To the surprise of many, Rinku Singh missed out on a place for the global event and is kept in the reserves. Ganguly thinks it was done to accommodate an extra spinner. “The pitches will be slow and low and the spinners will have the advantage, so I [too] would have gone for extra spinners. In order to have extra spinners, Rinku could not find a place. Rinku is young, he will have his chances. If you look at the team closely, you will see a good number of match-winners,” he said.

Ganguly, 51, backed the selection of all-rounder Shivam Dube, who has been in excellent form for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, scoring 350 runs in 11 matches at a strike-rate of 170.73. “They [India] are trying to project him as an all-rounder, which is a good idea,” he said. Ganguly was also positive about Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson, who has scored 385 runs in 10 IPL games at 159.09 this year. Sanju will be seen as a finisher as well, in the World Cup. “I’m very happy Sanju has come in. [He has been] handling the middle-order superbly [for RR in the IPL],” the scorer of 11,363 ODI runs and 7,212 Test runs said.