding players’: Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly heaped praise on young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and debutant Sarfaraz Khan on Monday after their exploits in the third Test against England in Rajkot.

Jaiswal, 22, notched up his second double century in as many games while Sarfaraz, 26, impressed with half-tons in both innings. "Jaiswal is not only a good player, he's capable of playing all in formats of the game," said Ganguly, who made 7,212 runs in 113 Tests. "Sarfaraz has started well. He now has to score in foreign countries. Sarfaraz is a good example for budding cricketers, who must keep in mind that if they score consistently, they will get their chances," added Ganguly.

Speaking about England's aggressive style of playing - Bazball - he said: "Bazball is good, but it's difficult for England to be successful in Indian conditions. I will be surprised if India lose the series. Please remember that India are playing without Virat [Kohli], KL [Rahul]. It's a young team with many new faces, and yet, England are struggling."

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India's lead spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had to leave the third Test midway due to a family emergency and returned a day later. Ganguly said that Ashwin's release in the middle of a match proved that this is a confident team. "India are so confident that they allowed R Ashwin to go back home in the middle of a Test. India look much more motivated in this series," the 51-year-old added.

Finally, Ganguly backed the selection committee's call to make Rohit Sharma skipper for the T20 World Cup in June this year. "Rohit Sharma is the right choice as India captain for the T20 World Cup. The way he led the Indian team and won 10 matches in the 50-over World Cup is still fresh in our memory. So, Rohit was the best choice," he concluded.