In Shoaib AKhtar’s absence Kolkata Knight Riders rely on Umar Gul, Ishant Sharma, says Sourav Ganguly
Leading a team which has arch foe Ricky Ponting is not a disadvantage, says Sourav Ganguly, Kolkata Knight Riders Captain.
Mercurial Pak pacer Shoaib Akhtar’s ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board has hit Kolkata Knight Riders badly but the Kolkata team is relying on yet another pacer from Pakistan, Umar Gul, to click for them when they take on Bangalore Royal Challegers on April 18, 2008.
Quizzed how Akhtar’s absence will hit his team Skipper Sourav Ganguly said Umar Gul is in his team, indicating the strong expectations Shah Rukh Khan’s team has put on the lanky Pak speedster. India’s latest teen sensation Ishant Sharma is also a key bowler in the Kolkata Team. Ishant Sharma was the bowling hero of India’s tour Down Under recently.
Sourav Ganguly, who has been unceremoniously kept away from India’s Twenty20 and ODI team despite taking more than 10,000 runs in the latter version of the game also said adjusting to the Twenty20 format would not be much of an issue.
The Kolkata southpaw also said leading a team which has arch foes like Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting would not be a disadvantage. It seems Dada has buried the ghosts of the past for King Khan.