Ganguly's chances of extending his international career look slim

The ex-skipper missed the first two games and was told he needed to prove his fitness after an elbow injury.

Ganguly, 33, thought he had achieved that by scoring a century in the domestic Duleep Trophy tournament.

But the selectors have kept the squad which won the first two games for the matches in Jaipur, Pune and Ahmedabad.

Chief selector Kiran More refused to close the door on Ganguly but he warned that he and his colleagues were planning for the future.

Things are not in his favour - he hasn't done well Kiran More

"He is fit but we have some other options. We have selected the best side for the next three matches," he insisted.

"Any cricketer can make a comeback. Sourav has performed outstandingly for the country and also captained very well.

"But definitely things are not in his favour. He hasn't done that well.

"We're looking at some of the youngsters doing very well. We want to give them at least about 30 games before the World Cup."

Ganguly, who was axed as captain last week and replaced by Rahul Dravid, is only the fourth batsman in one-day cricket to complete 10,000 runs.

But he has struggled for form in the past two years and was involved in a bitter row with new coach Greg Chappell in September.