I find it hard to understand some of the selections South Africa made: Sourav Ganguly

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly expressed his opinions on the recently concluded ODI series between India and South Africa. Ganguly, in his column, pointed out the key aspects where the South African team faltered in the series. Also, he was very critical about the changes that the hosts made throughout the course of the series. Furthermore, the former captain praised the Indian team for their good show in the series.

In his column for TOI, Sourav Ganguly mentioned that the team changes of South Africa made very little sense. He was surprised to see David Miller sit out of the final ODI of the series. Also, the fact that the Proteas have rested Kagiso Rabada for the T20I series seems to be very amusing move. In addition to this, the selection of Imran Tahir over Tabraiz Shamsi surprised Ganguly a lot in the final ODI.

“Yes, a team makes changes when it loses but the changes have not made sense for South Africa. It will be a completely new set of players and looking at the importance of the series, I find it hard to understand some of the selections. A tour by India is always special to any country and the South Africans have surprised with some ‘non-selection’,” quoted Sourav Ganguly.

“The exclusion of David Miller in the last ODI itself was surprising, as is the omission of Kasigo Rabada from the T20 squad. JP Duminy will be leading in the T20 format but was not included in the final one-dayer while Tabraiz Shamsi, who bowled well at Port Elizabeth, was replaced by Imran Tahir in the last game,” Ganguly noted.

India a superior side

Talking about the Indian team, Sourav Ganguly expressed his happiness on the way the visitors dominated the ODI series. Coming in to the series, things were not easy for them. They had lost the Test series and hence, had a lot of work done before getting in to the right groove. The former Indian captain expects the Indian side to continue their good run in the T20Is as well.

“India proved themselves to be the superior one-day side they are, and I am sure they will continue to do so in the upcoming three-match T20 series. There is a distinct possibility that they will finish off this South Africa tour on a high. Of course, one understands that the shorter the format, the difference between the two sides reduces, but this South African unit will have to raise their standards immensely to compete with this Indian side,” conceded the former Indian captain.

On Virat Kohli

Commenting further on the same note, Ganguly remarked that it was an absolute pleasure to watch Virat Kohli in action. The way he led the team, and more importantly, the way he dominated the series with his bat, showed the calibre that he possesses. Ganguly rightly  remarked that Kohli was the big difference between the two sides in the ODIs.

“After losing the Test Series, India were super dominant in the ODIs against South Africa and it has been such a pleasure to see Virat Kohli bat the way he has in the 5-1 win. He was the major difference between the two sides and what stands out for me is the way he batted even in the dead rubber,” conceded Sourav Ganguly.

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