If you don't score in India, you will get flak: Sourav Ganguly on KL Rahul

It will be difficult for KL Rahul to avoid scathing criticism for his protracted poor run because of the enormous expectations attached with the job especially when past cricketers have set high standards says former India skipper Sourav GangulyStripped of vice captaincy Rahul hasnt crossed 25run mark in his last 10 Test knocks An average of less than 35 in 47 Tests isnt an actual realisation of his real potentialWhen you dont score runs in India obviously you will get flak KL Rahul hasnt been the only one There have been players in the past also Ganguly told PTI in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of Delhi Capitals IPL preseason campGanguly tried to put things in perspective as to why the Bengaluru man is being persisted with despite repeated failuresTheres so much focus and attention with lot of pressure on players The team management thinks he is an important player for the team At the end of the day what coach and captain thinks is important the veteran of 113 Tests and 311 ODIs saidWhile Rahul has played some quality knocks in England and Australia Ganguly said its obvious that people will expect way more from a talented player like Rahul who has managed just five Test hundreds in nine yearsHe has performed but obviously you expect a lot more from a top order batter playing for India because the standards set by others are so highWhen you fail for a while obviously there will be criticism I am sure Rahul has ability and I am sure as and when he gets more opportunities he will have to find ways to score he explainedSo is Rahuls problem technical or mental Both pat comes the replyBut the former BCCI President also gave an interesting insight into Rahuls lack of runs as he is getting out to pacers as well as spinners in all conditions in recent timesIt also makes it hard if you are playing on these sort of pitches as the balls are turning and bouncing Theres uneven bounce and when you are not in form it makes it even more harderShubman has to waitThere has been a clamour to include Shubman Gill in the playing XI but Ganguly feels that the Punjab man will get his share of chances and theres no harm if he has to wait a little bitBut what do you tell a Shubman who has to cool his heels when he is in red hot formI am sure when his time comes he will also get a lot of opportunities I think the selectors the captain and the coach think of him and rate him very highly Thats why he is playing ODIs and T20Is and he has performed as wellBut at the present moment perhaps message from team management is that he has to waitAlso readShubman Gill thanks Hardik Pandya after slamming maiden T20I ton calls it lsquonearperfect gamersquoWhile India have cantered to victories in both the Tests the top order batters except Rohit Sharma have flattered to deceive with none getting a fiftyIs the concept of dominant batters against spinners sounding too alien nowadays I dont think so These are very tough wickets I saw in the first two Tests and its not easy boss Playing Ashwin Jadeja Lyon and the new guy Todd Murphy it is never easy with odd ball turning square There is unevenness there is everything happening for spinnersThis is not Steve Waughs teamIndia have won two Test matches in a cumulative duration of five days of cricket and Ganguly isnt surprisedIndia is a different beast in India They are a pretty good team all around but in India they are pretty hard to beat When it starts turning they are a better side than anyone he was sharp in his responseIs the scoreline of 40 a real possibility for IndiaI think so I dont know how Australia can stop it he was practical while assessing Australias performanceThe problem is we keep comparing this Australian team from the teams of the past and its not the same You dont have a Matthew Hayden Justin Langer Ricky Ponting Steve and Mark Waugh Adam Gilchrist you name them You dont have that qualitySteve Smith is a great player David Warner hasnt got going Marnus Labuschagne is a good player but these are tough conditions for him as wellThe mistake we make with Australian teams is that we think they are Steve Waughs Australia but thats not the case Different players get tested differently in different conditionsBeen in touch with PantGanguly is the Director of Cricket for the Delhi Capitals and one of the toughest challenges for him is to fill in the void created due to unavailability of Rishabh Pant who met with a horrific accident and underwent surgery recentlyI spoke to him a couple of times Obviously he is going through a tough period through injuries and surgeries and I wish him well In a years time or may be in a couple of years time he will be back playing for India Gangulys voice had a tinge of sadness as he spoke about a player he has been very fond ofWill he like to see Pant being with the team for some time during IPL which could also help in his recoveryDont know We will see Ganguly saidDC is yet to announce Pants replacement and Ganguly is still undecided on who is better between young turk Abhishek Porel and domestic veteran Sheldon JacksonWe still need a bit of time to figure out The next camp starts before IPLWhile David Warner is set to lead DC Axar Patel will be his deputy this seasonGanguly monitored a threeday camp in Kolkata which the likes of Prithvi Shaw Ishant Sharma Chetan Sakariya Manish Pandey attended along with other domestic playersThe IPL is still a month away and the season has just started It is difficult to get all the players together for the amount of cricket they play There are four or five who are playing Irani Trophy Sarfaraz has an injured finger and its not a broken finger He should be okay for the IPL he concludedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute 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