On the eve of his 113th and final Test match in Nagpur, Sourav Ganguly insists he's at peace, that his last Test match didn't mean more to him than the 112 he'd played over the last 12 years or so. Ganguly elicits extreme emotions across the spectrum and time zones, particularly in Australia where they both detest and respect him for getting under the skins of their cricketers. Ganguly spoke to Rohit Mahajan about his career and future plans.

Full text of the interview, excerpts from which appear in print

You were picked up at a very early age and then dropped equally suddenly. Did that shape your philosophy as captain?

I didn't even think about it then. But when I became captain, yes. When I got picked up in 1996, I realised, when I came back to India, that if I had not done well in that debut Test at the Lord's, I'd never have played cricket for India again. Luckily, I didn't know that during the series. I couldn't have played cricket like that, nobody can play like that. You need to give everybody a fair opportunity, let them play with peace in mind if they are to perform. You have enough to think about on the field – somebody bowling at you at 90 miles an hour, and someone spinning the ball right across the stumps. You have to combat that, you cannot afford to worry about whether you will ever play again if you fail, whether you'd get another chance… As a captain, I had rules – that you won't be picked up easily, but if you're picked up, you'd get a fair chance. Five games, seven games. I'd tell them that this is what I'd expect of them in those games. Nobody can get runs or wickets from their first match. Very few players just come and score a hundred on their Test debut. Everybody needs time to settle down.

You became captain in difficult times. Sachin Tendulkar had given up captaincy, and then the match-fixing scandal happened.

Well, India suddenly produces captains out of nowhere.

"I realised if I hadn't done well in my debut Test in '96, I would never have played for India again."

When Sachin left, I became captain. Similarly, when Rahul (Dravid) retired, we got Dhoni from somewhere. Dhoni was not supposed to be captain. Somehow, these good things happened unplanned. I was happy when I became captain, of course! Honoured. Can you imagine, I'd been going to the Eden Gardens right from early childhood. The first time I went there, my father was the CAB secretary. When Tony Greig came over with the England team as captain, I was five years old… and from there on, I used to go to the Eden and watch every match. People like Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Viswanath, Vengsarkar… And then suddenly, you're asked to lead the same Indian team! It's a huge feeling.

Exactly what kind of feeling?

A different feeling, pride and happiness. I was the vice-captain, so it was not unexpected to me after Sachin gave up captaincy, yet the first time I was to lead India, I was so excited I could not sleep. I was thinking, I have to go to toss tomorrow, first time as India captain… a different feeling. You cannot explain that in words.

How did you handle the match-fixing controversy?

I didn't really have to do anything, for there was very little cricket for India for maybe six months, and I was playing county cricket in England. I didn't even know all that was happening, and everything was handled by people in the Indian cricket board.

Captaincy also brought pressures, and your game suffered.

Pressure is part and parcel of the game. Yes, at the later stages probably my batting was affected. I went on to captain India for five to five-and-a-half years, and so at the later stages the average dropped down. From that point of view, it wasn't nice… but I would any day give my right had to be captain the team.

Despite the pressures, the criticism?

Yes, because it's a huge honour. Criticism is part of sport, I'll be criticised even now if I don't play well. It cannot just go away, you just have to find a way to perform.

You also made a reputation of spotting young talent and backing them...

I somehow managed to pick up the right players. I always looked at people out of the field too, rather than just somebody playing the game. I looked at matchwinners. People like Sehwag, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Dhoni, Yuvraj in One-day cricket. 

And you were refreshing in the sense that regionalism in selection was never a factor with you.

Don't know about the past, but me, I never thought about that. I had to pick up the best player for India.

Were there any pressures from the selectors, to favour any players?

No, never. From my own region, in any case, there were no players who could have played for India. The selectors would push for certain player, of course, because they've seen a lot more of players from their own zones.

"Somehow I managed to pick the right guys, matchwinners all: Sehwag, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Zaheer..."

When I was in the meetings, I just picked up the players on the basis of how good he was.

What were the factors why India did well abroad under you?

Quality of players – players like Dravid, Tendulkar, myself, Kumble, Viru, Harbhajan. The captain is as good as the team, it's just the quality of the players. We had probably the best middle order in the history of Indian cricket.

But we've had great players in the past too, and yet never won abroad.

I don't know why that happened. Perhaps we had more confidence, we realised that we had to win abroad to really leave a mark, that it was more important to do well away from our own conditions. I think people earlier didn't have the confidence also.

Now, Greg Chappell. You went to him for tips in Australia in 2003, but when he became coach, the relationship soured.

Yes, it did when he became the coach. He really did help my batting and I got a century. But when he came to India, I felt that he was given wrong impressions by people outside.

You think he was misled?

Must be, into believing whatever he believes.

You were removed from captaincy and then dropped. Is there no bitterness?

None at all.

How's that possible?

Of course it's possible! You cannot keep fighting all your life. In any case, I don't see him any more. I don't interact with him anymore, so that situation doesn't come at all. He's away in Australia, I'm in India.

There was a picture of you together in Mohali…

It was at the ground. I had announced my retirement (in Bangalore), and he just said hello. I've got nothing about it left in my mind. It's past.

When you came back into the team two years ago, you seemed to be playing very fluently, as if you'd never gone away.

Yes, I feel I've batted my best these last two years, except for the series against Sri Lanka. I honestly feel that I've batted my best in Test cricket, and it has been under pressure. I've got runs everywhere – in Johannesburg in South Africa (2006), in Nottingham in England when we needed a partnership to win, at the Oval when we were 11 for three (2007). We wouldn't have lost the Test match there, of course, but we definitely were under pressure. Then last year at Bangalore against Pakistan after we were 60 odd for three; in Kanpur against South Africa earlier this year; and in this series, in Mohali against Australia, we were 160 for four.

You looked as fluent as ever. How do you account for that? You've worked hard on your fitness as well?

It's just that I've batted as well as I've ever done. Previously also I used to work on my fitness…. I did whatever I am required to do, to stay fit. I'm not getting younger, and I had to work to get my reactions going really well on the field.

What was the motivation to come back into the team? Was there an idea of getting back at Chappell, or proving a point?

No.

"It was disappointing to be dropped from ODIs. In my last year with the team, I had averaged 47."

I just wanted to play for India. I still believed I had cricket left in me, and I wanted to perform. I wanted to play 100 Test matches, I wanted to play 300 One-day games, I wanted to be part of the team that went to the World Cup in the West Indies last year. I felt I was good enough. You can't play cricket if you play only with the idea of proving things to someone.

You were dropped from the One-day team earlier this year. How difficult was that?

Very disappointing, because I thought I'd had a wonderful year in One-day cricket. I had averaged 47. My One-day record is one of the best in the world. But then I also understood that they had to pick a team for the future. It's a policy to pick up a team for the World Cup.

Yes, and you also had to make some hard decisions as captain? Possibly the dropping of VVS Laxman for the 2003 World Cup?

Yes, but that was not on the basis of age. We just could not fit him in the One-day team. It was a hard decision, because Laxman always was an outstanding player. But we had to do it.

You don't want your best players leaving at the same time. This was the fear that might happen here with your bunch, so what's the solution?

This the selectors have to decide, of course.

But what are your views?

I'm sure it won't come to pass that all the seniors would retire at the same time. Anil and I have gone now, maybe someone else in one year's time or six months' time. I don't know. It's up to the players, up to the selectors. And nobody can ask anybody to retire. How can the selectors go and ask any of the seniors to retire if he's performing? I believe you cannot ask anyone to retire if he's performing, even if he's 40.

You think you've realised your potential as batsman?

Yes, I have. There always will be ifs and buts, I probably should have got more runs in Test cricket. But I'm happy with what I've achieved. I'm happy to go on and play.

With Twenty20 cricket, and the Indian Premier League, where do you think is Test cricket headed?

Test cricket will always be the best form of the game.

But there's a fear that skills required for Test cricket are getting eroded.

It's up to the individual to take the call. You cannot ignore Twenty20 cricket, you cannot ignore the IPL. But I know it from personal experience with cricketers that they still rate Test cricket as the best form of the game. If a spinner wants to do well, he has to play all forms of the game because he cannot ignore Twenty20 cricket. It's got him money, it's got him into the limelight. It's got him a million dollars. From where will he otherwise get a million dollars? Let's be honest. So he has to adjust if he wants to play all forms of the game. And if you're good enough, you can do that.

What plans for the future? Commentary, business?

I'll take a break, I've been on the road for a long time. Then we'll see what happens. I have options of family business.

And politics?

Everybody asks me that!

You made a statement that seemed telling, about Manta Banerjee and the Tatas and Nano leaving West Bengal.

I didn't make a statement about Mamta Banerjee, I made a statement about the Nano. I'm a firm believer that the future of the youth. My daughter is six years old ... similarly other people with young children would want the best future for them. It's the same for everyone. So if today the Tatas go away or the Jindals go away from West Bengal, it takes away one opportunity from the youth to do the best possible in life. It's not about Mamta, it's not about Buddhadeb, it's not about any other political party. It's about what the state requires, and West Bengal and India require these big industrialists to start. Even Mamta has requested the Tatas to stay.

How does your daughter react to your fame?

Ah, she doesn't understand. She was not even born when I became the captain, and all through the period of my captaincy, she was very young. She doesn't realise this fame business. But she's started enjoying Twenty20 cricket. She's got a Sanaa shirt, I had to get her a shirt.

Your behaviour on the field is faultless… On the field, you walked on the edge, especially when you were captain. How do you reconcile that?

It's just that I had decided on a policy which would help my team play better. I and the team had decided that if we had to compete with them, we had to come up with similar body language, aggressive cricket. Nothing more to it than that.

Those incidents with Steve Waugh, keeping him waiting at toss?

Just to compete with them in their own manner, to get my team to play better. Nothing more to it. It's sport on the field, and off the field I'm the person I am.

What's the source of your mental strength?

I don't know, I can't say what it might be. Probably the faith in my abilities, and a desire to win.

Or maybe the fact that you don't really have to depend on the cricket

Could be. I won't be able to pinpoint one single reason. Luckily, I have it and that's good!

Saurav, what are your first recollections of the game?

My interest in the game started when India won the World Cup in 1983. But obviously, before that, I'd seen cricket right from my childhood. My father has been associated with the Cricket Association of Bengal, my brother was playing Bengal school cricket at the under-15, under-19 levels. I've been brought up in a family where people played cricket, so that's where the interest started.

There were lots of left-handed batsmen in your family, I believe...

Everybody in my family is a left-hander. Probably seeing them hold the bat that way, I started with that grip. My elder brother, my cousin who played, my other cousins who don't even play serious cricket and play only tennis ball cricket, all are left-handers. All natural right-handers who bat left-handed. But my father was a right-hander.

When did you first realise you could make it in the game?
Actually, when I got picked up for India in 1996 and did well, it was then I decided that OK, now I can take it up as a profession. Before that, I used to play and I used to study. I never thought of making it when I started out – I just wanted to play because I enjoyed playing the game. In India, if you don't play at the Test level, you never know where you can go.

Things were more uncertain at the Ranji Trophy level those days…
Yes, at least now there's something, some money… I played the Ranji Trophy for Rs 400 per game! Now it's Rs 1.5 lakh, which is a good change.

And the first brush fame, when people started recognising you?

When I was picked up for the 1991-92 tour of Australia.

People would stop you on the streets in Kolkata?

No, not at stage, but they were happy that I was picked up to play for India, because cricket was so big.  Actual things started when I did well on the 1996 tour of England. In Kolkata, it was most intense, obviously, for them to see someone from the state do so well for India.