The left-hander, making a last-ditch attempt to regain his place in the Indian team, made 24 and three in the two matches he played in the domestic Challenger series in Chennai over the last three days.

Ganguly, playing for India B, slashed a catch to point off Munaf Patel in the first match on Monday against India Seniors captained by Rahul Dravid.

In the second game against India A on Tuesday, he was bowled by Test seamer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth for three.

Ganguly was Wednesday left out of the Rest of India squad for another trial fixture, the five-day Irani Cup match against Ranji Trophy champions Uttar Pradesh starting in Nagpur from October 9.

"Sourav's name was discussed, but he will have to do well in other domestic matches to stay in contention," India's new chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar, a former Test captain, told reporters.

Television channels ran special programmes to highlight Ganguly's failures and the mass-circulating Hindustan Times newspaper said the Challenger series may have dealt the final blow.

"This effort pushes him back to a point from where comeback doors seem to be closed, forever," the newspaper said.

"The Chennai stadium has seen another momentous occasion -- Sourav Ganguly walking into oblivion."

Ganguly, 34, was sacked as captain last year and later dropped from the national side following unfavourable comments from coach Greg Chappell, who said Ganguly was a "disrupting influence" in the team.

The stylish batsman has not played a one-day international since September last year and was omitted from the Test squad after the tour of Pakistan in February.

Ganguly has not been selected for the upcoming Champions Trophy, but he was being regarded as a serious candidate for the year-end tour of South Africa and the World Cup in March, with the floundering Indian team having won just one of its last nine one-dayers.