25 March 2024 last updated at 19:12 GMT
 
Learn to live without Zaheer: Ganguly
Wednesday 14 September 2011

India’s tour of England has been far from ideal for the world champs and former India skipper Sourav Ganguly feels MS Dhoni’s side need to regroup quickly to restore the fans’ faith in the team.

Ganguly said that the whitewash in the Tests was largely due to a collective batting failure.

 “India didn't bat well in the Tests. We started off on a bad note by losing the opening match. After the Test whitewash, it was difficult to come back in the ODIs. England did play better cricket, but their real test will come in the subcontinent. However, I wouldn't like to take away credit for their performance at home.” he told The Times of India.

Injuries to key players like Zaheer Khan and Sachin Tendulkar has given youngsters an opportunity to showcase their talent and Dada says that the team should now learn to live without Zaheer.

“Ajinkya Rahane, to some extent. But even he failed to make full use of the initial starts he got. The Indian team looked ordinary. Basically, they must learn to live without Zaheer.”

MS Dhoni’s reputation as India captain was untarnished before this series, but it’s a different story now. But Ganguly backs Dhoni’s leadership skills.

“I've always believed that a captain is as good as his team. You can't blame the captain if some of the top players are out with injury. Look what happened to Australia when some of their top players dropped out. Before that, Ricky Ponting was considered the best captain in the world, when the Australians were ruling the roost with top bowlers like Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne.” Ganguly opined.

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