Former skipper Sourav Ganguly says he still has the firepower to play red-ball cricket

Sourav Ganguly is confident that he still has the firepower to score runs in Test cricket and according to him, he can make it happen in just three months. Ganguly has played 113 Test matches for India at the highest level from 1996 to 2008 where he has amassed 7212 runs at a strike rate of 51.2 with an average of 42.2 that included 16 centuries. Meanwhile, Sourav as a captain had also helped Team India attain greater heights in red-ball cricket that include the 2001 home series triumph against the then mighty Australians, drawing the Test series on Australian soil in 2003/04 and a famous triumph in Pakistan during the same season, etc.

'I would have scored runs': Sourav Ganguly

While speaking to a Bengali newspaper Sangbad Pratidin, Dada went on to say that if he was given two more series in ODIs, he would have scored more runs but at the same time, recalling his final Test match at Nagpur against Australia in November 2008, the southpaw mentioned that had he not retired back then, he would have scored runs in the next two Test series as well. The current Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President further added that all he needs is six months to train and three Ranji games and he will score runs for India in the game's longest format.

Furthermore, the former Indian skipper added that he does not even need six months and will score runs if he is given three months. 

How Ganguly took Indian Cricket to greater heights as a captain

Under Ganguly's captaincy reign that had lasted for half-a-decade, the Indian team had reached greater heights in world cricket and also succeeded in registering many wins overseas especially in red-ball cricket. 'Dada' was also lauded by many experts of that time for his brave captaincy.

The southpaw was handed over the captaincy in 2000 when the Indian Cricket was in turmoil after that infamous match-fixing scandal broke out that included star cricketers Ajay Jadeja and former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin. Under Dada's captaincy, India had reached the finals of ICC Knockout Trophy 2000, won the Natwest tri-series in England by beating the hosts in the final that was led by Nasser Hussain, joint-winners of ICC Champions Trophy 2002 along with Sri Lanka, runners-up in the 2003 World Cup, drawing the Test series in Australia in 2003/04 and registering a historic ODI as well as Test series win against arch-rivals Pakistan in Pakistan, etc.

Sourav's captaincy ended in 2005 after his fallout with former Australian cricketer/captain-turned coach Greg Chappell.

READ: Sourav Ganguly Dropped In 1992 Was Best Thing That Happened To Indian Cricket: Arun Lal

(Image Courtesy: AP)