Former skipper Sourav Ganguly welcomed Rahul Dravid's return to India's ODI scheme of things, saying the experienced right-hander's inclusion in the side will be a bonus for the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side at the Champions Trophy in South Africa later this year.
The BCCI selection committee included Dravid in the 30-member probables' list for the Champions Trophy, which begins September 24, paving way for the former captain's return to the ODI team since October, 2007.
"He's (Dravid) so good in all forms. His inclusion will be a bonus for India. I'm sure he would do well. It's a right decision [by the selectors to recall him]. He himself would not have expected it," Ganguly said after attending the Board of Control for Cricket in India's Technical Committee meeting in Mumbai on his 37th birthday.
Apart from Dravid, left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra, who impressed in the Indian Premier League in South Africa as well as the just-concluded ODI series in the West Indies, was included in the list of probables for the biennial event.
Ganguly advised out-of-favour left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan to draw inspiration from Dravid and Nehra's comeback and earn his place back into the national team.
"Irfan should look at the example of Rahul Dravid and Ashish Nehra. If you keep performing well you are bound to bounce back. He's young and talented, he knows he has to do better," said the Bengal stalwart.
In the recent past, Irfan's performance had dipped significantly, prompting the selection panel to omit his name from the probables list.
Ganguly also said too much should not be made out of the India team's early departure from Twenty 20 World Cup in England.
"India have done well in all forms of the game. We had a poor outing in T20 World Cup but not too much should be read into it. We have some superb players," he said.
He threw in his weight behind Dhoni, saying winning and losing are part of the game and it would be wrong to vilify the captain for it.
"It's bound to happen. You can't go on for so long without (hitting) a lean patch. He's (Dhoni) a smart cricketer and has a good head," said Ganguly.
Asked for his opinion on ICC's idea to reduce Test matches by a day and introduce day/night Tests, Ganguly said he would forever remain a supporter of the five-day game.
"I'm always for five-day Tests. I'm not averse to day/night Tests, but the issue of the white ball needs to be sorted out to make it interesting," he added.
