Ganguly to play one-day tournaments for Bengal

Kolkata:

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday said he would pad up for Bengal in the domestic one-day tournaments but would stay away from the Ranji Trophy.

"I have plans to play one-day tournaments for Bengal. It will help me keep fit and get me ready for next edition of IPL. However, I will not be playing the longer format," Ganguly told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

Asked about his plans for IPL III, the former Kolkata Knight Riders captain said, "We will see how it goes and how the Knight Riders think tank plan out the next season."

"But I have talked to many former players who played in IPL this time without any prior practice. I spoke to (Adam) Gilchrist and he told me he had not touched the bat till IPL.

He told me he had stopped playing after the inaugural IPL in India and picked the bat only in South Africa," he said.

Ganguly refrained from talking about Knight Riders coach John Buchanan.

Asked about the controversies involving him in IPL II, the iconic left-hander said, "There have been controversies in the inaugural edition as well. But I don't want to talk about that and create another controversy."

"With media becoming so proactive these days, every small issue becomes a controversy. It has become part and parcel of a cricketer's life. You have to deal with it and go on," Ganguly said.