Sourav Ganguly wants Rohit, Mayank to carry Test form forward
Indian Test opener Mayank Agarwal might have impressed in his short career thus far, but former skipper Sourav Ganguly has refused to jump to conclusions and has stated that he will need to play consistent cricket in order to be called a first-choice opener.
Agarwal, who made his Test debut in Australia last December, got his maiden Test ton against South Africa in the first Test at Vizag. He went on to convert his milestone into a double hundred, to lead India's charge with the bat.
"The problem is we come to conclusions very quickly. With one hundred we will say he's your first choice opener and so on. But with a couple of failures, you would say otherwise. This has to stop," Ganguly told PTI in an interview.
"Any young player who is doing well is a very good sign for Indian cricket. He played well in Australia. He struggled a bit in the West Indies. But in the first Test at home, he's got a double against South Africa. Let him play for a year or so then will judge how good he is."
With KL Rahul not faring well consistently and Prithvi Shaw out with an ankle injury, Agarwal was called up to the Test team for the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne. He impressed straightaway with two fifties in two games as India went on to seal a historic series win.
The ongoing Test against South Africa also brought India's long-standing woes at the top of the order to an end as Rohit Sharma, who was promoted to open for the first time in the longest format, scored a brilliant century.
Replacing Rahul, Rohit grabbed headlines on Day 1 of the game, as he smashed 176 en-route a massive 317-run stand with Agarwal for the first wicket. Ganguly admitted that Rohit, while talented, too would need to pitch in consistently in the format to cement his place for good.
"It's the same thing for Rohit Sharma -- he has to perform consistently (like Mayank). It's just the first Test match for him as an opener. He (Rohit) is a fantastic player and hopefully he continues to play well because Rohit Sharma in form will strengthen Indian batting," he said.
On the debate between Wriddhiman Saha and Rishabh Pant, Ganguly backed Bengal player Saha, calling him the best in the world.
"He (Saha) is our own boy... He is the best wicketkeeper in the world. Rishabh has also been very successful. Now, it's a call Kohli has to take, whom he wants to play in the long term," said the former skipper.
India let South Africa off the hook on Day 3, allowing Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock to get their respective hundreds. The visitors will begin Day four 117 runs adrift of India's massive 502 for 7.
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