Team spirit missing in Duleep Trophy, hope Ganguly revamps it: Tendulkar

Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar feels BCCI President Sourav Ganguly should initiate a revamp of Duleep Trophy as players competing in event seem more focussed on individual performances than ir teams. batting maestro feels that team bonding is missing from four-day tournament, which can be reinvented by bringing in four Ranji Trophy semifinalists along with two teams of promising U-19 and U-23 players.

"I want him (Ganguly) to consider looking at Duleep Trophy...I feel Duleep Trophy is one tournament where one is getting to hear that players are possibly more focused on ir own performances and what next tournament is and y play accordingly," Tendulkar told PTI in an exclusive interaction.

"For instance if re's an IPL auction, or an upcoming T20 tournament or one-day, players end up playing in that mode and t for ir team or looking at need of hour," he said.

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Duleep trophy was a five-team zonal tournament but w features India Blue, India Green and India Red in a round-robin format.  Ganguly took charge as BCCI president on October 23 and within a week, he convinced Bangladesh Cricket Board to play ir first-ever Day/Night Test at Eden Gardens. As former captain gears up for BCCI's first Annual General Meeting on Sunday, Tendulkar wants him to spare some focus on Duleep Trophy.

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"This is one change I would like to see because cricket has always been a team sport. It is all about team spirit bonding and playing toger as a team. t as individuals," he said.

Explaining his idea on how to revamp Duleep Trophy, Tendulkar said to get players to compete as a team, it should be held right after Ranji Trophy finals and among four semifinalists, who play whole season toger.

"Top four Ranji teams and re should be two more teams because re would be a number of teams with talented individuals but which did t qualify. You pick se players from various teams, also promote talented -group players from Under-19 and Under-23.

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"If re's someone exceptionally talented U19 n you can look at those players. Bring m and have this tournament toger."

"So you have got best of both. You have got four leading Ranji teams who have been playing toger," he added.

As BCCI technical committee chairman, Ganguly had experimented with pink ball in Duleep Trophy for first time in 2015/16. domestic tournament was held under lights for three seasons, giving likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Mayank Agarwal much-needed experience which came in handy during India's first Day/Night Test against Bangladesh, which home team won by innings and 46 runs. 

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