‘At other end of Bumrah’: Sourav Ganguly’s strong call to selectors on Mohammed Shami | Cricket News – The Times of India
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‘At other end of Bumrah’: Sourav Ganguly’s strong call to selectors on Mohammed Shami | Cricket News – The Times of India


‘At other end of Bumrah’: Sourav Ganguly’s strong call to selectors on Mohammed Shami | Cricket News – The Times of India
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. (AP Photo)

Former India captain and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has thrown his weight behind Mohammed Shami, urging selectors to bring the experienced pacer back into India’s national setup. Speaking at an event in Kolkata ahead of Kolkata Knight Riders’ clash with Lucknow Super Giants, Ganguly made a strong case for Shami’s return, stating that the veteran should be sharing the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah.Currently representing Lucknow Super Giants after a Rs 10 crore move from Sunrisers Hyderabad, Shami has made an immediate impact in IPL 2026 with standout performances.Against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 5, he delivered a remarkable spell of 2/9 in four overs, including 18 dot balls, dismissing dangerous openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head early in the innings. Earlier, against Delhi Capitals, he struck on the very first ball, removing KL Rahul for a golden duck and finishing with figures of 1/28.

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Ganguly was particularly impressed with Shami’s spell against SRH, calling it “phenomenal” given the quality of opposition.“He should be bowling at the other end of Jasprit Bumrah, nowhere else. That’s how good he is. We all saw that spell the other night against Sunrisers Hyderabad four overs, nine runs against two of the best T20 players, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. That was phenomenal,” Ganguly said.Domestic Form and Fitness in FocusThe former India captain also highlighted Shami’s strong domestic performances, recalling his eight-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy semi-final for Bengal.“He had a strong Ranji Trophy season for Bengal. I still remember that semi-final, even though Bengal lost, he picked up eight wickets. He was instrumental in taking the team that far, I’m very happy he wants to keep playing in the Ranji Trophy. It’s tough for a fast bowler, but there’s nothing better than watching Mohammed Shami run in with the new ball,” he said. Despite his consistent performances in domestic cricket and the IPL, Shami remains out of India’s setup under chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Ganguly, however, believes the pacer still has plenty to offer at the highest level.“He looks fit and sharp. After bowling consistently, you reach peak condition. I still believe he should play for India. Hopefully, his time will come again because he’s that good,” Ganguly added.


Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar: Sourav Ganguly’s ‘Sachin’ remark goes viral – WATCH | Cricket News – The Times of India
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Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar: Sourav Ganguly’s ‘Sachin’ remark goes viral – WATCH | Cricket News – The Times of India


Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar: Sourav Ganguly’s ‘Sachin’ remark goes viral – WATCH | Cricket News – The Times of India
Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar (Image credit: Agencies)

NEW DELHI: The debate over who is the greatest – Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli – will never be silenced. The question has been asked of many former cricketers, and recently, former India captain Sourav Ganguly found himself in the middle of it.In terms of most international runs, Tendulkar holds the top spot with 34,357, while Kohli is among the top three with over 28,000 runs under his belt. Kohli has already surpassed Tendulkar’s record for the most ODI centuries, with 53 to his name, compared to Tendulkar’s 49 in his illustrious career.

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In Tests, Tendulkar has 51 centuries, while Kohli has 30. Tendulkar amassed 15,921 runs in Tests, while Kohli has scored 9,230 runs.During the event, Ganguly was asked by a host: “Tell me, there is a debate – an unending debate – and we want to reach a closure on it. Virat or Sachin?“Ye mat poochiye mere ho great dono bahut acche hain aur main sabse khush hoon. Dono India ke hai, dono India ke liye itne match jitaaye hain. Aap aap soch bhi nahi sakte. Kyunki jab aap khelte ho na to aapko pata chalta hai ki itne run banana, itne centuries banana kitna mushkil hai. [Don’t ask me that. Both are great, both are very good, and I am happiest that both are from India. They have won so many matches for India. You cannot even imagine, because when you play, you realise how difficult it is to score so many runs and so many centuries]” Ganguly said.“Sachin Tendulkar bahut bade player hai. Main unke paas se dekha hoon, main unke saath itna khela hoon. Main jab main unke saath dhai sau one day open kar chuka hoon to main ghar mein aakar hamesha bolta tha ki yaar mujhe na meri game neeche jaani nahi chahiye. To kabhi kabhi meri wife poochti thi kyu game mein to upar neeche hota hai. Maine kaha nahi yaar log bolenge ya doosre end par itna bada player hai aur doosri taraf 1 average player hai to main kabhi nahi chahta hoon ki mera game neeche aaye [Sachin Tendulkar is a very great player. I have seen him from close quarters, I have played so much with him. When I had opened around 250 ODIs with him, I would always come home and say that my game should not go down. Sometimes my wife would ask why, since form goes up and down. I would say no — people will say that at one end there is such a great player and at the other end there is an average player. So I never wanted my game to dip]”, he said.“[Aur main 1 cheez life mein believe karta hoon ki aap acche logon ke saath kheloge na jo aapse behtareen player hain, jo aapse stronger player hai, aapka game bhi improve hota hai kyunki aapka level bhi wo ban jaata hai. Isliye mere hisaab se Virat Kohli aur Sachin Tendulkar ke beech comparison hona nahi chahiye. Dono Bharat ke hain. But main Sachin ko bahut paas se dekha hoon aur bahut bade player hai wo. [One thing I believe in life is that when you play with good people, players who are better and stronger than you, your game also improves because your level rises to theirs. So in my opinion, there should not be a comparison between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. Both belong to India. But I have seen Sachin very closely, and he is a very great player]” Ganguly said.


‘I have an interest’: Sourav Ganguly breaks silence on coaching future | Cricket News – The Times of India
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‘I have an interest’: Sourav Ganguly breaks silence on coaching future | Cricket News – The Times of India


‘I have an interest’: Sourav Ganguly breaks silence on coaching future | Cricket News – The Times of India
Sourav Ganguly (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak)

NEW DELHI: Sourav Ganguly has opened up about his future in cricket, saying he remains closely connected to the game and is open to exploring coaching opportunities. Having recently guided Pretoria Capitals to a runners-up finish in the SA20 League, the former India captain said he is keen to stay involved in different roles going forward.

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Ganguly made it clear that coaching is something he is seriously considering. “The most important thing for me is cricket. When I used to play cricket, I used to bat, bowl and also captained the national team. But whatever I am doing now is in different phases. I just want get involved with cricket, I also coached Pretoria Capitals in the South Africa League where we reached the final and I have an interest in that also (coaching),” he said in an event in Noida, as quoted by PTI.He added, “I have been BCCI and CAB (Cricket Association of Bengal) president as well and became CAB president again. I have achieved everything in life and whatever opportunities I will get I will explore them.”On the game itself, Ganguly backed Test cricket as the toughest and most important format, while calling T20 the least challenging, even though it attracts crowds.Ganguly also weighed in on the IPL’s Impact Player rule, saying it is unlikely to go away despite criticism. “Impact player rule I think it’s going to stay… this is here to stay, someone will like it someone will not,” he said.Talking about the IPL’s growth, especially the massive Rajasthan Royals deal, he called the numbers “mind-blowing” and added, “IPL will only go to greater heights… it’s mind-blowing numbers but there is lot’s more in store for Indian cricket.”He also highlighted young talents to watch, including Auqib Nabi, as the league continues to showcase emerging stars.


Sourav Ganguly’s big statement on Sanju Samson: ‘He’ll hurt the opposition’ | Cricket News – The Times of India
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Sourav Ganguly’s big statement on Sanju Samson: ‘He’ll hurt the opposition’ | Cricket News – The Times of India


Sourav Ganguly’s big statement on Sanju Samson: ‘He’ll hurt the opposition’ | Cricket News – The Times of India
Sourav Ganguly (BCCI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Former India captain and current Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly described Sanju Samson’s match-winning 97* as “outstanding” and termed him a “very good player” after the wicketkeeper-batter powered India into the semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2026 with a crucial win over West Indies in a must-win Super 8 clash.Samson smashed an unbeaten 97 off 50 balls as India chased down a stiff 196-run target to secure a five-wicket victory in the do-or-die encounter, guiding Suryakumar Yadav’s men into the last four.

T20 World Cup: Gautam Gambhir on Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah and record chase vs West Indies

Speaking to reporters after the game, Ganguly heaped praise on Samson and underlined that the Kerala batter deserves consistent opportunities in India’s white-ball setup.“Outstanding. He’s a very good player. He should consistently play for India in the white-ball,” Ganguly said.With both India and West Indies tied on points in the Super 8 standings, the Kolkata fixture effectively turned into a knockout, with the winner advancing to join South Africa, New Zealand and England in the semifinals. India’s victory set up a last-four clash against England on March 5.Ganguly termed the India-West Indies encounter a virtual quarterfinal and lauded Samson’s composure, stressing how dangerous he can be once he settles in.“You know, when he gets in, he’ll hurt the opposition. He played to the situation which is important,” Ganguly added.Looking ahead to the semifinal against England, the former India skipper noted that the Three Lions would pose a tougher challenge than West Indies.In the match itself, India won the toss and opted to field. West Indies openers Roston Chase (40 off 25 balls, five fours and a six) and captain Shai Hope (32 off 33 balls, three fours and a six) added 68 for the first wicket. However, despite a quickfire cameo from Shimron Hetmyer (27 off 12 balls, one four and two sixes), the hosts slipped to 119/4 in 14.1 overs.A late onslaught from Jason Holder (37* off 22 balls, two fours and three sixes) and Rovman Powell (34* off 19 balls, three fours and two sixes) saw the duo stitch together a 76-run stand in just 35 balls, lifting West Indies to 195/4 in their 20 overs.Jasprit Bumrah (2/36 in four overs) was India’s standout bowler, while Varun Chakaravarthy and Hardik Pandya claimed one wicket each, conceding 40 runs apiece in their four-over spells.In reply, India were rocked early, reduced to 41/2 inside the powerplay. A 58-run partnership between Samson and Suryakumar Yadav (18) steadied the innings and revived the chase. Samson then combined effectively with Tilak Varma (27 off 15 balls, four boundaries and a six), Hardik Pandya (17) and Shivam Dube (8*) to guide India home with five wickets in hand, sealing a memorable win and a semifinal berth.