Cannot judge players based on IPL value, says Sourav Ganguly

Kolkata, Jan 31 (CRICKETNMORE): A cricketer should not be judged on the basis of how much he fetches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament is based on "demand and supply", feels former India captain Sourav

Cannot judge players based on IPL value, says Sourav Ganguly ()

There was little to delight India's Test ace Cheteshwar Pujara as well in the IPL auction. He went unsold and he was one of the players whose name was not even read out.

Coming to the six One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against South Africa, starting from Thursday in Durban, Ganguly said it's a 50-50 after India's fighting win in the third Test in Johannesburg. He added that skipper Virat Kohli has to get runs for India to succeed.

"I can't say before matches. It's 50-50 now after India's Jo'burg Test win. It won't be easy in South African conditions. The advantage is that AB De Villiers is not there (for the first three matches due to a finger injury). He is a huge name for South African cricket. Virat has to score runs for India to win the series," Ganguly said.

Asked when did he realise that India has a chance to win the third test after losing the first two, Ganguly said, "When India won the toss, I thought they would win. I knew the more time will pass, the wicket will get worse. In 2006, same thing. We won the toss and batted first so we won."

In 2006, India won by 123 runs in Johannesburg under Rahul Dravid's captaincy. It was Ganguly's comeback match as well after he was dropped from the team during Greg Chappell's era.

Ganguly said, on the Wanderers pitch which was rated "poor" by the ICC, that he has never seen a wicket like that in South Africa and it was an "accident".

"In South Africa you don't get such wickets. I have played (in) 5-6 (tours) there, and I think it was an accident. In future, it won't happen I think," Ganguly said.

Ganguly was also quizzed about Kohli's batting and how it has evolved.

"He is remarkable. He is one of the best in the world at the moment and that's the way it is. Like him, budding cricketers have to adapt to different conditions and have to have the skill."