Sourav Ganguly made a bold prediction |Courtesy-BCCI
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Sourav Ganguly made a bold prediction
- Ganguly predicted the 26-year-old Indian star will be an all-time great
- India named their squad for the first Test against Bangladesh
Just a day after the Indian cricket team announced their 16-member squad for the first Test against Bangladesh set to begin on September 19, Sourav Ganguly made a bold prediction and claimed that a 26-year-old star will finish as an all-time great in Test cricket.
Ganguly made the remark for star Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, who will make a comeback to Test cricket after 21 months. Pant’s last appearence for India in whites came in December 2022 against Bangladesh in the Mirpur Test just a week before his car accident.
Ganguly stated that Pant’s return was no suprise and stated he is one of India’s best batters in the longest format of hte game. However, the former India captain pointed out the the 26-year-old needs to improve in white-ball cricket.
“I consider Rishabh Pant one of India’s best Test batsmen. I’m not surprised that he’s back in the side, and he will continue to play for India in Tests.
“He will be an all-time great in Tests if he keeps performing like this. For me, he needs to get better in the shorter formats. With the talent he has, I’m sure with time, he will become one of the best,” said Ganguly at a event as quoted by PTI.
Before his long break from the sport, Pant had already established himself as one of the best in the world in red-ball cricket. The wicketkeeper batter has played 33 Tests in his career in which he has 2271 runs at an average of 43.7 with five centuries to his name.
In his short Test career, Pant created history by becoming the first Indian wicketkeeper batter to score a century Test century in eahc of England, Australia, and South Africa. He is also the only Indian glovesman to score three tons away from home.
However, his record in white-ball cricket leaves a lot to desire, with just 1209 runs in 76 T20Is with a strike-rate of 127.26 and an average of 23.25. In ODI cricket, he has played 31 games and has 871 runs at an average of 33.50 with one century to his name.
Pant returned to action after 15 months on the sidelines during the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) in which led the Delhi Capitals. Ganguly is the director of cricket of the Delhi-based franchise.
Pant’s comeback for the national team came in the 2024 T20 World Cup, in which he played every game for the Rohit Sharma-led side as they remained unbeaten and lifted the trophy to end an 11-year wait for an ICC trophy.
