"Aggression is fine but you also need performance with that" - Sourav Ganguly on what India need to do to win knockout games
Sourav Ganguly believes India need to match aggression with performance to win knockout games in ICC events.
India suffered a 209-run defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia earlier this month. The loss further extended their elusive wait for an ICC trophy since the 2013 Champions Trophy.
During an interaction on the Star Sports show 'Follow the Blues', Ganguly was asked what India need to do to win knockout games, to which he responded:
"Aggression is fine but you also need performance with that. If you see the five-six years between 2001 and 2006, India's batting scored 500-600 runs in big-big venues, whether it was Sydney, Brisbane, Headingley, Nottingham, Oval, Peshawar, Islamabad or Lahore, due to which they put the opposition team under pressure."
While acknowledging the changed nature of Test cricket in the last decade or so, the former Indian skipper feels Rohit Sharma and Co. need to post substantial first-innings totals to win crucial games:
"So I feel the Indian team will have to do that somewhere or the other. I understand cricket has changed slightly between what it was 10 years ago and now, the situations and wickets have changed, but India will have to see that they score 350-400 runs in the first innings in Test cricket."
India were bowled out for 296 and 234 in their two innings in the recent WTC final. They were bundled out for 217 and 170 in their two essays in the 2021 WTC final, with New Zealand eventually registering a convincing eight-wicket win.
"I don't agree that this team does not have the belief" - Sourav Ganguly on whether India lack self-confidence
Sourav Ganguly was further asked whether India lack self-confidence, to which he replied:
"I don't agree that this team does not have the belief. We played well in England in 2021 and before that, we played good cricket in Australia in 2020-21, where Rishabh Pant won us the series on the last day, I feel that happens with belief only."
Ganguly concluded by stating that the extended workload might be impacting the Indian players and that they need to rejuvenate quickly:
"They play so much cricket and travel a lot, so it probably goes slightly back for a short time, so they need to recoup that and bring it back, which I feel is absolutely possible."
India have nearly a month's break before they embark on a multi-format tour of the West Indies. It will be a welcome rest for the players as they have a hectic schedule heading into the ODI World Cup later this year.