By IANS
New Delhi : Former skipper Sourav Ganguly Thursday rated India’s newly appointed Test captain Anil Kumble’s first day in office as “fantastic”.
“I think Anil was simply fantastic as a debut captain. Even when he was not the captain, I felt he had all the makings of a good captain,” said Ganguly, after the first day’s play of the opening Test match at the Feroze Shah Kotla Cricket Stadium here.
Pakistan, opting to bat first, were reduced to 142 for eight at one stage but a resolute unbeaten 71 by Misbah-ul-Haq helped the visitors end the day at the 210 for eight in 85.4 overs.
“It would have been better if we had got them under 200. But I think he (Kumble) handled the bowlers well, making me bowl 12 overs, and the field placing was also good,” said Ganguly.
The former captain conceded only 24 runs in his 12 overs and picked up the prized wicket of Mohammed Yousuf (27).
“There was a bit of movement off the pitch. I enjoy bowling because that is one area where I don’t face any pressure. The misty conditions early in the day also helped us to get eight wickets. There was moisture in the air and the ball moved,” said Ganguly.
When asked, whether he is facing any pressure from the younger cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Ganguly said: “I have been through this earlier also. But if you look at my performance this year, I have best performance so far. I also feel well when Yuvraj bats well.”
Ganguly also said that he feels proud that cricketers like Yuvraj, who has been one of his findings, are giving him a tough competition for a Test place.
“Obviously, I take pride in it. At this level someone or the other will be knocking at your door. When I and Rahul (Dravid) started our careers, we were also knocking at the doors of Sanjay (Manjerekar) and (Navjot Singh) Sidhu. But this is good as it keeps you on your toes and you keep on performing,” said the 34-year-old.
The former captain said Yuvraj is a match winner and will very soon make it to the Test team.
He also praised fast bowler Munaf Patel, who is making a comeback after an injury. “All the bowlers bowled well, I think Munaf in particular looked good. Coming back from an injury is not easy.”
Ganguly feels there is lot of cricket left in this Test.