Indian media says Sourav Ganguly’s

New Delhi, October 4 :

The Indian media on Wednesday predicted the end of Sourav Ganguly’s cricket career after the former captain failed miserably in a trial one-day series.

Ganguly, making a last-ditch attempt to regain his place in team, made 24 and 3 in the two matches he played in the domestic Challenger series in Chennai over the last three days.

Ganguly, playing for India ‘B’, slashed a catch to point off Munaf Patel in the first match on Monday against India Seniors captained by Rahul Dravid. In the second game against India ‘A’ on Tuesday, he was bowled by Test seamer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth for three.

Ganguly was on Wednesday left out of the Rest of India squad for another trial fixture, the five-day Irani Cup match against Ranji Trophy champions Uttar Pradesh starting in Nagpur from October 9.

“Sourav’s name was discussed, but he will have to do well in other domestic matches to stay in contention,” India’s new chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar, a former Test captain, told reporters.

Television channels ran special programmes to highlight Ganguly’s failures and the mass-circulating Hindustan Times newspaper said the Challenger series may have dealt the final blow. “This effort pushes him back to a point from where comeback doors seem to be closed, forever,” the newspaper said. “The Chennai stadium has seen another momentous occasion — Sourav Ganguly walking into oblivion.”

Ganguly, 34, was sacked as captain last year and later dropped from the national side following unfavourable comments from coach Greg Chappell, who said Ganguly was a “disrupting influence” in the team.