Sourav Ganguly has a brief informal coaching session with Bengal

The former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, recently donned the coach’s hat in the Ranji Trophy. Although it was an informal one, Dada had some good tips for the younger lot of the Bengal Ranji team.

Bengal has been struggling in the ongoing season of the Ranji Trophy. They have found themselves in a spot of bother at the moment. They need one outright win out of their remaining 3 league matches to make it to the knockouts. In such a situation, the skipper of Bengal team Manoj Tiwary felt that the boys need a pep talk from the legend.

As per the sources, he requested Sourav Ganguly to have a word or two in the practice session with the boys. Sourav obliged and was seen with the players at the practice session. The major reason for Bengal underperforming has been the failure of their youngsters. Sayan Sekhar Mondal, Pankaj Shaw, Agniv Pan, and Writtick Chatterjee have largely been unsuccessful.

Sourav Ganguly spent close to 2 hours with the four players and had tips for each of them. He asked Writtick to stay on the front foot and play straight. “Don’t go on the backfoot. Play inside the ‘V’,” Ganguly told Writtick Chatterjee. He asked opener Sayan Mondal to be careful against the spinners. He advised him to play with the spin.

Playing against the spin is what has been creating demons for his batting this season. “Try to play with the spin rather than against it,” said Sourav Ganguly to Mondal. Pankaj Shaw was advised to see the ball through in the early stages of the innings. He remarked that the opposition players are usually charged up in the early session of play. Hence, if a player is successful in seeing them off for the first 15 minutes, he gets the upper edge from thereon.

“The opponents remain charged up during that time when a new batsman walks in. So have patience and see off that initial period and then go for your shots,” Sourav Ganguly said. Bengal will face Mumbai in their next Ranji fixture.