Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has backed young India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant to become an all-time great in Test cricket. At the same time, he has urged the southpaw to improve his game in white-ball cricket but is confident that Pant will do so and become the best. For the unversed, Pant is set to complete his comeback to international cricket on September 19 with the first Test match against Bangladesh.
He was picked in the 16-member squad for the first Test of the two-match series. This will be the first time he will be featuring for India in the longest format since December 2022 when India toured Bangladesh and won 2-0. "I consider Rishabh Pant one of India's best Test batsmen. I'm not surprised that he's back in the side, and he will continue to play for India in Tests.
"He will be an all-time great in Tests if he keeps performing like this. For me, he needs to get better in the shorter formats. With the talent he has, I'm sure with time, he will become one of the best," Ganguly said at a promotional event in Kolkata. Meanwhile, India will miss Mohammed Shami in the Bangladesh series as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. But Ganguly is not bothered as spin will mostly play a part, especially in Chennai.
"I know Mohammed Shami is missing because of injury, but he will be back very soon since India is going to Australia. It's still a very good attack. In India, you will see a lot more spin. In Chennai, you will see a lot more bounce. Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar, and Kuldeep are the four best spinners in the world at the moment -- it won't be easy. When you play in India, spinners have a lot more say in the game. But India are a very good team," the former India skipper further added.
