Sourav Ganguly challenges India to translate home success abroad
Observing that teams like England and South Africa perform well both at home and abroad, Ganguly hoped India would also become strong enough in all conditions.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: March 22, 2013 06:16 PM IST
Having re-established their dominance in the familiar environment of home conditions with three successive Test wins against Australia, India should strive to once again become a force to reckon with in alien conditions abroad, feels former captain Sourav Ganguly.
Observing that teams like England and South Africa perform well both at home and abroad, Ganguly hoped India would also become strong enough in all conditions.
"England does well home and away. England won here when they came to India. South Africa does well everywhere they play and so do Sri Lanka. But, we will have to wait and see. It is too early to say. We want India to do well (at) home and away. That's very important for us.
"That's what we have done in the last 10-11 years. Hopefully, we will become a team which is once again doing well home and overseas. As I said, it is a young team which needed a little bit of time. But that's what we want our team to be," Ganguly said.
Ganguly said a 4-0 whitewash of Australia in the ongoing Test series will be a "good thing" for the Indian cricket team after suffering a similar fate in Australia last year.
"It will be a good thing for them. When they went to Australia last year, it was 0-4 and winning 4-0 here would be very satisfying for the team," Ganguly said.
"Having said that, they will have to play well. It is not an easy wicket at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Hopefully, India will play well as they have done in the last three Test matches," he told reporters.
India lead the series 3-0 after convincing wins in Chennai, Hyderabad and Mohali.
Asked whether India would be able to continue their successful run, he said the current side comprised young players who will need time to settle down.
"We want Indian cricket to reach that stage. They played well in the series. They also had a tough time in the last 20-22 months. We also have to understand that it is a young team, lot of young players are coming in, it is a change which is happening within Indian cricket.
"VVS Laxman has retired and so has Rahul Dravid. It is a new team, new players. You will have to allow them to settle down and hopefully, we will take Indian cricket to where it was a couple of years ago," he said.