He feels that the controversy was creating problems for the Indian team.
KOLKATA: Fielding legend Jonty Rhodes has lauded the frequent experiments by India coach Greg Chappell while stating that the controversy surrounding former skipper Sourav Ganguly's non-inclusion in the one-day squad was creating problems for the team.
"I feel for the Indian team. These things make it difficult to concentrate on cricket," Rhodes said when asked to comment about Ganguly being kept out of the squad.
Rhodes, who had elevated fielding to almost an art form with his silver quick reflexes, said South African cricket had also suffered from such off-field controversises for long.
"I know how it feels. I hope they (Indian team) come out of this mess very soon," he said.
Asked whether Ganguly could again shine for India, Rhodes said "You can't play forever. But I suppose this is very difficult to digest in India. Ganguly should focus on his own game".
Rhodes said it was unfair to criticise Chappell and new captain Rahul David whenever their experiments did not pay dividends.
Pointing out that the experiments tried out against Sri Lanka had clicked ensuring a thumping 6-1 win for India, he said "In this series their experiments have not been successful. Cricket is a difficult game. You can't succeed in everything you do.
"So you can't criticise Dravid and Chappell for their experiments. They have a plan, and they are following it."
Praising South African captain Graeme Smith and his team, Rhodes said "He (Smith) batted beautifully in the fourth ODI. By far it is the most brilliant performance by any South African side in the sub-continent. I'm obviously very happy as a South African."
Rhodes also had some good words for the Indian fielding.
He said while earlier the Indian team had only a couple of good fielders like Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif, now the general standard of fielding had gone up.
"Now even Harbhajan (Singh) is throwing himself around. The general standard of Indian fielding has improved. This is a new thing I noticed this time. This makes me really happy," he said.
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