Didn't expect Dhoni to be picked for SA T20s as Rishabh Pant rightly deserves more chances: Ganguly
New Delhi, Aug 31: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly didn't expect Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be "picked" for the upcoming T20 Internationals against South Africa and said the team management is absolutely right in persisting with young Rishabh Pant.
The 38-year-old Dhoni's future in international cricket has been a topic of debate with the national selectors showing an inclination to look towards the future.
While Ganguly doesn't want people to "jump the gun" as far as Dhoni's future is concerned, he made it clear that skipper Virat Kohli's "expectations" and "what he is communicating" to the senior-most player in the team is paramount.
"No, I didn't expect him to be picked for this series (against South Africa)," Ganguly replied when asked if he was surprised with Dhoni's omission even though the official reason is his "unavailability".
"You could make out from West Indies (T20) series, that they (team management) wanted to give Rishabh a chance. They want to pursue with him, which is rightly so. Because when MS came in young, he was also persisted with," said Dhoni's first international captain.
However, one of India's best captains agreed that it's a tricky situation which skipper Kohli needs to deal with.
"I think Virat is very important as to what he is communicating to Dhoni. What he (Kohli) expects of him (Dhoni) is very hard to say. But I don't think anybody should jump the gun and pass a statement," said the 47-year-old former skipper.
"I don't know what's the communication between, Dhoni, the selectors and the team management. I am a bit far off from those discussions," he added.
For every elite athlete at the business end of their careers, a situation comes where they have to take a hard call, feels Ganguly.
"For every cricketer, there comes a stage and it hasn't left any athlete --whether its Maradona, Sampras, Tendulkar and now Dhoni. When you get to that sort of an age, you will get to that kind of a situation.
"If Virat and team management expects Dhoni to comeback and play, he will play, if they feel like moving forward, they would move forward. Of course, the selectors will also play an important role," he opined.
Ganguly also doesn't want Pant to be compared to a legend like Dhoni.
Asked if there is this "elephant in the room" (Dhoni) for Pant, Ganguly sounded dismissive.
"There is no elephant in the room. Rishabh is no MS Dhoni and will not become MS Dhoni in the next 3-4 years. It took 15 years for MS Dhoni to become "the MS Dhoni". Dhoni is a special breed in Indian cricket," said Ganguly, who also works with Pant as a 'Mentor' of Delhi Capitals.
But at the same time, he finds it baffling that there were calls from some quarters to drop the young keeper-batsman just because he has failed in one match despite his phenomenal Test record.
"I was reading somewhere after he failed in just two innings in the first Test match, that whether he will play the next Test match. I said "what?", this fellow got a hundred, only one Test ago (in Australia) and a couple of 92s few matches before that (against West Indies). He is special although I won't compare him with Dhoni."
A fit-again Wriddhiman Saha, who is a month shy of turning 35, has returned to the Indian Test squad but Ganguly said he has no option but to wait.
"Wriddhiman will have to wait for his chance. Age doesn't matter here," said Ganguly.
Kohli is on the verge of becoming India's most successful Test captain with 28 wins if his team wins the ongoing second Test against the West Indies in Kingston.
"Virat is a tremendous captain and he is getting better and better. He was criticised when he wasn't doing well for RCB in the IPL and even then I had said that I believe he is a good captain. I think he has progressed well," he said.
The West Indies team has been on a steady decline in the past few decades.
While Ganguly doesn't want to compare Caribbean outfits from the past, he is a bit taken aback by their lack of positive intent.
"But I am surprised with the way West Indies play Test cricket. They enjoyed winning tosses and putting opposition in and batting on 4th day when they have no chance," he concluded.
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India's economy projected to grow 6.6% in 2025,supported by strong private consumption,investment:UN
United Nations(PTI): The Indian economy is projected to expand by 6.6 per cent in 2025, primarily supported by robust private consumption and investment, according to a United Nations report that said economic growth in South Asia is expected to remain robust this year mainly driven by the "strong performance" in India.
The UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025, released here Wednesday, said that the near-term outlook for South Asia is expected to remain robust, with growth projected at 5.7 per cent in 2025 and 6.0 per cent in 2026, “driven by strong performance in India as well as economic recovery in a few other economies”, including Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
The Indian economy grew by 6.8 per cent in 2024 and is forecast to expand by 6.6 per cent in 2025. The Indian economy is projected to return to the 6.8 per cent growth in 2026.
“The economy of India, the largest in the (South Asia) region, is forecast to expand by 6.6 per cent in 2025, primarily supported by robust private consumption and investment. Additionally, capital expenditure on infrastructure development is expected to have strong multiplier effects on growth in the coming years,” the report said.
It added that strong export growth in services and certain goods categories, particularly pharmaceuticals and electronics, will bolster economic activity for India. On the supply side, expansion in the manufacturing and services sectors will keep driving the economy throughout the forecast period.
Meanwhile, favourable monsoon rains in 2024 have improved the summer-sowing areas for all major crops, boosting agricultural output expectations for 2025.
Investment growth has remained particularly strong in East Asia and South Asia, partly driven by domestic and foreign investments in new supply chains, particularly in India, Indonesia, and Vietnam, the report said.
In India, the public sector continues to play a pivotal role in funding large-scale infrastructure projects, physical and digital connectivity, and social infrastructure, including improvements in sanitation and water supply. Strong investment growth is expected to continue through 2025.
Consumer price inflation in India is forecast to decelerate from an estimated 4.8 per cent in 2024 to 4.3 per cent in 2025, staying within the 2–6 per cent medium-term target range set by the central bank. While decreasing energy prices have contributed to the ongoing decline, adverse weather conditions have kept prices of vegetables, cereals, and other staples elevated in 2024, resulting in spikes in the country’s headline inflation in June and September.
It said that several developing economies, including China, India, and Mexico, have maintained robust investment growth, while African nations have faced limited public investment due to high debt servicing burdens, and Western Asia has experienced low investment growth amid subdued oil revenues.
Global economic growth is forecast at 2.8 per cent in 2025 and 2.9 per cent in 2026, largely unchanged from the rate of 2.8 per cent recorded in 2023 and estimated for 2024. The positive but moderately slower growth projected for the two largest economies— China and the United States of America—will likely be complemented by mild recovery in the European Union, Japan, and the United Kingdom and strong performance in several large developing economies, notably India and Indonesia, it said.
China is facing the prospect of gradual economic moderation, with growth estimated at 4.9 per cent in 2024 and projected at 4.8 per cent in 2025. Public sector investments and strong export performance are partly offset by subdued consumption growth and lingering weakness in the property sector.
The Chinese authorities have stepped up policy support to lift property markets, address local government debt challenges, and boost domestic demand; the impacts of relevant initiatives are expected to be manifested over time, it said.
The shrinking population and rising trade and technology tensions, if unaddressed, could threaten the country’s medium-term growth prospects, it said.
Among developing countries, robust momentum in India and modest growth acceleration in Africa, Western Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean will offset a slight moderation of growth in China.
The report noted that weaker external demand, persistent debt challenges, and social unrest and political turmoil in some economies may undermine the outlook for the South Asian region.
“However, risks to the outlook are tilted to the downside owing to the possible escalation of geopolitical tensions, deceleration in external demand, ongoing debt challenges, and social unrest. In addition, as the region is highly vulnerable to the impact of climate hazards, extreme weather events pose a significant risk,” it said.
It said that the labour market situation in developing countries remains challenging, with significant variations in the outlook driven by differing economic conditions and policy responses. Some economies have exhibited resilience, it said adding that employment indicators in India have remained robust.
In India, employment indicators have remained strong throughout 2024, with labour force participation near record highs, the report said, citing the Reserve Bank of India data.
Urban unemployment stood at 6.6 per cent during this period—virtually unchanged from the rate of 6.7 per cent recorded in 2023. Although there has been progress in female labour market participation in the country, substantial gender gaps remain.
Climate-related shocks have battered South Asia in 2024. During the first half of the year, several of the region’s countries—including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—experienced heatwaves, droughts, and irregular rainfall patterns, which led to reduced crop yields and elevated food prices. Additionally, extreme weather events have disproportionately affected poor rural households, leading to reductions in income and widening income inequality, the report said.
