More slams door on Ganguly; says domestic performance will not do

New Delhi, Mar 5 (UNI) In a startling revelation which may virtually bring curtains to Sourav Ganguly's career, selection committee chairman Kiran More said the former skipper will not find a place in the Indian team as long as the present panel is in office irrespective of the southpaw's performance in domestic circuit.

More said the committee was ''definitely looking beyond'' Ganguly even if he were to perform well in domestic cricket, in an interview with Cricinfo last evening in Nagpur.

Following Ganguly's exclusion from the first Test against England, More had made a statement that ''there is no looking back on this issue now''. Giving a clarification of what he said then, More said in the interview that the reference then, and now, was to the tenure of the current selection committee, rather than just the present series against England.

''We took a decision that we have to look ahead ... we wanted to send a message across that, 'this is what we are looking at, and as far as this committee is concerned, this is what we have decided, that we will not look back at all'.'' About the public and media pressure generated by the decision, More said, ''Pressure is always there in any job and it is a good thing. You have to make some strong decisions. That's why you're selecting the Indian team.'' UNI PDS MA HT1245