Ganguly to lead Bengal against Haryana

Kolkata: Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly will lead Bengal against Haryana in their away Ranji Trophy match from November 29 in absence of regular captain Manoj Tiwary.

Tiwary will do the national duty in the one-day series against West Indies. Bengal vice-captain Wriddhiman Saha, who has been picked as the second wicketkeeper in the Test squad for the tour Down Under, has opted out to focus on the much important Australia tour, said chairman of Bengal selectors Deep Dasgupta. "Ganguly will lead the side as Wriddhiman (Saha) wants to prepare for the Tests against Australia, concentrating more on batting and wicketkeeping for the big series," he said. It will be after a long time that the retired India left-hander, who represents Pune in IPL Twenty20, will be seen leading his state. In 2005-06 season, Ganguly was to lead the home side against Maharashtra in an away match but he had stepped down to pave the way for Deep Dasgupta, the current state selection committee chairman. Bengal had a poor outing in the last match when their middle-order batting collapsed to concede a lowly Madhya Pradesh three points as they settled for one in the home tie. With four points from two matches, Bengal lie low on fifth position in group B of the Elite league standings. Meanwhile, the selectors drafted in Joyjit Basu in place of Manoj Tiwary, who has been picked in the India side for the first three ODIs in the five-match series against West Indies beginning in Cuttack on November 29. PTI