It is time Indian cricket looked beyond Sourav Ganguly [Images] as national skipper, with Rahul Dravid [Images] ready to don the mantle, former pacer Venkatesh Prasad said in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Prasad, on a coaching assignment at the Eastern Zonal Academy of the NCA, said Dravid is mature and had a cool disposition, which made him good captaincy material.

"Moreover, he is shrewd in his thinking. He leads by example, and captaincy has not affected his performance. He is ready to take over as skipper," he said.

While acknowledging Ganguly's skill in man-management, the former India fast bowler said that recently the left-hander did not have much to show in terms of performance.

"Also, during most of his captaincy stint, Ganguly had John Wright [Images] as coach. They gelled very well. Ganguly was very much attuned to the New Zealander's way of thinking.

"But here lies a problem. With Wright quitting, Ganguly will need time to adjust to the ways of the new coach. But Dravid will have no such problem.

"So, I think now is the time that India should look beyond Ganguly as skipper. We should have a new combination of Rahul and the new coach. That will be good for the team," he said.