Former India all-rounder Ajay Jadeja says India should continue with Rahul Dravid as captain beyond the tri-series in Sri Lanka and should not be asked to step down when Sourav Ganguly returns after serving a ban for slow over-rate.
Jadeja, who will be leading Rajasthan in domestic cricket this season, said Dravid and coach Greg Chappell make for a fine combination and both should be given enough time to prove themselves.
"I don't deny that Ganguly has done an excellent job as a captain and batsman, but Dravid and Greg [Chappell] need more time to settle down and produce results," Jadeja said.
"They both are different kind of persons but are thinkers [of the game]. Greg's credentials as a coach and player need not be mentioned and perhaps he is the only man who has done research on cricket."
Ganguly was banned for six One-Day Internationals for the team's slow over-rate in the home series against Pakistan in April. But it was reduced to four by the ICC Dispute Resolutions Committee on Thursday.
Ganguly had already sat out two matches, and is eligible to play from India's third match in the tri-series, which involves the West Indies as the third team.
Jadeja, who played for Delhi for two years since returning from a ban for an alleged role in the match-fixing scandal in 2000, also said Ganguly's return to the squad would put VVS Laxman's place in jeopardy and the latter would then find a place in the team only as an opener.
"I see either Mahendra Singh Dhoni or Laxman as Veeru's [Virender Sehwag] partner but Laxman can find a place only if asked to open the innings. In practice matches Yuvraj Singh has played at number three and with Ganguly also on the cards, Laxman's place in the middle order could be in jeopardy," said Jadeja.
Asked about his own hopes of breaking back into the Indian team, Jadeja took inspiration from Haryana's Jodinger Sharma getting a call-up from the national team.
"Playing for Rajasthan doesn't mean that I have lost the hope of a comeback altogether. My job is to play and I don't care about the rest," he said.
