Indian players should be sent home to refresh themselves: Sourav Ganguly

It doesn’t matter where Virat Kohli bats, he still has to score: Sourav Ganguly

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has said that the Indian cricketers seem fatigued and need to spend some time with their families before the start of the 2015 Cricket World Cup next month. The Men in Blue start their World Cup defence, against Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval, on February 15, and the 42-year-old feels that had the decision been up to him, he would’ve sent some of them home to recharge their batteries.

"What this team needs is rest. It has been a long tour and it's time they meet their families before competing in the all-important World Cup. If it were up to me, I would fly some of them back home.The players need their families to come out hard in the World Cup,” Ganguly, on air during the England-India match at Perth, said.

‘Warm-ups don’t matter’

India play two warm-up matches before the start of the marquee event, but Ganguly said that those matches don’t matter to him; he would, instead. want the side to be fully prepared to take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their first game.

"I don't care about the warm-ups. I just want the team to be ready to give it their all when February 15 comes and Pakistan stand on the opposite end of the field at Adelaide. Kohli and rest of the team already know what to expect at Adelaide,” he said.

Ganguly, who led India to final in the 2003 World Cup, also said that he wouldn’t compare the performances of Steve Smith and Virat Kohli on this tour because the Australian has had his family support behind him all this while, which, according to him, has played a key role in him performing the way he has done in the ODI series. Kohli, on the other hand, hasn’t been able to replicate his Test series shows in ODIs.

“See, the reason I won't compare someone like (Steve) Smith and (Virat) Kohli is because while Smith goes home to his girlfriend after each match, Kohli has to go from hotel to hotel,” the 42-year-old said.

Form, and not position, that will decide Kohli’s contributions

There has also been a debate about Kohli’s batting position in the line-up, but Ganguly felt that regardless of whether he bats at number 3 or 4, he can score runs in the middle if he can regain his form.

In the three complete innings that Kohli has played, he has managed only scores of 9, 4, and 8 respectively. While he batted at No. 4 in his previous two matches, he was promoted back to No. 3 against England, but the move didn’t really have an effect.

"It does not matter whether he (Kohli) bats at No. 3 or 4. It was for all to see today. It is his form and sheer application, which will help him at the end of the day," Ganguly said.