Former India captain Kapil Dev [Images] said on Saturday that Sourav Ganguly [Images] faced a "big challenge" in regaining his spot in the side after he was replaced as skipper by Rahul Dravid [Images].

"Ganguly needs to prove to everybody that he still deserves a place in the team. It would be a big challenge for him," Kapil told reporters.

The former all-rounder was speaking on the eve of the Delhi Half Marathon in which he would be participating. He is also the brand ambassador for the event.

Responding to a specific query if the doors to the Indian team had been shut on Ganguly, who is currently nursing a tennis elbow, Kapil said he would need to perform to prove that he still belongs at the highest level of the game.

Reacting to Dravid taking over the reins of the side, the former skipper said a captain should ideally be appointed for a longer period of time.

"A longer period at the helm would provide a conducive atmosphere to deliver results," he said, adding constant chopping and changing does not do any good to the performance of the side.

"The same happened to me when I was a player and it is very painful," Kapil said. "If a person is good enough, he should not be given a time frame."

When he was asked if some players, who are prone to injuries, were prolonging their careers, the former pacer stressed that the selectors sometimes needed to take hard decisions.

"One cannot make everybody happy but we need to have the best players for the 2007 World Cup. Nobody should remain in the side without showing good performance," he added.