The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Ganguly's career is far from over, says Javagal Srinath

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Thursday, May 04, 2006

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Sport - Cricket

Ganguly's career is far from over, says Javagal Srinath

Srinagar: Former fast bowler Javagal Srinath said on Wednesday that the international career of Sourav Ganguly was not finished yet and the former India skipper should take a break to come back fresh in the team.

``The career of Ganguly is far from over. I think he needs to take a break and come back fresh. In today's set up, you cannot shut the door on anyone,'' Srinath said.

The former pace spearhead, along with T.A. Sekar, chief of MRF Pace Foundation, was in Jammu and Kashmir for a two-day camp to hunt for fast bowling talent from the region.

The two-day fast bowlers' trial camp here turned out to be a success with three players — Mudassir, Ramdayal and Dilwar Singh — getting selected to train at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai.

The camp, which was originally scheduled for one day, had to be extended by another as there was a huge turnout, confirming the Himalayan state as the new fountain of fast bowling talent in the country.

Mudassir, Ramdayal and Dilwar would join their Statemates Abid Nabi, Samiullah and Samir Ali at the MRF Pace Foundation to receive coaching from Australian fast bowling great Dennis Lillee in June.

On the World Cup

Srinath also said leg-spinner Anil Kumble had a lot to contribute to the shorter version of game and that he should be a part of the team for next year's World Cup.

Srinath was all praise for the young pace bowlers, saying they were all shaping up well but refused to predict if they would be able to pose a strong challenge in the World Cup next year.

``(Irfan) Pathan, Sreesanth, R.P. Singh and Munaf Patel have been performing well at the international level,'' he said.

Supporting youngsters

On the players' burn out due to excessive cricket, Srinath said cricketers in the age group of 23 to 28 years could play any number of games they like.

``At that age, it does not affect the players too much,'' Srinath said adding that ``the rotation policy of the Indian team management is working for them at the moment and it would help in reducing the players burnout''.

He also said introducing players into the international arena at an early age would benefit them, especially the fast bowlers.

``The fast bowlers get a new sense of direction if they are exposed to international cricket at a young age. They learn a lot while playing and know the areas they need to improve upon,'' he said.

Playing it safe

Srinath refused to be drawn into the controversy with regard to his appointment as the match referee by the International Cricket Council.

``I would not like to comment on that,'' he said when asked his reaction on the criticism of his appointment, reported by a section of Pakistan media. — PTI

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