I’ll still score runs for India in Tests with just three months of training, claims Sourav Ganguly

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly’s 16-year journey in international cricket came to its conclusion in 2008, after he called it a day from the game post the Nagpur Test against Australia. The legendary left-hander, in his decorated career, scored a staggering 18,575 runs across formats and he is, till date, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen to have donned the Indian jersey. But the 48-year-old is of the opinion that he could have ended his career with way more runs to his name. 

Speaking to Bengali newspaper Sangbad Pratidin, the former Indian skipper, who retired from ODIs and Tests in 2007 and 2008 respectively, claimed that he could easily have carried on and accumulated runs aplenty in both formats had he decided to extend his career. Furthermore, the now-BCCI President also claimed that he would still be capable of scoring runs for the country and added that all he would need for the same would be just three months of intense training.

“If I was given two more series in ODIs, I would’ve scored more runs. If I hadn’t retired in Nagpur, I would’ve scored runs in the next two Test series too. In fact even now give me six months to train, let me play three Ranji games, I’ll score runs for India in Test cricket. I don’t even need six months, give me three, I will score runs,” said Ganguly, reported News18.

“You might not give me an opportunity to play but how will you break the belief inside me?”

In contrast to his Test career, where he bowed out on his own terms, Ganguly’s ODI career, however, came to an abrupt end under controversial circumstances as the southpaw was axed permanently from the set-up despite amassing 1,240 runs in the calendar year of 2007. Ganguly, whose last ODI came against Pakistan in Gwalior in 2007, expressed his anger and disappointment over his sacking from ODIs and claimed that he couldn’t have done anything more.

“It was kind of unbelievable. I was dropped from the ODI side despite being one of the highest scorers of that calendar year. No matter how good your performance is if the stage is taken away from you then what will you prove? And to whom? The same thing happened with me,” Ganguly said.