Sourav Ganguly Reacts To Vikram Rathour Becoming India Batting Coach

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly has given his views on the appointment of Vikram Rathour as India’s new batting coach. The BCCI’s coach-selection process is over now and the new backroom staff will mostly have familiar faces. While head coach Ravi Shastri, bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar retained the posts, batting coach Sanjay Bangar could not.

The MSK Prasad-led selection panel recommended Rathour’s name to replace Bangar. It was a bit strange decision since Rathour has never managed any senior team.  50-year-old Rathour, who has played 6 Tests and 7 ODIs in 1996 without much success, was a senior national selector under Sandeep Patil’s chairmanship. But barring that, he does not have much to show for.

Sourav Ganguly knows Rathour very well. Rathour and Ganguly were teammates at the start of their respective Test careers which eventually turned out to be completely opposite. Ganguly, who also played alongside Bangar, spoke about Rathour.

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The legendary skipper pointed out just how hard Rathour has worked to make his way to the top, Ganguly also wished his former teammate well for the new adventure.

“I have played with him. Our Test match debuts were in the same series. Vikram has worked hard at the grassroots level with Himachal Pradesh. I am the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal and I’ve dealt with him in the last four to five years in sending teams to Himachal. He’s risen from absolutely the basics of Ranji Trophy and has put in the hard yards with Himachal boys, so hopefully he does well,” Sourav Ganguly said.

Talking about Bangar, he did fail to make much of an impression in recent months. India’s middle-order has not been sorted out yet. Moreover, the prolong struggle of the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul would have further piled the pressure on Bangar.

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