Nagpur pitch: Ganguly reckons it's a one-off thing

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly has heaped praise on India Test captain Virat Kohli, saying he is fond of his attitude and aggression.

"He (Virat) is a good leader ... he will be a good leader, but I have said before, challenges for Indian captains is not in India, it’s away," the former left-hand batsman said on the sidelines of Coca Cola-NDTV Support My School campaign in Mumbai.

"I like him. I like what I see on the field, he wants to win, he is passionate, you can see on the field and India has hopes on him," Ganguly added.

Under Kohli's leadership, India had defeated Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in the Test series in August-September, and have now taken an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the four-match Test series versus South Africa.

"I am a big fan of Virat Kohli. He is a captain who always wants to win matches on the field and I love that passion in him. I love the attitude and aggression in Kohli," Ganguly had said.

The Nagpur pitch came under a lot of criticism after the third Test ended within three days.

When asked about the nature of pitches in context of the match, Ganguly said, "It is ok. I thought, the batsmen could have batted better, the balls have turned there is not doubt about it, it turned, there was a lot of help for spinners.

"I think it's a one-off thing, I don't think India will produce such pitches....," he added.

There has been a constant debate in cricketing circles on the nature of pitches with the Mohali and Nagpur Test getting over within three days.

On Ravindrachandran Ashwin, who razed through the South African batting order in the recent Test matches, Ganguly said, he bowled superbly.

"On these pitches, you have to bowl in the right areas," he quipped.

On the proposed India-Pakistan series to be played in Sri Lanka, which is yet to get a clearance from the Centre, Ganguly said, "I don't know, it depends on the government... its always been the case ... India Pakistan (series) depends on the government and its not going to change."

Image: Former Indian team captain Sourav Ganguly

Photograph: Getty Images