Cricket Web - View Single Post - Was Sourav Ganguly really vulnerable to swing and pace?

Prince EWS · 01-02-2012, 11:24 AM

England really isn't the truest test of a batsman against pace as such; it's the ultimate test of a batsman's ability against the ball moving in the air. There's a lot more pace and bounce in Australian and South African pitches (and bowlers at the time, for that matter).

But yeah look Ganguly was technically weak against the short ball - very much so early in his career - and it became something that was regularly targeted. It was the stock standard plan to him whenever he played so he got out like that a fair bit but he forged a good career in spite of that (even away from home to an extent as you pointed out) because (a bit like Gambhir in South Africa I guess, but well, better) he learned to cop a few body shots when he wasn't able to get out of the way and stopped trying to defend throat balls with the bat.

He certainly was not as bad as say Raina is at the moment but it was a weakness.

01-02-2012, 11:24 AM	#2 (permalink)
Prince EWS Global Moderator Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: New South Wales Posts: 37,777	England really isn't the truest test of a batsman against pace as such; it's the ultimate test of a batsman's ability against the ball moving in the air. There's a lot more pace and bounce in Australian and South African pitches (and bowlers at the time, for that matter). But yeah look Ganguly was technically weak against the short ball - very much so early in his career - and it became something that was regularly targeted. It was the stock standard plan to him whenever he played so he got out like that a fair bit but he forged a good career in spite of that (even away from home to an extent as you pointed out) because (a bit like Gambhir in South Africa I guess, but well, better) he learned to cop a few body shots when he wasn't able to get out of the way and stopped trying to defend throat balls with the bat. He certainly was not as bad as say Raina is at the moment but it was a weakness. __________________ ~ Cribbage Last edited by Prince EWS; 01-02-2012 at 11:26 AM.