I think the players will manage – Sourav Ganguly on narrow gap between completion of IPL and WTC Final

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly is confident that the Indian players will successfully manage their respective workloads ahead of the all-important World Test Championship final against Australia. With the IPL final all set to be played on May 28 and the WTC Final to be played from June 7, there is hardly any gap between the two major finals.

Ergo, it will be difficult for the Indian Test players to manage their workload and prepare according to the English conditions. However, Ganguly feels the players will be able to get their preparation done in time.

Earlier, Rohit Sharma had stated that it will be up to the franchise to manage the player’s workload, and the Test players, who will be knocked out of the IPL before the playoff stages, can reach England early to prepare for the WTC Final.

Sourav Ganguly told the Times of India in an interview: “I think players should be fine. I don’t see a problem. Yes, there’s a lot of cricket. The scheduling is like that. That’s the way it is. Players will play. I really don’t see a problem. When it comes to the World Test Championship final, they anyway get 10-day breaks after IPL. I think they will manage.”

With hectic scheduling and the rise of T20 leagues across the globe, the pressure on the other two formats is always increasing. But Ganguly added that no league is more important than the WTC final.

“It’s a challenge to prepare the international Future Tours Programme (FTP). But I don’t think you can stop leagues going around the world. Test cricket will always be the best format of the game. I don’t see any league being as important as WTC final.”

On the other hand, the former Indian opener added that the team needs to be aggressive in the T20I format to get the desired results as they have a lot of batting depth.

“India has to play aggressively, especially in T20s. They have the team to do that. A team that sometimes has Axar Patel batting at No. 9 must play aggressively at the top. Pandya batting at No. 6 and Jadeja at No. 7, there’s too much depth.”

“It’s about adjusting to the pressure, knowing your game and batting according to your game. Indian cricket will always have talent and a big pool. It’s the ones who are more hungry go to the next level. It’s about how you prepare for the big tournaments.”

Ganguly will serve as the Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023.