Kolkata: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly today advised temperamental Bengal pacer Ashoke Dinda to "concentrate" on doing well for the state team in the upcoming Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Railways rather than grumble about not getting a national call-up.
"Dinda should concentrate on his performnace now. His immediate task should be to do well in the Ranji quarter-finals. If he performs well, he will again get a call-up in the national team," Ganguly replied when asked about Dinda's recent comments that he wants to leave Bengal.
The 41-year-old's suggestion to Dinda was that he should keep patience and wait for his turn.
"A player has to pass through various phases of life. But he has to keep patience and carry on".
Ganguly praised Bengal paceman Mohammad Shami's performance for the national side.
The stylish left-hander of yesteryears feels that Indian team would do well in New Zealand and the mistakes made in the last series against South Africa could be corrected. "But there are some loop holes, which can't be removed with just advices. The players themselves have to find it and remove them," he said on the sidelines of Kolkata Marathon here.
"The same team has performed positively earlier. I hope they would be able to do the same on the New Zealand tour as well," Ganguly said. The team is scheduled to leave for New Zealand on January 11.
Ganguly was thrilled to see around 12,000 participants at the Kolkata Marathon.
"For me, it's a new experience. Regular running keeps us fit. I hope the participants will successfully complete their races in day to day life also," he said flagging off the race at Indiara Gandhi Sarani, formerly known as Red Road. The former captain said he had initially thought of running a few km in the marathon but desisted in view of the turnout.
In November last year, Ganguly had taken part in a 32-km walk at Kandy in Sri Lanka which was organised by former England cricketer Ian Botham for raising funds for charity. Money received in the form of donations during the Kolkata Marathon would be given to Tata Medical Centre.
