Ganguly demands Shami return after Eden collapse

Ex India captain Sourav Ganguly has thrown his weight behind Gautam Gambhir but also delivered a firm message to the head coach after India's disappointing

outing against South Africa.

Ganguly, while expressing his admiration for Gambhir, made it clear that India must rethink their approach-starting with team selection and the quality of pitches prepared at home.

Ganguly reiterated that Gambhir has his full backing. "I am very fond of Gautam; he has done well in the 2011 and T20 World Cups. He will continue for a while, but he must play on good pitches in India. He must have faith in Bumrah, Siraj, and Shami," Ganguly said in an interview with Sports Tak. His remarks come at a time when questions are being raised over India's strategy following a string of underwhelming performances.

One of the biggest points of debate has been the exclusion of Mohammed Shami. The veteran pacer was left out of the home Tests despite an impressive return to domestic cricket, where he picked up 15 wickets in his first three Ranji Trophy matches. Shami, who last featured in a Test during the World Test Championship final two years ago, continued his strong form for Bengal over the weekend, finishing the day with figures of 22-4-62-2 against Assam.

Ganguly didn't mince words on this issue. "I think Shami deserves a place in this Test team. Shami and the spinners will win Tests for him," he added, suggesting that Gambhir must bring back the experienced quick if India wants to regain control in red-ball cricket.

The former BCCI President further emphasised the need for India to move away from extreme pitch conditions and focus on building big totals-something that helped the side earn a 2-2 series draw in England earlier this year. "Play on good wickets. I hope Gautam Gambhir is listening. He needs to take the wicket out of the game. Because if his batters aren't putting up 350-400, he will not win Tests," Ganguly told NDTV.

He added that India must aim for five-day contests rather than matches ending prematurely. "That is the reason they won in England, because their batters put runs up on the board. He must play on good wickets. And trust his people. And win Tests in 5 days. Not in 3 days," Ganguly concluded.