Ganguly wants to bat up

[apocalypse]

Batting lower down the order has denied him several centuries, says former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who feels VVS Laxman too has "suffered" in terms of scoring hundreds because of batting at number six. "I have batted lower down the order for a lot of time and Rahul (Dravid) used to bat at number three and Sachin (Tendulkar) came at four. As a result, I had to bat at five or sometimes six and I missed quite a few hundreds because we did not have wicketkeeper-batsmen like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Kaarthick earlier," Ganguly told CNN-IBN . "These guys support people batting at five or six. But me and (VVS) Laxman suffered in terms of getting hundreds," he added. The left-hander, who scored his maiden double hundred in the Bangalore Test and was the top run-getter in the series against Pakistan, said going up the order helped his batting in the just-concluded series. "I got to bat at number four in this series and it helped me," he said. Ganguly felt his self-belief contributed to his fine performance in the recent series, for which he was adjudged player of the series. "I had a good year before this series in both forms of the game. So the confidence was high. When I got a hundred in Bangalore, I was determined to convert it into a double," he said.

[apocalypse]

So can he also open? http://cricket.indiatimes.com/Batting_lower_down_denied_me_several_hundreds_Ganguly/articleshow/2620302.cms

[kumble_rocks]

He has a point. Even VVS expressed the same sentiment. Now ,when both VVS and Ganguly have shown better form then Dravid and Sachin , why should anyone be averse to the idea of swapping slots so that VVS comes at No 3 and Ganguly comes at No 4.

[apocalypse]

When his performance was going down as opener, he asked to bat down the lower order. Now when he is clicking, he wants to move up. You cannot change the order whenever you feel comfortable

[DesiChap]

Kumble singles out Ganguly for 'special' praise PTI BANGALORE, December 12: Indian skipper Anil Kumble described the historic Test cricket series win against Pakistan as 'special' and heaped praise on Sourav Ganguly for his stupendous all round show in the series. "It's great feeling. When you win against Pakistan it's special and it has come at my home ground so really very special," Kumble said after India drew the third and final Test here to clinch the series 1-0. Kumble singled out Ganguly, who scored 239 and 91 coupled with crucial wickets at appropriate times to be adjudged man of the match and series, for a "special" praise. "It was team effort. But it was a brilliant batting by Ganguly and Yuvraj (who scored 169) in the first innings and then Ishant came up with five wickets. Ganguly did well with both bat and the ball. He was really special (in the series)," he said. On his own fiver, Kumble said he bowled fast after a long time in his career. "There was nothing in the wicket. I have not seamed a ball in last many years. I never realised that I'll have to seam at my home town," he said. The Indian captain looked confident for the upcoming Australian tour. "We definitely have the batsmen, who can score and if there are enough runs on the board we have bowlers who can take wickets," he said. Kumble also showered praise on Pakistani batsman Misbah-ul-Haq, saying he played a major role in the visitor's stiff resistance to Indian attack. "Misbah was the one guy who did not give us a 2-0 victory in Kolkata. He is a great potential. He showed the character," Kumble said. Ganguly said his performance was important since it came when most of the players were injured and the team needed him. "It (performance) was fantastic as most of the players were injured. I have been in situation before, but it is special to stand up when Sachin (Tendulkar) and (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni were not playing. It's been a good year for me and the team," he said. Asked if he was disappointed for not being able to enter the elite club of batsmen, who scored a double century and a century in the same Test match, he nodded. "Yes, a little bit. It could have been a very good hundred, perhaps the best knock of the series because the wicket was difficult to bat on," he said referring to his knock of 91 in the second innings. Pakistan skipper Younis Khan said his team could not play to its potential due to injuries but praised Misabh-ul-Haq and Yasir Arafat for their good performances. "We had troubles in bowling. Players were unfit but guys like Misbah played well. I had always asked for Misbah (from the selectors). He is a team man. It was a dream debut for (Yasir) Arafat. He is also a fantastic guy." Younis said his side would use the experience gained during the series in their upcoming tournaments. "In India-Pakistan series, you learn a lot. In Misbah, we have found a batsman, who is capable and we would like to use him in the future series," he said. http://cricket.indiatimes.com/Kumbles_special_praise_for_Ganguly__/articleshow/2617754.cms

[The Outsider]

Not sure about Laxman at 3, but Ganguly at 4 is a thought pondering over given his superb form and Tendulkar's inclination to play out the first 40-50 deliveries he gets.

[Sachinism]

i think the batting order we have now is fine we need the wall at 3, if a wicket falls early, which it usually does, we need him to ensure another one doesnt fall so soon after and sachin cant be dropped down the order

[DesiChap]

Tendulkar should open with Jaffer if we want to have Gangs play #4. Tendu Jaffar Dravid Gangs VVS Yuvi Dhoni Pathan Kumble Zak RPS

[talksport]

Back to politics Mr.Ganguly... Bringing VVS into it....Superb

[beetle]

How come dada never mentioned this when his form wasn't this good...?

[Bumper]

Ganguly is right. Sachin & Dravid used to bat at no. 3 & no. 4 in the past for a reason. Both were better batsmen than Ganguly, Laxman & Sachin used to be a better stroke maker. But Ganguly & Laxman have time and again showed in the past year that they are better than Dravid & Sachin, both at innings building and strike rate. Hence both deserve to bat higher up the order. However it can happen only if Dravid agrees to open.

[kumble_rocks]

Tendulkar should open with Jaffer if we want to have Gangs play #4. Tendu Jaffar Dravid Gangs VVS Yuvi Dhoni Pathan Kumble Zak RPS

It's better to have a right left combination at the opening slot when bowlers are trying to adjust to line with the new ball. Moving Tendu may not be a good idea.

[living]

Like I said earlier all this excessive 'talking' from ganguly cannot be a good thing. He just needs to keep concentrating on his batting and not rest on his fine double ton, to keep his place in the side for next few test matches..

[The Outsider]

Chill out, people. Given our journos, here is what would have transpired : Ch@tiya Journo : Do you think you have suffered not making hundreds by batting at 5 and 6? Ganguly : Yes, Laxman and I have batted lower down.

[jf1gp_1]

How come dada never mentioned this when his form wasn't this good...?

:haha: you are not allowed to ask such questions.

[talksport]

I dont buy the Journalist Argument... Its pure simple....Gangs wants to bat up Why Go Public...Why bring Laxman in Just after Delhi Test everybody is saying Laxman should atleast bat before Ganguly

[coffee_rules]

Ganguly talks after his bat talks....

[Predator_05]

How come dada never mentioned this when his form wasn't this good...?

He did.

[fineleg]

When his performance was going down as opener' date= he asked to bat down the lower order. Now when he is clicking, he wants to move up. You cannot change the order whenever you feel comfortable

That, Sir, is Ganguly :D

[coffee_rules]

"I have batted lower down the order for a lot of time and Rahul (Dravid) used to bat at number three and Sachin (Tendulkar) came at four. As a result, I had to bat at five or sometimes six and I missed quite a few hundreds because we did not have wicketkeeper-batsmen like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Kaarthick earlier," Ganguly told CNN-IBN . "These guys support people batting at five or six. But me and (VVS) Laxman suffered in terms of getting hundreds," he added. "I got to bat at number four in this series and it helped me [in getting a hundred]," he said.

There you go, your quintessential sub-continental batsman. The reason he wants to bat up is to get more oppurtunities to score 100s and not because the team would be beneficial. In the past he has "suffered" by not scoring more 100s.