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'Let Mohammad Nawaz prove his coach hasn't lost his mind': Sourav Ganguly's brutal takedown of 'best spinner' remark
Sourav Ganguly didn't mince his words as he tore into Pakistan coach Mike Hesson for calling Mohammad Nawaz the best spinner.
Former India captain and BCCI President, Sourav Ganguly, minced no words as he tore into Pakistan coach Mike Hesson for calling Mohammad Nawaz the best spinner in the world. Ahead of the marquee Asia Cup Group A match between the arch-rivals, Hesson played some mind games as he termed Nawaz better than India's Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy. However, Dada does not buy what the Pakistan coach had to say, as he said, let the spinner prove that his coach hasn't "lost his mind."
Nawaz has played 72 T20Is for Pakistan so far, taking 71 wickets at an average of 22.42 with an economy of 7.25. The 31-year-old has only managed to take wickets consistently in the last few matches, so it is no surprise that Ganguly is not a fan of what Hesson has to say.
Both Kuldeep and Varun are proven match-winners, and the duo has been spinning a web around the opponents. During the interview with Anand Bazar Patrika, Ganguly was told about Hesson's comment, and the Prince of Kolkata brutally shut down the argument.
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The journalist started off the conversation by saying, "Pakistan's coach Mike Hesson has claimed that their team has the best spinner in the world."
To this, Ganguly replied, "And who is that spinner?" To this, the journalist named Mohammad Nawaz.
The former India captain spoke a few words, but his rebuttal shut down the argument in some style. "Okay. Then let that spinner prove this time that the coach has not lost his mind."
Ganguly's take on India-Pakistan rivalry
Ganguly believes that the upcoming contest between India and Pakistan will be one-sided, and Suryakumar Yadav and his team will win.
The former India captain stated that the time has long gone when Pakistan used to be a force to reckon with, and the current side is nowhere near as good as the previous teams.
"The quality has deteriorated a lot. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf. All world-class cricketers. And now look who is playing for Pakistan. Excuse me, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Wasim Akram are not the same," said Ganguly.
"There can be no comparison between the two teams in terms of talent," he added.
Pakistan are without Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the Asia Cup. The management decided to look past the two and opt for some big-hitters in the 17-member squad. During the squad announcement, Hesson stated that Babar and Rizwan have been asked to work on their strike rates if they harbour dreams of making a comeback to the T20I setup.
"Babar Azam is not there. Rizwan is not there. There is that boy, Fakhar Zaman. In bowling, there are Shaheen Shah Afridi and Harris Rauf. Really, where are Wasim-Waqar and Shoaib, and where are Shaheen Shah Afridi-Harris Rauf? No match in terms of talent. The rest is one and a half days on the field. A lot of things can happen; that is a different matter," said Ganguly.
