<img title="Sourav Ganguly" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/mar/SGanguly2.jpg" alt="Sourav Ganguly" width="670" height="662" /> Sourav Ganguly
Kolkata: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly&nbsp;feels injured left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc's absence in&nbsp;the third Test against Australia played a big role in&nbsp;the pale show of off-spinners from both the sides in the drawn&nbsp;game at Ranchi.
Ganguly was of the view that India's Ravichandran Ashwin&nbsp;and his Australian counterpart Nathan Lyon's didn't get much&nbsp;purchase from the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA)&nbsp;Stadium track because of the lack of rough outside the&nbsp;off-stump, which is often created by the left-arm bowlers.&nbsp;
"Off-spinners did not get wickets here. This is because Mitchell Starc was not there, so the rough outside off-stump&nbsp;was not created," Ganguly told reporters n Kolkata on Tuesday after the&nbsp;third and penultimate Test between India and Australia ended&nbsp;in a draw.
<img title="Mitchell Starc" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/mar/Strac10.jpg" alt="Mitchell Starc" width="670" height="1005" /> Mitchell Starc
Australia's prime pacer Starc was ruled out of the series after the second Test in Bengaluru due to a stress fracture in&nbsp;his right foot.
In his two innings, Ashwin returned with figures of 2/185&nbsp;bowling a combined 64 overs, while Australia' Lyon got just the wicket of a tired Cheteshwar Pujara in the first innings&nbsp;after the latter played a marathon knock of 202 off 525&nbsp;deliveries.
<img title="R Ashwin" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/feb/24ashwin.jpg" alt="R Ashwin" width="670" height="446" /> R Ashwin
Ganguly also praised the Australian middle-order duo of Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh for stitching a gritty&nbsp;match-saving fifth wicket partnership of 124 runs in the&nbsp;visitor's second innings.&nbsp;
"They (Marsh and Handscomb) played really well," Ganguly said.

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Former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels injured left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc's absence in the third Test against Australia played a big role in the pale show of off-spinners from both the sides in the drawn game at Ranchi

Ganguly 'blames' absent Starc for Lyon, Ashwin's pale show at Ranchi

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Home / Sports / Cricket / Article / Ganguly 'blames' absent Starc for Lyon, Ashwin's pale show at Ranchi

Ganguly 'blames' absent Starc for Lyon, Ashwin's pale show at Ranchi

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