India's cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has hit out at the Indian selectors for not consulting him over the choice of the side to play England at Mohali. "They did not bother to ask me for my suggestions. Nobody called me," Ganguly is quoted as saying to an Indian newspaper. Although Ganguly was in South Africa when the selectors met, he said that he still expected a telephone call to solicit his opinions. "Couldn't they call me for two minutes? Is it a new rule that the captain will not be asked for his opinion?

"Now I understand why Sachin resigned."

Ganguly was particularly upset that all five pace bowlers who toured South Africa had been omitted in favour of three newcomers - Sanjay Bangar, Iqbal Siddiqui and Tinu Yohannan. "I know our pacemen have not bowled well in South Africa," Ganguly said. "But are the chosen ones better than Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan? We needed a left-armer to create some rough on the wicket so that the offspinners could turn the ball more.

"But," he added, "now we don't have that option."

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