Pant on course to become all-time Test great: Ganguly

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes Rishabh Pant is on course to become an all-time great in Test cricket but at the same time, the southpaw needs to raise his game in the shorter formats. Pant on Sunday returned to the Test side for the first time since his lifethreatening car accident in December 2022. He is expected to the start the first Test against Bangladesh beginning in Chennai on September 19. Since his return earlier this year following the accident, Pant has played T20s and ODIs and has done well.

"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," Ganguly said at a promotional event here. "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." Indian selectors have opted to give Mohammed Shami more time to recover from an ankle surgery and have named uncapped leftarm pacer Yash Dayal and Akash Deep in the squad. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are the two frontline pacers. "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, " Ganguly said. "In India, you will see a lot more spin. In Chennai, you will see a lot more bounce," he went on to add.