Former India [ Images ] captain Sourav Ganguly [ Images ] scored a fluent half-century on Wednesday in a domestic match he was asked to play by selectors to prove his form for the Pakistan tour.

Ganguly top-scored with a fluent 59, including nine boundaries, for Bengal against Tamil Nadu in Kolkata [ Images ] on the second day of the Ranji Trophy championship match.

The 33-year-old left-hander has suffered a prolonged batting slump and annoyed national selectors by not heeding instructions to play in the previous round of the competition.

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Ganguly has been the centre of controversy since being dropped from the team for the third Test against Sri Lanka [ Images ] but then recalled for this month's Pakistan tour.

On Tuesday, Ganguly, who took three wickets, was banned from bowling further in the first innings of the four-day match after receiving two warnings for running on the pitch.