It’s a fantastic win, about me ask selectors: Ganguly

Ganguly would be leaving for Bangalore on Friday for a fitness test ahead of the Test series against South Africa.

The BCCI has decreed that the players who were part of the Test squad in Australia, but not members of the victorious ODI team, would have to undergo a fitness-specific assessment in Bangalore at the National Cricket Academy on Friday.

Apart from Ganguly, Test skipper Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman and Wasim Jaffer had returned from Australia at the conclusion of the Test rubber in January-end.

Injured speedsters Zaheer Khan, who has gone to South Africa for treatment of his ankle, and R P Singh would also have to undergo a similar fitness assessment prior to the March 17 selection panel meeting.

Asked whether it was proper on the part of the BCCI to ask seniors to undergo a fitness assessment though they carried no injury, Ganguly said, “It is not a case of juniors and seniors. All those who did not play the ODIs have been asked to give the test. There is nothing wrong in that.”

Ganguly brushed aside a query on his chances of returning to the ODI team, saying “Please put this question to the selectors”.

Ganguly pleaded with the newspersons to let young talent Shreevats Goswami, the wicketkeeper-batsman of the World Cup winning Indian Under-19 squad, play the game undisturbed.

“Please leave him. Please let him play the game,” said Ganguly, who has been badgered with posers on Goswami over the last few days.

“I cannot say whether he should be drafted into the Bengal Ranji Trophy team. That’s for the selectors to decide. And, I have watched him play on a very few occasions. So, I can’t talk about these things,” he said.

On the upcoming second auction of players for BCCI’s multi-million dollar Indian Premier League, Ganguly said the decisions on player recruitment for the Kolkata team would be taken by the side’s owners Red Chillies Entertainment of Shah Rukh Khan.