Former India captain Sourav Ganguly advised head coach Gautam Gambhir to add veteran spinner Kuldeep Yadav to the playing XI for the fifth Test match against England, which is scheduled to take place from July 31 to August 4 at The Oval. Kuldeep, who is a part of India's squad for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 yet to feature in the series.
Team India spirited fightback in the fourth Test at Old Trafford salvaged a draw for the visiting side on the final day. With the five-Test match series currently led by England 2-1, Ganguly believes that the Shubman Gill-led side will win the fifth Test if they choose the "right bowling attack" and continue their batting momentum.
"I advise Gambhir to play Kuldeep Yadav in the fifth Test and pick the right bowling attack. If we continue to bat like this, we can win at The Oval," Ganguly told IANS.
On India's performance with the bat in Manchester, Ganguly said after putting up such a stellar show, the team must be reflecting on their Lord's result, which they lost by 22 runs while chasing a mere target of 193.
"This is a young team, we have to give some time to them as the team is rebuilding. The way they batted in the fourth innings yesterday, where they scored more than 400, India will feel bad that they lost the Lord's Test. They batted really well on the fifth day in Manchester, the 190 should have been achieved at the Lord's," the former left-handed batter said.
"After a long time, many Indian batters have scored so many runs in an overseas Test series. This is something that makes me happy and is a good sign for Indian cricket. These young players will play for a long time for the country, and their performances in England will certainly give them a lot of confidence. If we improve our bowling, we can win at The Oval," Ganguly added.
Ganguly also lauded Rishabh Pant for his performance in the series after the wicketkeeper-batter was ruled out of the series. Rishabh Pant scored 479 runs in seven outings of the four-Test matches against England, including two centuries and three half-centuries.
"He is a very good Test player. He is injured and his foot was fractured; he will take time to recover. He has batted brilliantly in the series," Ganguly said of Pant.
"India played good cricket and saved the Test match after batting for more than 140 overs. Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar played really well," the southpaw added.