Kolkata: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday took a swipe at the selectors’ decision to omit leftarm spinner Pragyan Ojha, especially after a 10-wicket haul in his last Test.
Pointing out that India’s weak spin department contributed to the 0-1 series loss in New Zealand, Ganguly said Ojha and veteran offspinner Harbhajan Singh were a must for the Test side.
“I’m highly surprised at Ojha’s exclusion. He has the ability to take five wickets,” Ganguly said.
Ojha got a 10-wicket haul vs the West Indies in Sachin Tendulkar farewell Test, but only to be dropped for the touring Kiwi squad.
“If you see his career, he got five wickets in Mumbai in the first day, in the same conditions where Ashwin got three. He has got the variety to take wickets,” Ganguly said.
“I don’t think pacers are a reason for India’s defeat. But it’s our spin department where we’re lacking. All big teams have great spinners, be it Muttiah Muralitharan or Graeme Swann.
“Dhoni has to think about his spin department. Jadeja has no variation. We also need to bring back Harbhajan Singh. He has good record overseas. Both of them (Harbhajan and Ojha) are a must especially in Test cricket,” he added.
A day after calling Dhoni’s Test captaincy ‘obnoxious’, Ganguly said Dhoni has to be a little more brave in taking decisions.
“He has to be bold in taking decisions. He has to take risks to win. Sometimes, his decisions are negative like his decision to field after winning the toss,” Ganguly told a regional news channel on Thursday.
Terming Virat Kohli as the future India captain, Ganguly further said that Dhoni should remain the captain at least till England and Australia series later this year.
“We need an experienced captain. Keeping his record in one-day cricket, he deserves to lead India in two more series in Australia and England. (PTI)