Cricket Ground. Photo: Getty Images
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has confirmed that the ICC World Test Championship final will be staged at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. While there were speculations regarding which venue would host the final after the ICC clarified that Lord's has not been finalised, the former India captain said that Southampton was finalised a long time ago as it is better equipped to host a Test amid the pandemic.
In a recent interview, Ganguly said that he cannot compare the ICC World Test Championship with other trophies due to the unequal playing ground at a time of global health emergency. The 48-year-old, who was hospitalised earlier this year due to cardiac issues, said that in due course when all series are played it would be fair to make an assessment of how easy or how difficult it is to win the ICC World Test Championship. India and New Zealand have qualified for the final of the inaugural Test Championship.
Southampton was decided a long time ago: Ganguly
"Yeah, it is in Southampton. It was decided a long time ago. Due to COVID and they Southampton have the hotel absolutely close. When England resumed play after COVID, they had a lot of matches in Southampton due to the same reason," Ganguly said in an interview with India Today where he also confirmed that he would be travelling to the UK for the marquee event.
Comparing Rishabh Pant to the likes of Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, Ganguly labelled Pant a match winner and as somebody who can win matches on his own when he delivers. The 'Prince of Kolkata' also made a special mention of another former India skipper and his former national teammate Rahul Dravid who currently heads the National Cricket Academy facility in Bengaluru. Ganguly credited Dravid for nurturing talents and making India's bench strength as strong as it has ever been.