Rishabh Pant will be an all-time great in Tests, he needs to get better in shorter formats: Sourav Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes that Rishabh Pant has got all it takes to become an all-time great in red-ball cricket. The keeper-batter has done a terrific job for the national team, scoring 2271 runs in 33 games at an average of 43.67. He played an instrumental role in India’s win over Australia in the 2020-21 season and also in the away series against England in the following year. 

Due to an injury, he was ruled out of action for nearly 18 months and has recently made his comeback in red-ball cricket. Notably, the 26-year-old has done a good job in both batting and keeping in the opening game of the Duleep Trophy, which has helped the cricketer earn a call-up for the Test series against Bangladesh. 

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Ahead of that, Ganguly noted Pant’s impact in Test cricket and stated that he is not surprised by Pant’s heroics but added that the Hardidwar-born cricketer will have to improve in the shorter format of the game.

“I consider Rishabh Pant one of India's best Test batsmen. I'm not surprised that he's back in the side, and he will continue to play for India in Tests. He will be an all-time great in Tests if he keeps performing like this. For me, he needs to get better in the shorter formats. With the talent he has, I'm sure with time, he will become one of the best,” Ganguly said while talking to the press in Kolkata.

Ganguly opens up on India's bowling unit

Ganguly stated that Mohammed Shami will return to professional cricket before India’s tour to Australia later in the year. He noted that even in his absence, India have a very strong bowling unit and added that the spinners will have the last laugh in the upcoming series against Bangladesh, slated to begin on September 19.

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“I know Mohammed Shami is missing because of injury, but he will be back very soon since India is going to Australia. It's still a very good attack. In India, you will see a lot more spin. In Chennai, you will see a lot more bounce. Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar, and Kuldeep are the four best spinners in the world at the moment it won't be easy. When you play in India, spinners have a lot more say in the game. But India are a very good team,” Ganguly said.