Not fatigue, Sehwag's absence badly hurt India - Ganguly

Former captain Sourav Ganguly has rejected coach Gary Kirsten's claim that fatigue was a reason behind India's early ouster from the ICC World Twenty20 and said Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men missed Virender Sehwag badly in the tournament. While Kirsten had blamed an overdose of cricket and Indian Premier League (IPL) as the cause for the World Cup fiasco, Indian skipper Dhoni continued to differ with his coach, saying the team's early exit has nothing to do with 'fatigue factor'. Ganguly bluntly disagreed with Kirsten on the cause of the debacle and said for a young team like India, fatigue can't be an excuse. "I don't agree with this because they are young boys. They are just 22, 23 years old and have just started their career. I know they have played a lot of cricket but not all of them. "Probably people like Dhoni, Yuvraj (Singh), Harbhajan (Singh) and Zaheer (Khan) have because they are part of consistent Test team and has done a lot of traveling on the road," he said. "This is the age to play, they are 25, 26. Even if you are fatigued, you have to find ways out to get yourself up and going," he added.

We need to focus on cricket: Ganguly

With only one win from five matches, Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL campaign hasn't quite got off to an ideal start. The team have been mired in controversies even before the tournament began, and former skipper Sourav Ganguly feels the focus needs to be on cricket if they are to turn things around. "I am a bit disappointed with the team's performance. But it isn't over till it's over. We can win a few matches and turn it around. We just need to focus on cricket," said Ganguly. On whether the team affected by too much of media attention, Ganguly said: "We have some names so it will remain in spotlight — Gayle, SRK, McCullum and myself. John (Buchanan) is also there so there's bound to be lot more focus on the team. The thing is when you don't win, controversies follow but when you start winning, everything dies down. "The left-hander, who was removed from the captaincy before the start of the of the tournament, said he does give a few inputs to his successor. "I don't want to confuse Bendon (McCullum) with too many advices...I give my inputs from time to time but at the end of the day, he's the leader and he has to take a call." Meanwhile, with KKR's frustration mounting after every defeat, captain McCullum said he would be "happy to step aside" if the side failed to make the semi-finals. "If we don't make the semi-finals then I am more than happy to step aside. To me it's about accountability as a captain," McCullum said. "I know I am going to be judged by results, my team is going to be judged by results and if I am not able to inspire my team to at least give ourselves a chance at least in the back-end of the tournament, I am more than happy to step aside come next season," he said. Asked whether captaincy was taking a toll on his form, McCullum said, "I don't think captaincy has burdened me as such."

Kirmani hails Ganguly's selection

Sourav Ganguly's inclusion in India's Test squad for the first two cricket Tests against Australia evoked mixed reaction from former cricketers with some of them describing the move as a "step backwards" while the others hailing the decision.Former chief selector Syed Kirmani welcomed Ganguly's selection, saying he deserved the place and strongly dismissed the suggestion that it was aimed at preparing the stage for his graceful exit."He (Ganguly) deserved this selection. It was expected, you cannot ignore such an experienced player. Ganguly is a source of inspiration to the youngeters," Kirmani told PTI."There is nothing like the stage being prepared for him to exit international cricket gracefully. He still has a lot of cricket left in him," he added. But former coach Madan Lal termed it as a backward move and said the place could have gone to Yuvraj Singh."I think it is a backward step. Not that he's a bad player but everyone has a time and many new players are waiting for their chance. But this selection committee has taken this stance," Madan said. Asked if it indicated that the stage was being set for his formal exit, Madan Lal said, "You make a team to win matches and not for planning people's farewell".
Madan felt instead Yuvraj could have been drafted into the team. "Yuvraj would have been the best candidate in his place". But another former player Kirti Azad, a member of the 1983 World Cup winning squad, felt it was a "catch-22 situation".