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Sourav Ganguly Draws Parallel Between Kohli, Rohit & His Own Career: ‘Had Not Taken Any Rest Like…’
The former India captain Sourav Ganguly said that he always considered getting dropped from the Indian team as a welcome break because before that he had played non stop cricket for 13 years.
07 July 2022 • 3:17 PM
Sourav Ganguly Draws Parallel Between Kohli, Rohit & His Own Career
New Delhi: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is now the BCCI President while speaking with The Telegraph drew parallels between his career and the current generation of cricketers like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli in terms of playing non-stop cricket, adding that in his 13 years of playing for India before getting dropped in 2006, he had not taken a break from international cricket.
Talking about the time when he was dropped first from the ODI set-up followed by Test matches, Ganguly said that although he was disappointed with the way things happened but at the same time considered it as a welcome break in a career that spanned for 17 years.
“I don’t think playing domestic cricket was tough but the entire situation was tough because it was something beyond my batting and bowling capabilities. So I couldn’t control that. I played for India for 13 years without a break before that. I hadn’t missed anything, not a series or tour. I hadn’t taken any rest like a lot of the players do now. So I consider those 4-6 months as a break from my career after those 13 years in an overall career of 17 years at the international level,” Ganguly told the leading daily newspaper.
On being asked whether the former India captain ever contemplated taking sleeping pills, Ganguly was quick to respond and said that there was no truth to that report.
“No, this is not true. But yes I used to get angry and frustrated but worked doubly hard. I was determined to prove myself, to make a point. I knew I had a lot of cricket left in me then. I convinced myself I would prove myself to the men who matter,” said the 49-year-old.
Ganguly was one of the top ODI players in international when he was dropped from the team.
“Can you imagine No.4 in the rankings and most number of runs in the world in those 10 years! And yet I was not considered… That’s why I said it was just beyond batting and bowling,” added Ganguly while recalling the entire episode.
The retirement was a call that the Prince of Kolkata had taken himself and it was not forced on to him as was widely reported in media at the time.
“No, absolutely not. I always believed that when you play for so long you should go at your peak. And I did that. I played very well in my last series and finished it on a high (324 runs in 4 Tests at an average of 54),” thr former India captain colcluded.