Kolkata, July 7:: On the eve of Sourav Ganguly’s 35th birthday which coincides with team selection for upcoming Sri Lanka tour, former chief selector Gundappa Rangnath Viswanath made case for the ex-India captain, saying he still had much to deliver to the national team.
Viswanath had spotted talent in a 17-year-old Ganguly making a debut against Delhi in the 1989-90 Ranji final at the Eden. And it was former cricketer Sambaran Banerjee, who had included the left-hander as a “bowling allrounder”.
The rest, as they say, is history.
It is not an issue if Ganguly does not figure in the Board’s one-day scheme of things, but Viswanth and Banerjee feel that Ganguly still has the indomitable fighting spirit.
Refusing to comment on the seniors v youngsters issue, a day after India’s humiliating 100-run loss against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final in Karachi yesterday, former India captain Viswanath said, “He had a tremendous career and in fact he is still going strong. He still has a lot to offer to the Indian cricket. He already has showed us how strong he’s mentally with the famous comeback during the 2006-07 South Africa tour."