Former Indian cricket team captain and current BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly feels Indian players are mentally stronger than their Australian, English and West Indian counterparts, and this helps them in following the strict bio-secure protocols better.

After the Pakistan Super League had to be postponed midway owing to the virus cases in camps, the much-anticipated Indian T20 League is seeing the global virus�?second wave hitting the country with the tournament just days away.

The Indian T20 League has already seen players like Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh skipping the tournament after being unable to cope with the strict protocols, and Ganguly believes that his countrymen are more tolerant towards it.

“I feel we Indians are a bit more tolerant than overseas (cricketers),�?Sourav Ganguly told PTI.

“I��ve played with a lot of Englishmen, Australians, West Indians, they just give up on mental health,�?he added.

The board president, however, acknowledged the challenges linked with the bio-secure protocols. “In the last six-seven months, with so much cricket being going on in the bio-bubble it’s so tough,�?Ganguly said.  

“Just going from the hotel room to the ground, handle the pressure and come back to the room and then get back to the ground again, it’s an absolutely different life,�?he pointed out.

Players staying in bio-bubble are not allowed to meet people outside it, which takes a toll on their motivation especially during a long tour or a month-long tournament like the Indian T20 League.

Sourav Ganguly also pointed out to the recent instance where the Australia cricket team pulled out of their South Africa tour citing an “unacceptable level of health and safety risk to players, support staff and the community�?

“Look at the Australian team, they were supposed to go to South Africa for a Test series after India played there. They refused to go there...

“�?You have to stay positive, you have to train yourself mentally. All of us have to train ourselves mentally so that the good will happen. It boils down to training,�?Ganguly added.

Though the Indian cricket team hasn’t skipped any tour or series since they resumed their campaign with a tour to Australia last November, captain Virat Kohli did mention his players are getting cooked owing to a hectic schedule and playing in bubbles.

Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ Dibyangshu Sarkar

India's cricket chief Sourav Ganguly says improved fitness standards and a change in culture have led to the country developing one of the world's best pace attacks.

Spearheads Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are part of a battery of five formidable quick bowlers that have helped change India's traditional reliance on spin bowling.

"You know culture has changed in India that we can be good fast bowlers," Ganguly said in a chat hosted on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Twitter feed.

"Fitness regimes, fitness standards not only just among fast bowlers but also among the batters, that has changed enormously.

"That has made everyone understand and believe that we are fit, we are strong and we can also bowl fast like the others did."

The West Indies dominated world cricket in the 1970s and 1980s led by a fearsome pace attack that included all-time greats such as Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner.

Recently, Indian quicks have risen to the top in world cricket with Shami, Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in a deadly arsenal.

"The West Indies in my generation were naturally strong," the former India captain said.

"We Indians were never such naturally strong... but we worked hard to get strong. But I think it is the change in culture as well that is very important."

Shami last month claimed that the current Indian pace attack may be the best in Test history.

"You and everyone else in the world will agree to this -- that no team has ever had five fast bowlers together as a package," said Shami.

"Not just now, in the history of cricket, this might be the best fast-bowling unit in the world."

Shami took 13 wickets during India's 3-0 home Test sweep over South Africa last year, while Bumrah has claimed 68 scalps in 14 Tests since his debut.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Punit Paranjpe

India might have only won two of the 12 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, but the Men in Blue have been responsible for some of the most exemplary displays on the biggest stage of the game. Many of these performances can be attributed to the likes of star names who have represented India at the World Cup, including the likes of Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rahul Dravid to name a few. 

With the fans celebrating the 21st anniversary of the 318-run stand between Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid during the 1999 World Cup, we recollect five such partnerships between the Indian batsmen in the World Cup history:

202 �?Ganguly and Sehwag vs Bermuda, Port of Spain (2007)

The 2007 World Cup was not the most memorable one for the Men in Blue, to say the least. With a star-studded squad at their disposal, the team succumbed against both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka during the group stages and their only win during the tournament came against a lowly Bermuda side.

Read | Four best knocks by Virat Kohli in ODI run-chase

Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag were at the helm of this partnership, scoring 202 runs between them to set up India’s fifth-highest partnership (at present) in World Cup history. They eventually ended the match with a record 413/5, which was then a record in World Cup history. 

India then dismissed the Bermuda team for 156, winning the game by 257 runs, setting another record.

203 �?Sehwag and Kohli vs Bangladesh, Dhaka (2011)

India bounced back from their disappointment of the 2007 World Cup with a new team, with a perfect blend of young and experienced talents. Led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian team were untouchable throughout the tournament, eventually winning the trophy on home soil.

India squared off against co-hosts Bangladesh in the first game of the 2011 ICC World Cup, in Dhaka. Virat Kohli, who scored one of his many centuries, set up a 203-run partnership with Virender Sehwag for the fourth wicket after being made to bat first. India ended their innings at 370/4, while bowling out their co-hosts for 283 runs, winning the game comfortably by 87 runs.

237* �?Dravid and Tendulkar vs Kenya, Bristol (1999)

Coming into the tournament, the expectations from the Indian team were not too high. Having lost the first two matches against South Africa and Zimbabwe, India were under extreme pressure. However, the close calls in both games was a positive point for the team. 

Read | Four best knocks by Indian batsmen in ODI World Cups

All this changed when India took on Kenya in their third match of the tournament. Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar set up a comfortable third-wicket partnership of 237* for the Men in Blue, ending their 50 overs at 329/2. Tendulkar’s century had an added value as the Master Blaster had lost his father prior to the second match against Zimbabwe. Kenya were unable to match the Indian batsmen, making 235 runs. India won the match by 94 runs.

244 �?Tendulkar and Ganguly vs Namibia, Pietermaritzburg (2003)

The 2003 World Cup saw India reach the finals of the tournament but fell short to a powerful Australian squad, who ended up winning their second consecutive World Cup. The Men in Blue, however, did not have the best of starts to their campaign, winning their opening game quite unconvincingly against the Netherlands before losing to Australia. 

However, a win against Zimbabwe in their third outing did much to boost the confidence of the team. This triumph was followed by a 181-run thrashing of debutants Namibia, a victory spearheaded by skipper Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. The duo scored 244 runs for the second wicket, making 311 runs while losing only two wickets. Meanwhile, Namibia could manage a measly 130 runs in 42.3 overs. 

318 �?Ganguly and Dravid vs Sri Lanka, Taunton (1999)

Probably one of the best performances at the highest stage, India came into the match after a strong performance against Kenya, with Rahul Dravid notching a century in that innings as well. The pillage of the Sri Lankan team began after Dravid was brought in early after the wicket of Sadagoppan Ramesh.

Playing in their first-ever World Cup, both Sourav Ganguly and Dravid showed their mature stature against their Asian rivals, Sri Lanka, who were also the defending champions of the ICC World Cup. 

The pair added 318 runs, before Dravid was unfortunately run out at 145. Ganguly, on the other hand, continued the onslaught, losing his wicket on the penultimate ball of the innings, scoring 183 runs. India set a colossal total of 373/6 for Sri Lanka, while the Island nation only managed 216 runs in their 50 overs, with India romping to a 157-run victory.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Adrian Dennis

The divisions in South African cricket were exposed again when Cricket South Africa (CSA) president Chris Nenzani said Graeme Smith's call for Sourav Ganguly to become International Cricket Council chairman did not have official approval.

"We must respect both the ICC protocol and our own protocol in deciding which candidate to back," Nenzani, a controversial figure who has stayed in office despite several calls for his resignation, said on Thursday night.

"There have been no candidates nominated as yet and once such nominations have been made the Board of CSA will take its decision in terms of its own protocol."

Read | Graeme Smith wants Ganguly to head ICC

Smith, CSA's director of cricket, said at a press conference on Thursday that he believed India's Ganguly, a fellow former Test captain, was the best man to succeed another Indian Shashank Manohar, whose term as ICC chairman is about to expire.

"We have the highest regard for the opinions of our director of cricket, Graeme Smith, who is a well-respected figure in world cricket and has already made an immense contribution in fulfilling his mandate to make our cricket teams world leaders again," said Nenzani. "At the moment we don't want to anticipate any candidates who may be nominated for this important position to lead the game we all love."

The administration of cricket in South Africa has been in turmoil since the constitution of CSA was changed at the annual meeting last September to allow Nenzani an extra year in office after he had already served the maximum two three-year terms.

The extension was ostensibly to guide the organisation through a new system headed by then-chief executive Thabang Moroe.

But Moroe proved a divisive figure and was suspended in December on charges of misconduct. Before his suspension, he had alienated the country's players' association and created a storm when he withdrew the accreditation of five journalists who had been critical of him.

A major sponsor ended its relationship with CSA and another sponsor called for the resignation of the board, headed by Nenzani. This call was echoed by the players' association. Two of CSA's five independent directors and one non-independent director resigned.

Jacques Faul, chief executive of the successful Titans franchise, was appointed as interim chief executive and Smith took the director of cricket role after initially expressing misgivings.

Since then Faul and Smith have effectively taken charge of running the game in the country, while the board have largely remained in the background �?until Nenzani's statement on Thursday night.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar

South African director of cricket Graeme Smith on Thursday made a strong call for India's Sourav Ganguly to be the next chairman of the International Cricket Council.

Smith said he believed Ganguly, a fellow former Test captain and current Indian board president, was the right person to lead the game at a time of crisis caused by the global pandemic.

"It is very important to have the right person as head of the ICC," said Smith.

"Post-pandemic, cricket will need strong leadership and it is time for someone close to the modern game with leadership credentials to get into the position."

Shashank Manohar, the current chairman of ICC, also from India, said last December that he would not seek re-election when his term expires at the end of May.

Speaking in a teleconference, Smith made his call for Ganguly's election after Cricket South Africa interim chief director Jacques Faul said plans for South Africa to host a three-match Twenty20 series against India in late August remained on track, although it would require approval from both governments in view of the pandemic.

Faul said that the dates could change and that "if necessary" the matches would be played without spectators.

Faul said that he welcomed Smith's call for Ganguly to head the ICC, but cautioned that it was not yet official policy endorsed by the CSA board.

Dr Shuaib Manjra, CSA's chief medical officer, said a T20 series would be an ideal opportunity to create what he described as a spectator-free "bio bubble" in which the health of players and officials was paramount.

He acknowledged that under current conditions, a 14-day quarantine period, both before and after a tour, would be necessary for players.

Smith said a planned South African tour of the West Indies, scheduled to start in July, was likely to be delayed, depending on the finalisation of plans for the West Indies to tour England. He said it was possible that matches could be played at neutral venues. "Nothing is cast in stone at the moment," he said.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Brenton Geach

Former Indian pace bowler Zaheer Khan thinks that Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s approach towards captaincy is somewhat similar to that of legendary captain Sourav Ganguly, under whose leadership Zaheer started his career.

Zaheer Khan was the leader of the Indian pace bowling attack during Ganguly’s captaincy era in which the team evolved to gain success overseas and it continued till the team’s 2011 ICC World Cup triumph under MS Dhoni.

The 40-year-old also played under Kohli’s captaincy while he played for the Bengaluru side in the Indian T20 League.

"Sourav made us believe that we can win oversees and inspired us to play with a lot of aggression. Dhoni was calm through tough situations, yet aggressive in his approach. We won the World Cup under him, so it was always very special playing under his leadership.

"Virat is a lot like dada (Ganguly), he is expressive, bold in his decisions and always pumps the team up through crunch situations. His sublime batting form is always reflective of the way he leads the team on field. I wish to see him lift the World Cup for India one day," he explained while speaking to IANS.

India is currently the number one Test team in the world and with the home tour against South Africa about to start, as a part of the World Test Championship, Zaheer thinks India has the best bowling attack in the world which can lead them to clinch the title. 

"These are exciting times to be a fast bowler in India. The likes of Bumrah, Shami, Ishant, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Navdeep Saini among others have proven the fact that the current Indian team is a powerhouse of bowling and it is by far the best bowling attack in the world.

"It feels fantastic as a fast bowler and I hope they keep putting in the hard work and maintain the rhythm which has seen them achieve results," he said.

Talking about Jasprit Bumrah, who will be missing the upcoming series due to back injury, Khan said, "I have tracked Jasprit's progress since a very young age. Since his early days with Mumbai Indians he was extremely talented, and I am happy as to how over the years he has been able to nurture himself well and brought out some stellar performances for his team.

Read: How bad is India’s 'Bumrahbone' fracture?

"His awkward action has worked really well for him, I feel he just needs to keep working on his fitness and keep evolving without putting too much pressure on himself," he said.

Feature Image Courtesy: AFP/ STR