PTI

Varanasi, May 15: Former Board of Control for Cricket in India President Raj Singh Dungarpur Sunday virtually ruled out the possibility of former captain Sourav Ganguly returning to the Indian side, saying the impressive performance of the young brigade had left no place for him in the team.

"Chances of Ganguly making a comeback to the national team are remote since the present bunch of players are performing well as reflected in the success of the team recently," Dungarpur said in Varanasi.

Dungarpur, who was here to attend a coaching clinic, however, showered praise on the Bengal batsman for his contribution to Indian cricket and mentioned his innings in the Karachi Test against Pakistan earlier this year.

The former captain scored valuable runs in both innings of the match and also took a superb catch, but his performance was not enough to retain his place in the team, Dungarpur, who was the manager of the team on the tour, said.

Dungarpur had courted controversy during the trip across the border when he described Ganguly as a "poor student of the game" and a "bad example for the rest of the team."

On concerns expressed by some Indian players about burnout, he admitted that the number of matches had increased over the years resulting in more injuries and stress on the players and suggested a rotation policy to solve the problem.

"While hectic scheduling of the cricket calendar is an issue for the International Cricket Council to work out, it is feasible for teams to consider a rotation policy to give adequate rest to players during a series or tournament," he said.

Dungarpur also suggested selection of a squad of up to 20 players so that they could be rotated during the series.

Replying to a question on selection of Virender Sehwag for the West Indies tour despite his prolonged form slump, Dungarpur said, "form is temporary but class is permanent."

On the recent good run of the new look Indian team, Dungarpur credited the present selection committee with giving opportunities to youngsters.

"The youngsters are not only performing well but they are also good athletes," he said, adding India had a good chance of lifting the 2007 World Cup as the present squad appeared to be as good as the team that lifted the top prize in cricket in 1983.

Dungarpur lauded the present BCCI President Sharad Pawar for launching a pension scheme for retired players and involving them in Board affairs and scouting for new talent.