Deposed India captain Sourav Ganguly is hopeful he can retain his Test spot for next month's home series against Sri Lanka.

Ganguly, 33, was sacked as captain last month following his prolonged batting slump and a damaging row with coach Greg Chappell to be replaced by his longterm deputy Rahul Dravid.

Dravid led the team to a 6-1 home one-day series victory over Sri Lanka this month with Ganguly, with over 10,000 one-day runs, omitted by the selectors.

Dravid seems set to get the Test job as well when the selectors meet on Tuesday after the third one-dayer against South Africa.

Ganguly, India's most successful Test captain with 21 wins, is hopeful he will be included when the squad for the first Test is named on Wednesday.

Ganguly told the NDTV channel in Kolkata on Monday. "I have performed consistently over a period of time for India in both forms of the game. I still want to play in both forms of the game."

The first match of the three-Test series starts in Chennai on December 2.