Ganguly Hails Gill's England Form, Predicts Mounting Pressure as Captain

Ganguly Praises Gill's England Performance, Predicts Future Pressure

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has lauded Shubman Gill's current form as India's Test captain, while also predicting increased pressure on the young player in the future.

Sourav Ganguly during an interview. (PTI Photo)

Speaking to reporters at Eden Gardens during his 53rd birthday celebration, Ganguly emphasized the constant emergence of talented cricketers in India. He referenced a recent PTI interview, stating, "This is the best I've seen him bat and I'm not surprised."

Ganguly highlighted the abundance of talent in Indian cricket, saying, "There will always be players in Indian cricket after every generation. Whenever there's a void, players will come and fill it." He further elaborated, "In every generation, you will find players."

He pointed to a lineage of cricket legends, from Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev to Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Virat Kohli, and now including Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, and Mohammed Siraj. "Just see the abundance of talent," Ganguly exclaimed. "In every generation, whenever there's a void, they will come and fill it. I've always said that."

Gill is currently close to surpassing Rahul Dravid's record of 602 runs, the most by an Indian batter in a series in England. India recently secured a dominant 336-run victory at Edgbaston, drawing the five-match series level at 1-1.

Addressing his own potential future as India's head coach, Ganguly remained noncommittal. "It's too early. There are many desires, but reality is different. Do you wish to become coach? Let's see, don't know," he stated.

In his debut as captain, Gill has amassed 585 runs at an impressive average of 146.25, including three centuries. His scores of 269 and 161 in Birmingham have already broken multiple records, including the highest match aggregate by an Indian batter.

Gill is also approaching Don Bradman's 88-year-old record for the most runs as captain in a Test series. Bradman scored 810 runs in five Tests during the 1936-37 Ashes, averaging 90 with three centuries. Gill needs 225 more runs to break this record.

"It's phenomenal. I hope his career will take a new direction," Ganguly said. "And I believe he's a middle-order batter. He has just become captain, it's a honeymoon period. But there would be more pressure with time. The pressure will build in the next three Tests."

Ganguly stressed the need for a fresh start at Lord's despite India's recent win. "It's just one-all. There's still a lot to play for with three matches to go. India played well, and have been playing well. They may have lost at Headingley but they played well. But again, you have to start from scratch in the next match (at Lord's)."

He believes a lively pitch at Lord's would favor India. "It will be advantage India if it's a lively pitch. Because our batters will score runs and we'll be in a position to take 20 wickets. I've said before -- if you give grass and life on the wicket, we can take 20 wickets." He added, "Last week it was very hot in England, so it's flat. But it's a long way to go."

Regarding the bowling lineup for Lord's, Ganguly suggested, "If the surface is brown, Kuldeep has to play 100 per cent. It depends on the surface. If it's green, you can have four pacers. If Kuldeep comes in, it could be either in Nitish (Kumar Reddy) or Washy's (Washington Sundar) place."

Akash Deep took ten wickets in the previous match, filling in for Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested. The team also missed Mohammed Shami due to injury.

Ganguly celebrated his 53rd birthday with a cake-cutting ceremony in Dubai on his way back from England. Born on July 8, 1972, he is celebrated as one of the most influential leaders in Indian cricket history, credited with rebuilding the team after the match-fixing scandal and establishing India's success in overseas competitions.

Ganguly's career statistics include 7,212 Test runs with 16 centuries between 1996 and 2008. In ODIs, he remains India's third-highest run-scorer with 11,363 runs and 22 centuries.