Ganguly will face tough time, says Pataudi

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi believes Sourav Ganguly's weaknesses have been well exposed by bowlers around the world © Getty Images

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the former Indian captain, believes Sourav Ganguly's chances of returning to the national side are `bleak', given India's promising 6-1 win over Sri Lanka.

"Competition for a berth in the Indian team has now drastically increased. And it is all the more difficult to return once you are out of the team," Pataudi told Rediff. "I am not saying that Ganguly is not successful, but he will have to be really among the runs to stake a claim in the team."

Pataudi, a leading batsman of his era, was comparing Sachin Tendulkar's return to the side after a six-month layoff due to injury. "The biggest difference between the two is that Ganguly's weakness is exposed to the bowlers world over but no one can say that about Sachin," he said.

Pataudi also praised the Indian players for improving the traditionally weak areas of their game."The Indian team has now started doing well in the areas that were its weak links so far. The fielding department has improved a lot. Our bowling has also become much better now, fielding is still improving and, most significantly, players are very confident." On Greg Chappell's role in bringing more youth into the team, as well as nurturing Virender Sehwag as a leader, Pataudi was equally pleased. "Three or four matches are enough to evaluate a player, then luck also is a factor," he said. "Sehwag has leadership qualities and if he has to be given the responsibility, he must have experience as well."

The main aspect that India needs to build on is developing a suitable allrounder, Pataudi added. He offered the example of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman who has added depth to the side, but still believes that India needs an allrounder of the caliber of Jacques Kallis or Andrew Flintoff. This however, is "a matter of luck," Pataudi contended.