Wednesday, September 27 2006 14:25 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Deposed India captain Sourav Ganguly has been given what one selector says is a 'last chance' to win back his place in the non-performing national team.

The 34-year-old is handed a berth in the domestic Challenger one-day series, a selection trial for the busy international season that culminates with the World Cup in the Caribbean next March.

Ganguly, who has not been selected for next month's Champions Trophy tournament, will play for the India 'B' team under Mohammad Kaif against Rahul Dravid's India Seniors and India A led by Venugopal Rao.

Ganguly, India's most successful Test captain and a stylish left-handed batsman, was thrown out of the national team last season and was subsequently involved in a spat with India's Australian coach Greg Chappell.

He has not played a one-day international since September last year and was dropped from the Test squad after the tour of Pakistan in February.

But with the floundering Indian team having won just one of its last nine one-dayers, Ganguly is being regarded as a serious candidate for the tour of South Africa later this year and the World Cup.

He is one of only four batsmen in the world to score more than 10,000 runs in limited-overs cricket and has played in two World Cups, the last as captain in 2003 when India reached the final.

Ganguly's 10,123 runs from 279 one-dayers puts him in fourth place behind team-mate Sachin Tendulkar, Pakistan's Inzamam-ul-Haq and Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya in the all-time one-day scorer's list.

His 22 centuries, the same as Jayasuriya, are second behind Tendulkar's record tally of 40.

However, the impressive statistics alone will not get Ganguly back into the team. He needs big runs under his belt to nudge the selectors to consider him for future tours.

"Sourav's career is not over," says chief selector Kiran More, who leaves his post on Wednesday (27 September 2006) after serving out four years picking the team.

"He is one of our most experienced cricketers, but he will need to show his form in the Challengers and other domestic matches to be considered for selection."

"The door is not closed for him. This could be his last chance."

Ganguly said in a recent interview he was looking forward to playing in domestic cricket. "I am only concerned about scoring runs and nothing else at this juncture," he says.

"When I was dropped from the team, I did not get many opportunities to prove myself in domestic cricket and make a comeback because it was the fag end of the season."

"Being dropped was more of a disappointment rather than being upset. I know there is no use of thinking about it now."

"But the hunger is still there and that is why I am continuing my cricket."